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Ferries And The Return Of Astroland For Coney Island?
By
Ben Muessig
Published Nov 17, 2009
Modified Nov 17, 2009
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By
Ben Muessig
Published Nov 17, 2009
Modified Nov 17, 2009
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Crazy Coney Island news just keeps on coming. Less than a week after Mayor Bloomberg reached a $95.7 million deal to purchase 6.9 acres of the neighborhood's ailing amusement district from landowner Joe Sitt, the city has announced plans to bring ferry service back to the People's Playground, the Post reports. The city will use $3.2 million of federal transportation funds to study the feasibility of commuter ferry service from three possible dock locations: West Eighth Street near the New York Aquarium, the existing Steeplechase Pier near KeySpan Park, and in Coney Island Creek.
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Paper notes that former Astroland owner Carol Albert is one of several amusement operators hoping to secure a lease as the city pushes to transform the downtrodden entertainment area into a year-round tourist destination. Though Albert sold her land to Sitt in 2006 for $30 million and closed her park last year when he refused to offer her another one-year extension, she said she's eager to bring her iconic amusements back to Coney Island. “Of course I’ll make a proposal,” said Albert, who still owns all of the Astroland rides except for the water flume (and the Astroland Rocket), and hopes to mix some of her older rides with other newer ones. "My heart is in Coney Island. Everybody knows that," she told the paper. "Plus, the name ‘Astroland,’ which is synonymous with Coney Island, is trademarked."
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carol albert
coney island
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joe sitt
Ben Muessig
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