Nathan's Famous

The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition. It is held each year on Independence Day at Nathan's Famous Corporation's original, and best-known restaurant at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Coney Island, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. The contest has gained public attention in recent years due to the stardom of Takeru "The Tsunami" Kobayashi and Joey "Jaws" Chestnut. The defending men's champion is Chestnut, who ate 76 hot dogs in the 2021 contest. The defending women's champion is Michelle Lesco, who ate 30.75 hot dogs in the same contest. Chestnut's total was a world record.

The Shore Theater (formerly known as the Coney Island Theater and alternately spelled Shore Theatre) is a former theater in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. The seven-story neo-Renaissance Revival building, with office space as well as a theater, is located at the intersection of Surf and Stillwell Avenues, across from Nathan's Famous and the Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue station. Completed in 1925, it was one of several structures that was intended to boost the development of Coney Island as a year-round entertainment destination. After being abandoned in the 1970s, it stood unused for several years before being redeveloped into a hotel in the late 2010s; however, as of 2022, the building is still closed and undergoing construction.

Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to the north and includes the subsection of Sea Gate on its west. More broadly, Coney Island or sometimes for clarity the Coney Island peninsula consists of Coney Island proper, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach. This was formerly the westernmost of the Outer Barrier islands on the southern shore of Long Island, but in the early 20th century it became a peninsula, connected to the rest of Long Island by land fill. The origin of Coney Island's name is disputed, but the area was originally part of the colonial town of Gravesend. By the mid-19th century it had become a seaside resort, and by the late 19th century, amusement parks had also been built at the location. The attractions reached a historical peak during the first half of the 20th century. However, they declined in popularity after World War II and, following years of neglect, several structures were torn down. Various redevelopment projects were proposed for Coney Island in the 1970s through the 2000s, though most of these were not carried out. The area was revitalized with the opening of MCU Park in 2001 and several amusement rides starting in the 2010s. Coney Island had around 32,000 residents as of the 2010 United States Census. The neighborhood is ethnically diverse, and the neighborhood's poverty rate of 27% is slightly higher than that of the city as a whole. Coney Island is part of Brooklyn Community District 13, and its primary ZIP Code is 11224. It is patrolled by the 60th Precinct of the New York City Police Department. Fire services are provided by the New York City Fire Department's Engine 245/Ladder 161/Battalion 43 and Engine 318/Ladder 166. Politically, Coney Island is represented by the New York City Council's 47th District. The area is well served by the New York City Subway and local bus routes, and contains several public elementary and middle schools.

Steeplechase Park was a 15-acre (6.1 ha) amusement park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. Steeplechase Park was created by entrepreneur George C. Tilyou in 1897 and operated until 1964. It was the first of the three large amusement parks built on Coney Island, the other two being Luna Park (1903) and Dreamland (1904). Of the three, Steeplechase was the longest-lasting, running for 67 years. The first rides in Steeplechase Park were standalone attractions scattered around Coney Island that Tilyou had purchased in the early 1890s. Steeplechase itself opened in 1897 to unite these formerly separate attractions, and quickly gained popularity as a family-friendly destination with exhibitionist and risque undertones. It was destroyed by fire in 1907, but was quickly rebuilt. Steeplechase remained profitable as the Tilyou family continually brought in new rides and new amusements, such as the Parachute Jump. However, by the 1960s Steeplechase Park was becoming unprofitable due to high crime, the growth of suburban getaways, and the area's general trend toward residential development. After the park closed in 1964, developer Fred Trump purchased the land and planned to develop it for residential use, but this never came to pass, and the site was used for seasonal amusement rides during the 1970s. A dispute ensued over the proposed use of the Steeplechase Park site in the 1980s and 1990s, as two developers disagreed over whether to rebuild the amusement park or build a sports complex on the site. A minor-league baseball stadium called Keyspan Park (now Maimonides Park) was built in 2001. The Parachute Jump is the only remaining portion of the former amusement park. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation maintains the land under Maimonides Park as part of a green space also called Steeplechase Park. Steeplechase Plaza, a portion of Luna Park (2010) that contains the B&B Carousell, was named in homage to the former Steeplechase Park.

Rough Riders, also known as Over the Rockies, was a roller coaster built by William F. Mangels and located on Bowery Street in New York City's Coney Island from 1907 to 1916. It was known for its many accidents which led it to its closure.

