Whenever I come across any kind of reference to Coney
Island’s mythic standing in American history—Disney before there was
Disney—it’s a little much for me because as I experienced it, Coney was
something very different: it was home, or thereabouts. —
I grew up a block away from Bay One in Brighton Beach, which
is the eastern end of the famed boardwalk that extends west to the Aquarium and
then to the Cyclone and Coney’s other attractions, and then to one of the
poorest neighborhoods in the city (the Coney which visitors don’t know). I grew
up with the Wonder Wheel (which you can see on our cover) being as organic
to the horizon as the North Star is to the sky.
If you haven’t lately, I hope our Coney Island
cover—featuring model and lifestyle guru Kelly Killoren Bensimon and her lovely
daughters—inspires you to share a day in Coney with your kids (see my tip sheet). At the very least, to be good to yourself and your family, make
sure you take on a few special plans of your own this summer. And this issue
can help. For more inspiration on the local front, we have a really good
and quirky insider’s guide to the best of nearby beaches, camping, nature and
other outdoorsy fun. With summer in mind, we also have an adorable
round-up of kids swimsuits, shirts and sandals, and a much more
serious, but totally essential, read on water safety.
The other special theme in June is fatherhood, and this
year’s coverage really rocks: with a series of favorite parenting anecdotes
from local dads, a round-table of working fathers sharing their
perspective on the work-life balance conundrum, and an interview with
the author of a new book arguing that it’s perfectly okay for mothers to be
over-the-top in their love for their sons—if anything, it makes them better men.
There are other treats in the issue worth highlighting, but
I keep glancing at our Coney Island cover and thinking
about a date I once had at the end of high school that greatly benefited from
a trip to the Wonder Wheel.
Hmmm… Maybe we’ll shoot our July cover in Brighton
Beach.
A Wonderful June To All,
ERIC MESSINGER
EDITOR
