When school lets out in NYC, there’s nothing that says summer like a ride on the Q train to Coney Island! Despite recent changes in ownership, the two most iconic Coney Island attractions have been granted a well-deserved reprieve from the ever-looming wrecking ball. The Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel still tower proudly above the smattering of surrounding ice cream stores, souvenir shops and children’s rides. Of course, for those who prefer to keep their feet on the ground, a walk on the boardwalk and a bite to eat at Nathan’s Hot Dogs are summertime necessities!
Last summer, I bought tickets to see my first home game featuring the Brooklyn Cyclones, Coney Island’s local minor league baseball affiliate. After waiting in line, a small group of friends and I managed to claim some seats near the visitors dugout and we settled down in the cozy stadium, even as the clouds began to congregate above us. Now, you might think a midday storm would dampen our spirits a bit, but it turned out to do quite the opposite! At first, a light drizzle was met with sloppy play, an early two-run deficit for the home team and general apathy from the crowd. But as the weather began to build, the mood throughout the entire stadium changed dramatically in turn.
Cell phones and half-written e-mails were tucked safely away into dry pockets, and spectators rose from their seats in some confused effort to ward off the wind and rain. Suddenly the game, to which we’d barely been paying attention previously, became the center of our attention. We cheered our Cyclones on with all our hearts; I could imagine an era before I was born, when baseball was more than just a game, and I suddenly felt like I’d hopped in a time machine and gone there.
The tide turned quickly, perhaps inevitably. By the fourth inning the score was tied, and in the bottom of the fifth, a towering home run put the Cyclones in the lead and sent the crowd into a frenzy. When the final out was guaranteed, and before our victorious team could even run off the field, fireworks began exploding above the stadium, illuminating the last remnants of the storm. The fireworks were a nightly postgame tradition, but proved a particularly fitting denouement to our trip back in time.
