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Once, Coney Island was the most famous amusement area in the world. It had side shows and freak shows, and three giant amusement parks with rides named Shoot the Chutes and Loop the Loop. Giant arcades lit up its midway and more than a million people a day packed its beaches.
Visiting Coney Island today is like attending a memorial service for someone who was once young and beautiful. The three giant parks are closed. Rusted wires dangle from the dormant 271-foot parachute jump. Luna Park is a housing complex and Steeplechase Park - where a 10-cent blue ticket once bought 33 rides - is now a vacant lot.
But Coney Island manages to offer more than memories. It has two miles of beach and boardwalk; the beach has been widened and the boardwalk restored....