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The Carnival Life
 | Having never visited Bensonhurst, I had no idea where we were headed when I got into my friend Laura's car. She invited me along to go to "a carnival, or something with rides"; for someone with standards such as I have, that was more than enough for me to say "but of course", and get my go on. Twenty minutes from Carroll Gardens and we were there. It was a place called Adventurer's (formerly Nellie Bly Amusement Park), and being there felt like we had stepped into a production of amplified everything. All colors, carnival music, smells and stereotypes seemed just slightly above normal, beginning with the lady who sold us our passes. Naturally, her welcoming opening line was, "Are ya gonna buy something or just stand here and discuss it?" True, we had been speaking to each other in front of her window for a good fifteen seconds, and there were two women having the same conversation behind us: should we buy a book of tickets, or an all-day pass? With customer service like that, obviously we were compelled to buy the all-day pass. We may never, ever want to leave. As I type this from home, I miss this woman still. |
Moving on, with our all-day passes (which didn't turn out to be all-day after all, but just until 4 PM, but semantics, no?) I couldn't help but be taken back to an acid trip in High School, but that was just the colors of the Fun Slide speaking.
| What I really was thinking about was how amazing and magical this place seemed to Roan. That with his lime-green wristband, he had all the power in the world to ride each ride as many times as he wanted which is a freedom that child has never known. Roan loved each ride, even the ones that bored him to death because they didn't cost him anything, they didn't take his tickets away. It was amazing to see him dizzily run from one to the next with total abandon, because there were no consequences (there was one ride that was lame enough for him to dislike it called "The Himalayan" but it DID have this awesome mural with goats on it, so I must disagree with Roan and love it completely). |  |
This carnival wonderland called Adventurer's is within eye-shot of Coney Island's Astroland and Dino's, which are favorites of ours. However, I would recommend going to Adventurer's at least once, simply because it has that definite old-school vibe, that carnie-magic, and virtually no lines.
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8/22/2008 3:17 PM
Daily Intelligencer - New York Magazine wrote:
Also, apparently there’s an amusement park in Bensonhurst. There’s so much to learn in today’s boroughs report!
I think each amusement park has special training for their employees. Helps them be as salty as possible. It might throw you off if they were nice.
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Remind me to tell you the story of when I was seriously, very seriously, asked by a carnival employee to join the traveling carnival. For what, you ask. To be the resident minister, of course. There's more to this story. Wow. Just wow.
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Living here my whole life I had no idea this place was here. What gives?!? Looks fun, the slide anyway.
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Garin the operator of the park back in 2006 said: "In addition to new rides, there will be new parking, new lighting and new fencing, and he said his new park will charm a new generation of Brooklynites."
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Looks like a very fun place for the whole family.
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Helps them be as salty as possible. It might throw you off if they were nice.
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Wow, this slide picture sure looks fun. It reminds me of 6 Flags at Magic Mountain.
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