With the soft opening of Luna Park on Saturday, a few hundred families — and this reporter — got a chance to test things out.
After hearing all about all the new whirling rides, I was expecting to walk away with my head spinning. But the super fast rides, like the Electro Spin, which consists of a giant, disk that takes riders up and down a half pipe while rotating at high speed, were still off-limits.
During Friday’s preview, rides included Beach Shack, a ticky-tacky shack that rotates, rises and dips; a classic “spinning teacups” ride called Tea Party; Lynn’s Trapeze, a flying carousel named after Coney Island Local Development Corporation President Lynn Kelly in which seats rise, rotate and dip; and two more spinners, one where riders sit, and another where riders lay down.
The music was blaring, the clowns were entertaining and everyone was excited to hop on — so I couldn’t help but be happy to be there, even if I didn’t get to ride the roller coaster.
My first stop was Lynn’s Trapeze. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and I felt like a kid again when the seats started swing and dip. It was my favorite ride that day.
The Coney Island Sound, which rotates up and down, was pretty much the same as Lynn’s Trapeze.
My last ride for the day was the Beach Shack, which was the closest I got to the thrill ride I was anticipating when I arrived.
And, of course, I couldn’t help but leave the park with a bag of cotton candy.