F E L I N E R S

After being a resident of New York for almost a year now, I finally visited Coney Island. For those who have never heard of it, Coney Island is a peninsula, formerly an island, in southernmost Brookyln with a beach lying on the Atlantic Ocean.

The area was a major resort and home of Astroland amusement park that reached its peak in the early 20th century. It declined in popularity after World War II and endured years of neglect before being revitalized.

Coney Island is also famous for its hot dogs; Nathan's Famous' original hot dog stand opened on in 1916 and quickly became a landmark. An annual hot dog eating competition has been held there on July 4th since its opening and the current record is held by a tiny Japanese guy who ate 53.75 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes.

The nearby Brighton Beach area has a distinctive ethnic feel to it because there is a huge population of Russian and Ukrainian in the area. Think Russian cafes, food stores, banks and even boutiques selling mink coats. Or are they faux fur? I hope so. We lounged on Brighton Beach instead of the Coney Island Beach to escape the hustle bustle of hyperactive kids overdosing themselves on sodas and cotton candy.