People participate in the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade last month in New York.
Nothing says summer in New York quite like Coney Island
Photographs by Aristide Economopoulos
Story by Kyle Almond, CNN
Published July 7, 2023
People participate in the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade last month in New York.
It’s New York City’s iconic summer playground.
Coney Island, a Brooklyn neighborhood with nearly 3 miles of beaches, has been helping New Yorkers cool off and decompress for over a century now.
Sure, there might be fancier getaways in the area, but none of them has the history or the worldwide relevance that Coney Island does.
“It’s so eclectic,” said Aristide Economopoulos, a freelance photographer who has been documenting the area for years. “And what I love about Coney Island is, it’s really a microcosm of New York City. It’s changed, New York City, even over the past decade, but (Coney Island) is still this quirky, urban beach resort. It’s gone through a lot with Hurricane Sandy, gentrification, the pandemic. But it’s still this joyous place with a sense of community that’s also very diverse.”
When warm weather hits, many New Yorkers take the subway trip to Coney Island to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy all that the beachfront community has to offer.
Of course, there’s the ocean — but there’s also the boardwalk with its historic amusement rides, carnival games, live entertainment and countless culinary delights.
Economopoulos, from nearby Jersey City, New Jersey, was back there again this week to photograph the Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest, which takes place annually on the Fourth of July. Thousands of people come to Coney Island for the holiday festivities, which culminate in a traditional fireworks display.
“It’s pure Americana,” the photographer said.
Tourists are always welcome to Coney Island, but Economopoulos has found that it’s mostly full of New Yorkers.
He’s especially drawn to Coney Island’s diversity. Like New York City, it’s a melting pot of people.
“The one thing about Coney Island is, people there don’t care where you’re from, who you are, what language you speak, what religion (you are) or who you love,” he said. “The main thing is just don’t be a jerk.”
He said there is a palpable sense of community.
“It’s really a beautiful place because you’ll see so many different types of people just having fun and enjoying each other,” he said.
Coney Island has a special place in the photographer’s heart, as it helped him get through a rough patch in his life.
“I went through a very painful divorce in 2012, and I’m just sitting in this dark apartment. ... I felt very isolated and lonely. I had to get out. So I went over to Coney Island,” he said.
Economopoulos had lived in the area for years, working as a photojournalist for The Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s largest newspaper. But he had barely spent time in Coney Island until then.
“I headed out there and met this amazing group of people — a diverse, vibrant community,” he recalled.
He met people such as Monica Ghee, who’s been working at the amusement park games for 52 years. With her blue hair — sometimes pink — she’s always ready to give him a hug.
“Her stories are just amazing,” Economopoulos said. “She’s seen a proposal in front of her, a divorce in front of her.”
He got to know some of the regulars who would hang out on the boardwalk, including a group of men who liked to work out on nearby pull-up bars, and a group of Puerto Ricans who liked to play salsa music and dance. He spent some time in Ruby’s Bar & Grill, a legendary Coney Island restaurant that has been around since 1934 and has many historical photos on its back wall.
They all opened themselves to him and allowed him to take photos. And he used the creative outlet to help himself heal.
“It was what I needed to get out of a dark place in my life,” he said.
Economopoulos has been going back to Coney Island ever since to take photos. He is much more familiar with the area now, but it never gets old. There are always surprising moments to capture.
“It’s an ongoing dance, like a ballet, of what’s going on, and you have the different characters and performances,” he said. “You can try to predict what’s going to happen. But no, it’s Coney Island. You’ll see things which you’ll never ever see again, and that’s what I love about it, too.”
He said he’s seen the neighborhood experience “some growing pains” over the past decade as new investments have resulted in more construction. And the pier was recently rebuilt after it was devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
“Coney Island is definitely this growing, changing, lively organism,” he said.
Economopoulos would like to someday publish a book about Coney Island with the thousands of photos he has taken.
“I think it’s really important that it’s documented through history,” he said.
Many visitors come back time and time again because of tradition, passing it down from generation to generation. Economopoulos wants to help while also showcasing the humanity of Coney Island.
“It’s uniquely American,” he said. “It’s uniquely New York City.”