Cannon Coaster, sometimes known as Leap-the-Gap, was a wooden roller coaster which operated on Bowery Street in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, in the first decade of the 20th century.

Gargiulo's is an Italian restaurant established in 1907 in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. The restaurant was started and run by Gus Gargiulo, and later he was joined by his brother Louis and sisters Tessie and Angelina, with other family members working in the kitchen. Large parties were often held in the spacious dining room with its large maroon drapes and the parties often spilled out into the small courtyard in the back on warm days. Pictures of these parties lined the walls in the entrance hall, many with recognizable faces such as Jimmy Durante. In April 1965, the Russo brothers (Michael, Victor and Nino) bought the restaurant from the Gargiulo family. Louis, Rachael, Mike, Nino & Anthony Russo are the current owners. In June 2007, they celebrated the restaurant's 100th anniversary, and in November 2015, they celebrated 50 years of Russo family ownership. In 2014, waiters started using iPads to take orders, discontinuing their former practice of using pen and paper. In late 2019, the restaurant opened an additional location in Tinton Falls, New Jersey. In June 2021, the family also opened a new Coney Island venue, La Tombola, in the historic Childs Restaurant Building on the Boardwalk.

The Childs Restaurant Building on Surf Avenue is a New York City designated landmark on Surf Avenue at West 12th Street in Coney Island, Brooklyn. It was completed in 1917 for Childs Restaurants, an early restaurant chain and one of the largest in the United States at that time. Its design, by John Westervelt, Childs' in-house architect, shows "elements of the Spanish Revival style." The company built a much larger Childs location on the Coney Island Boardwalk in 1923, but continued to operate the Surf Avenue location until 1943. In later years the building was used for other restaurants and nightclubs. In 2007 the property was acquired by Coney Island USA, a local arts organization that is headquartered in the building, which currently houses a theater, a bar, and exhibition and office space. The building was designated a New York City landmark in 2010.The building sustained considerable damage in Hurricane Sandy on October 31, 2012. With the help of many volunteers, Coney Island USA repaired the worst of the damage and reoccupied the building by spring 2013.

Coney Island USA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit arts organization founded in 1980 that is dedicated to the cultural and economic revitalization of the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City. Its headquarters building in the heart of Coney Island's amusement district houses a theater in which the organization presents "Sideshows by the Seashore", a showcase for performers with unusual talents that runs continuously during the warmer months, as well as the Coney Island Museum. It is also notable as the organizer of the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade, the first of which took place in 1983.The Coney Island Museum features artifacts and memorabilia about the amusement park, beach and neighborhood's history and culture, as well as changing exhibits of art and culture. The museum is open seasonally.Coney Island USA was founded in 1980 by Costa Mantis, Jane Savitt-Tennen and Dick D. Zigun. Coney Island USA is funded, in part, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York Council for the Humanities, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, New York City Councilman Mark Treyger and its members.

Shoot the Freak was an attraction on the Riegelmann Boardwalk at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, USA, that operated from 2000 until its demolition in 2010. The game was located on West Boardwalk in Coney Island. The game was considered one of the distinctive attractions of Coney Island. A successor, called Shoot the Clown, opened in a different location on the Boardwalk in 2013.

Soarin' Eagle is a steel roller coaster located at the Scream Zone at Luna Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. The ride was the first ever Zamperla "Volare" roller coaster when it opened in 2002 at Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colorado, as the Flying Coaster. The Elitch Gardens ride was constructed by Martin & Vleminckx. The Volare, the cheapest option for a flying roller coaster, contains a compact layout with a distinctive spiral lift hill. In late 2010 the ride got dismantled and relocated to Luna Park in Coney Island, where it opened in April 2011 as the Soarin' Eagle. The ride has an identical sister, Hero, which opened in July 2013 at Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire.

The Thunderbolt was a wooden roller coaster located at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. Designed by John Miller, it operated from 1925 until 1982 and remained standing until it was demolished in 2000.In June 2013, it was announced that a new steel roller coaster would be constructed on Coney Island named the Thunderbolt. The steel coaster opened in 2014 and uses a completely different design. The demolition was controversial, as the property owner Horace Bullard was not notified, nor had any formal inspection been done on the structure.