waiting for the storm

sitting here in brooklyn, new york at 10 pm.,anticipating irene's arrival. the storm of historic proportions is due to strike this area around 2 am. already the thunder and lightening and rain seems abundant- can't even imagine what it will be like when it actually hits.
like many others, i'm hoping this is just a case of much ado over nothing much. however, the hype and evacuations are unprecidented. as far as i can recall the mta has Never ceased running in anticipation of anything...So this sounds like something the likes of which we've never seen before.
i expected to ride out the storm with barbara, but she went to stay with her mom. now its just me and the cats and i feel oddly vulnerable.

sapphire with her "baby"

coney island

i went to coney island the other day and it had me thinking how it seems every generation has its own take on the area. once a swanky resort area, coney island had faded considerably by the time i got to know it. i remember my folks discussing when coney boasted the famous amusement parks...dreamland, luna park and steeplechase. all of them were destroyed by fire, i believe, but a version of steeplechase still existed when i was a kid...and seemed as magical to me as the stories i heard of coney island's history. the conversations always ended with someone sighing wistfully...."it's not what it was when i was a kid"...

some of the new rides made me dizzy just watching. of course some of the old standards looked as intimidating as ever. most of the games and food were still the same.

coney island is still a fun place to spend the day....but, its not what it was when I was a kid....