Adam and Peter are on Coney Island.
Peter and Adam, up to their usual tricks, decided to head out to Coney on what proved to be a clear and cold day. To anyone who has never been: Coney Island is unlike any other place on God's green earth. The area was once a popular tourist draw, complete with amusement park rides and a beautiful beach. Following World War Two, Coney's popularity tapered off leaving the eery Carnival topography behind. Whats more? The Russians moved in! Today's activities included parcour on the beach, famous hot dogs, and a sojourn into the Russophonic neighborhood of Brighton Beach.
And... Action! Peter leaps over my head.
The Celsius scale is the most widely used temperature measurement in the world. It has been adopted by nearly every country save for the United States and Jamaica. Peter and I are Canadian, and today it was approximately -5 degrees celsius. For you Jamaicans and Americans, that means roughly 20 degrees.
If you stick to an exclusivist definition of "island" it will be hard to make a case for Coney's islandness. God had intended that Coney would be an island, but man had other plans and filled in the canal that separated Coney from Brooklyn prior to World War Two. Now it is a peninsula. Sort of.
Parcour is a new extreme sport that is sweeping across Europe. It involves no gadgets, contraptions or anything that needs to be purchased. Except for shoes — which most people have anyways.
If you are prone to reading this blog, you have undoubtedly noticed Peter's propensity to point at things. This time, I got in on the act.
I am not sure if climbing up a pole and spreading your arms is an act of parcour, but Peter did it anyways.
Brighton Beach is a neighborhood Northeast of Coney known primarily for its Russian flavor.
The neighborhood has a very strong Russian Jewish presence. It is said that Russian jews are more like Russians than they are like other Jews (as a result of the shared experience of communism).
Parents usually tell their children that they can do anything if they put their mind to it. The only word I can read on this door is "caution." There are a lot of other things, but they are mainly written in Russian. I can't read Russian, and will probably never learn how to because my mind is otherwise preoccupied.
This man is making one of the most important decisions of his life. Will she say yes? We can only speculate.
Brighton drive, the main commercial hub of the community, is parked underneath the D and Q lines of the MTA subway service. Light is sparse, as is evident in this picture of Peter happily poking around.
In the 1970's and 80's, crime was a major problem in the Brighton Beach area. Russian immigrants with nowhere else to go proved very adept at crime fighting, as peace and justice was restored through civilian strength.
When most people think of Russian fashion, something like this guy comes to mind. Fur coats and those hat things are numerous on Brighton ave.
Coney Island is home to what can only be described as the world cup of hot dog eating. This massive sign charmingly counts down the days to the next contest (on July 4th).
Nathan's: the sponsor of the great event, boasts of having some of the best hot dogs in the world. A mutual friend of Peter and I (named Matt) claimed that Nathan's made the best burger in New York City.
Japanese people make the best hot-dog eaters, as is evident from the outcomes of Nathan's contest over the past seven years. Since 1997, all but one winner of the annual eating contest has been Japanese. Scientists have offered no explanation of the correlation between hot dog consumption and Ethnicity.
And... Action! Peter leaps over my head.
The Celsius scale is the most widely used temperature measurement in the world. It has been adopted by nearly every country save for the United States and Jamaica. Peter and I are Canadian, and today it was approximately -5 degrees celsius. For you Jamaicans and Americans, that means roughly 20 degrees.
If you stick to an exclusivist definition of "island" it will be hard to make a case for Coney's islandness. God had intended that Coney would be an island, but man had other plans and filled in the canal that separated Coney from Brooklyn prior to World War Two. Now it is a peninsula. Sort of.
Parcour is a new extreme sport that is sweeping across Europe. It involves no gadgets, contraptions or anything that needs to be purchased. Except for shoes — which most people have anyways.
If you are prone to reading this blog, you have undoubtedly noticed Peter's propensity to point at things. This time, I got in on the act.
I am not sure if climbing up a pole and spreading your arms is an act of parcour, but Peter did it anyways.
Brighton Beach is a neighborhood Northeast of Coney known primarily for its Russian flavor.
The neighborhood has a very strong Russian Jewish presence. It is said that Russian jews are more like Russians than they are like other Jews (as a result of the shared experience of communism).
Parents usually tell their children that they can do anything if they put their mind to it. The only word I can read on this door is "caution." There are a lot of other things, but they are mainly written in Russian. I can't read Russian, and will probably never learn how to because my mind is otherwise preoccupied.
This man is making one of the most important decisions of his life. Will she say yes? We can only speculate.
Brighton drive, the main commercial hub of the community, is parked underneath the D and Q lines of the MTA subway service. Light is sparse, as is evident in this picture of Peter happily poking around.
In the 1970's and 80's, crime was a major problem in the Brighton Beach area. Russian immigrants with nowhere else to go proved very adept at crime fighting, as peace and justice was restored through civilian strength.
When most people think of Russian fashion, something like this guy comes to mind. Fur coats and those hat things are numerous on Brighton ave.
Coney Island is home to what can only be described as the world cup of hot dog eating. This massive sign charmingly counts down the days to the next contest (on July 4th).
Nathan's: the sponsor of the great event, boasts of having some of the best hot dogs in the world. A mutual friend of Peter and I (named Matt) claimed that Nathan's made the best burger in New York City. 
Japanese people make the best hot-dog eaters, as is evident from the outcomes of Nathan's contest over the past seven years. Since 1997, all but one winner of the annual eating contest has been Japanese. Scientists have offered no explanation of the correlation between hot dog consumption and Ethnicity.
Thanks to the lovely people off of the Last Exit to Brooklyn, Peter and I had a marvelous day. Gotta run! See you in the summer!
posted by Adam Humphreys at 6:27 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home