NEW YORK—After a long winter, the sounds of carnival games, children running on the boardwalk, and the click-clack of the Cyclone climbing up the track will once again fill Coney Island starting Sunday.
The city’s most famous amusement park will open the gates for another fun-filled season, with the world famous wooden Cyclone roller coaster—one of the last ones still in operation—marking its 86th year.
The Cyclone is not for everyone, but for those bold enough to try, it offers a glimpse into a style different from the new steel coasters.
“You really need a love of amusement and roller coasters and an affinity for what a wooden roller coaster experience gives you,” said Nicole Purmal, marketing manager for Luna Park and a lifelong roller coaster enthusiast, as she stood in the shadows of the Cyclone on Wednesday. “But people who do ride are going to have a full experience: the anticipation, the sounds, wind blowing through their hair, and the sights around Coney [Island]. If you are that kind of person, you are going to have a great time.”
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Purmal said the experience was more than just the short trip around the track. “You start riding the ride the minute you buy the ticket, because so much of the experience is the anticipation,” Purmal said.
She said as you inch closer to the front of the line your heart begins to beat just a little faster while talking with friends about what to expect. When it is finally time, you choose what car, and jump into the historic wooden seats.
Once locked in, the rider listens to the “click, click, click” as the cars slowly inch up the first hill. Once up top, riders pause briefly for a bird’s-eye view of Coney Island, then come thundering down the first hill.
“If you have the guts to look around you [at the top] and see the panoramic view, it is amazing,” Purmal said.
The old wooden coaster does not provide a smooth ride like the new steel coasters. Purmal said that is part of the charm.
Luna Park has replaced nearly 800 feet of track over the last few seasons, giving a less teeth-jarring ride, but the old-time characteristic is still there, and drawing fans year after year.
“Mr. Cyclone”
For the eighth year in a row, local resident Erik Knapp, 47, known around town as “Mr. Cyclone,” hopes to be first in line. Knapp will camp out with friends outside the ticket box under the historic neon Cyclone sign. As in years past, the first 100 in line on opening day ride for free.
“I have been riding the Cyclone since I was seven years old and I have never lost the thrill of it,” Knapp said by phone Wednesday. “It has become a part of my life.”
Knapp loves the famed roller coaster so much he even had it tattooed on his right bicep.
This year’s opening will not only mark the beginning of a new season, but also enable residents of an area hit hard by Hurricane Sandy to take the next step in recovery. “This year it will put some normalcy back in my life,” Knapp said.
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Knapp’s home just down the shore in Gerritsen Beach was flooded during the hurricane and his “Mr. Cyclone” 1975 Harley Davidson sustained damage.
“I have been cleaning since (the storm) nonstop,” Knapp said. He said he looks forward to a break in the pace with a fun evening with friends and hopes to have his Harley up and running by Sunday.
The opening will provide a break for local residents, a fun day for New Yorkers, and a peek into a revived Coney Island.
“Go to the top of the Cyclone and see Coney Island is OK,” Purmal said. “This is going to be a wonderful summer because we have a boardwalk, the beach, and an amazing park. To be able to confirm that [from the top of Cyclone] is going to be amazing.”
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