Welcome to Coney Island, the Blackpool of New York! Home of the famous Nathan's hotdogs (and hotdog eating contest), a 100 year old Big Wheel, and one of the world's oldest wooden roller coasters. When we had friends visiting from Boston, we decided on a day trip to see what all the fuss was about. Clearly we weren't the only ones with this idea as the place was packed, and there were hardly any free spots on the beach!

The thing I remember most clearly from this day was how insanely hot it was. Our first September in the US, and we were expecting summer to have wound down. Now we know that the heat lasts way until the end of September. Hooray for long summers!

Quick tip- if you ever do visit coney island, avoid these rickety old roller coasters... We may look happy in the picture above (before it set off), but throughout the ride we were clinging for dear life!