Dick Zigun, creator of the Mermaid Parade and founder of the nonprofit arts organization Coney Island USA, Dick Zigun grew up in Bridgeport, Conn., the hometown of circus impresario P.T. Barnum. Given that, it makes perfect sense that he would be the one to revive the circus-like atmosphere in Coney Island. “I was a little bit brave and a little bit stupid,” says Zigun, who moved there in 1979 when the area’s prime attraction was muggings. But after founding Coney Island USA in 1980 and the Mermaid Parade in 1983, he’s helped the neighborhood grow once more into one of the city’s premier attractions. This is his Coney Island.
1. Spook-A-Rama, Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, 3059 W. 12th St.
“The most unappreciated ride in Coney Island. Cars take you through the spook house where things light up and hop out at you, strings hit you in the face in the dark, and there are crash doors. Some of the effects are brand-new and modern, and some date back to the ’20s and ’30s There are animatronics, somebody getting electrocuted and there’s a Frankenstein monster, but I like some of the pre-technology things that light up with a red light that turns on for a few seconds and catch you by surprise.”
2. The Shore Theater, 1301 Surf Ave.
“It was built for vaudeville and movies, and opened in 1925 with a performance of Siamese twins. It’s equipped exactly like the old Broadway theaters — it’s got dressing rooms and a stage, and it can fly scenery. It was last open to the public as a porno movie house in 1975. It seats 2,500 people and it [could be] a great rock-and-roll venue. We just got it landmarked a couple of years ago, but now we have to find a tenant for it.”
3. The Tickler, Luna Park, 1000 Surf Ave.
“It’s named after a ride in the original Luna Park. It’s half the original ride, mixed with a ride some people my age might remember called “The Wild Mouse.” It’s like a roller coaster that’s not so much big up and down, but you have a lot of sharp turns. You do a lot of twisting around, and you feel like you’re about to fall off the track. It’s not a smooth curve. It’s almost like abrupt right angles.”
4. Dancing Robot Woman, West 12th Street at Boardwalk
“There’s a stupid dancing woman robot on the street. The sign says, “Watch her dance to the end of love.” You drop in a quarter, and there’s this full-size mannequin of a woman behind glass. She’s wearing a new dress, a new wig and jewelry, but she’s actually a 1930s mechanical robot. You drop in a quarter, and she dances for you for a minute. She’s my superstition in the neighborhood. I can’t walk by her without putting in a quarter or it’s bad luck. I’m afraid to walk past her and not drop in a quarter.”
5. At the Hop, Cha Cha’s Steeplechase, Stillwell Avenue at Wonder Wheel Way
“A temporary ride that may only be here this summer. It was originally called the Bavarian Slide — it’s been in Coney Island before [under that name]. Since 1969, it’s been up and down the Eastern Seaboard. It’s a simple ride. You climb up a staircase that moves, then you walk on revolving disks, and you end up in a big slide about two stories high and you slide back down. If I had enough money winning the lottery to buy a carnival ride and put it in my backyard, that’s the one I would grab.”
6. Nathan’s Famous (the new one), 1229 Boardwalk
“In 1985, [Coney Island USA] rented a place on the boardwalk, and I used to sleep and have sex there. That building is now the new Nathan’s. They just built it a few months ago. We ran Sideshows by the Seashore and the Coney Island Museum there from 1985 to 1995, and I had a small place in the back. I lived there except for from 1990 to 1993, when I had a common-law marriage, and lived in Bay Ridge. It’s a hell of a front yard — the Atlantic Ocean and the boardwalk and the beach.”
7. West 10th Street in front of the Cyclone roller coaster
“I got my first tattoo in 1996, on a stage set up in the middle of the street, during our annual tattoo and motorcycle show. Tattooing was still illegal in NYC, and a police captain watched me get it. It’s on my right arm — the Coney Island funny face logo, done by legendary tattooist Spider Webb. I had a permit to run a motorcycle and tattoo festival, and there were all types of performances happening onstage. The police captain made a face, but I don’t think it was something he thought was worthy of an arrest.”
BEST BITES
8. Totonno’s Pizza, 1524 Neptune Ave.
It’s the oldest family-owned pizzeria in the US, and Zagat just said it’s the best pizza in NYC. I like putting mushrooms on it, and having it with a cream soda.
9. Denny’s Ice Cream, 1212 Surf Ave.
You have to get a banana pistachio twist. It’s a quirky Coney Island tradition you don’t find at Haagen-Dazs or Baskin-Robbins.
10. Paul’s Daughter, Boardwalk at West 10th Street
It’s in the building that was part of Feltman’s Restaurant. Feltman was the inventor of the hot dog. Nathan [of Nathan’s Famous] was a waiter there, but Paul’s Daughter actually marks where the hot dog was invented.