There was big fun in Coney Island yesterday as everyone from Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert Lieber to Planning Director Amanda Burden showed up during the slush storm to accept the donation of the iconic Astroland Rocket. Astroland owner Caroll Hill Albert gave the rocket to the city. It is being exiled to a warehouse in Staten Island until a new place can be found for it the amusement park the city wants to build. Given that we’re not counting on a groundbreaking for that park next year, it could be a while before any of us ever see the rocket again. In any case, here are a couple of pics that the Coney Island History Project posted of yesterday’s momentous ocassion for those obsessed with this rock like we are.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Steve // Jan 29, 2009 at 9:17 am
So the city dropped the ball (or should I say abandoned) Coney Island, and these asshats want to congratulate themselves on the destruction of the amusement area?
I would sincerely appreciate it if someone would tell me what I might be missing here.
2 anon // Jan 29, 2009 at 10:41 am
Considering that Councilman Recchia has killed the real dreams of Coney Island when he went to bed with developer Joe Sitt of Thor Equities, it’s a ghost town now, why doesn’t he keep this Astroland Rocket at his waterfront estate in the South Hampton on Peconic Bay instead of Staten Island. Afterall he never summers with the regular folks of Coney Island. It can remind him of what was.
3 Jack // Jan 29, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I’m sure Marty Markowitz will be the first one praising the first crappy mall that’s built on that land with a token “arcade” to appease zoning.
Folks, head to the Atlantic Center mall. Look at the empty Circuit City, the crappy layout and the general “Blah” and then walk over to the Target wing and see the same and you know what? These guys see that as a good thing.
Crazy.
4 Crony Island // Feb 1, 2009 at 4:21 pm
How ’bout we put Pinsky, Markowitz, Burden, Lieber and Recchia INSIDE the rocket, and send them on a one-way trip out of our solar system?
I can’t think of a better public service — unless we could also find room in there for Mike Bloomberg, Joe Sitt, Bruce Ratner and Randy Levine.