White Sand Beaches...

The Exotic White Sand Beaches of... Coney Island!

There hasn't been any fresh snow since last night, but I though it'd be fun to see what Coney Island was like and if there was much snow still about so I got on the F train and made my way down to the sea. I was really surprised at how much snow was on the beach...

I don't think the seagulls really knew what to do with themselves.

I thought the sea would have washed all the snow away, but it looks like it only ever comes half way up the beach at Coney Island, so there was still a big chunk of the beach that was covered. I went for a stroll along the beach but walking in sand's hard enough - adding snow just made it even harder! It made me think of when we lived in Jersey and we went sledging on the golf course and on the beach.

The train was practically empty on the way down to Coney Island, and not surprisingly the area was very quiet. It's odd seeing it during off-season - everything's a bit tired looking even when it's open during the summer, so it looked even more like a ghost town now.

None of the rides were open, none of the little food stalls were open, the market wasn't open, none of the arcades were open. I think Dunkin Donuts and Nathan's Hotdogs were the only things that were, so I got myself a cup of coffee and a donut (or two) and went to sit and look out at the ocean for a little while. It was lovely and peaceful, the sun was shining on the snow which reflected it back and made everything seem ultra bright. It was lovely hearing the sea again too, it's a got a very comforting quality - I'd missed the sea.

Coney Island is such an odd place. The whole place just feels like a massive film set... just an eery unused one with no actors or cameras about.

Although all the signs are sun bleached and weathered, there's something very picturesque about them all, I think the fact that they're all broken, faded or rusty is part of the charm...

I can't believe that Coney Island is still Brooklyn, it feels a million miles away from Bedford Avenue, and feels a billion miles away from Manhattan - I love how you can travel a little way and feel like you're in a complete different world.