Coney Island was the largest amusement area from about the 1800's until around World War ll. Back in those days around one million people visited the park each year. The amusement area contains small attraction areas with games such as skeeball and ball tossing. It also contains side shoes, such as games of shooting, throwing, and tossing shows. Three of the rides at Coney Island are known as landmarks in New York City. They were registered by the National Register of Historic Places.One of the rides is the Wonder Wheel which is part of Deno's Wonder Wheel Amustment Park. The Wonder Wheel is a large steel ferris wheel. The wheel was built in 1918, and it was opened in 1920. The wheel consists of stationary cars and rocking cars that slide along a track thing. The Wonder Wheel is capable of holding 144 passengers. The wheel is over 150 feet tall and weighs around 2,000 tons.The Cyclone Roller Coaster was built in 1927, and today is operated by Astroland. The Cyclone Roller Coaster is one of the Nation's oldest wooden coasters that is still running today. The roller coaster consists of an 85 foot, 60 degree drop.The Parachute Jump from 1939 was the first ride of its kind. It was originally called the Life Savers Parachute Jump. The people on this ride where taken up 190 feet and then were dropped with "guy-wired" parachutes. The ride was closed in 1968, but remains a Coney Island landmark. Today the ride is more known as "Brooklyn's Eiffel Tower" and is occasionally lit up. The tower used to always be lit up with a color matching the season. The tower is not regularly lit up anymore because the people there are trying to save energy.Some rides from the past days at Coney Island includes the Thunderbolt and the Tornado. The Thunderbolt was a roller coaster that was constructed in 1925. The ride was closed in 1983, and was torn down in 2000 by the city "to protect public safety." The Tornado was a roller coaster that was constructed in 1926. The roller coaster suffered from a series of small fired and was torn down in 1977 because it was unstable and definately not safe.I think it would be very interesting to visit Coney Island today because it is such a historic place. The area has attracted so many people and so many things have taken place there. I have also seen a documentary of hauntings in the area, which I don't really think are true, but are still very fascinating. Field Trip?
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