Coney Island

Well it was about time I ventured off the island again. I was feeling a little claustrophobic being on this island for so long- not really though. I grabbed my metro card and hopped on the subway and stayed till the last stop- Coney Island: the land of hot dogs, carnival rides and the Atlantic ocean. This was the first time I had seen the Atlantic ocean too!
I hopped of the subway and the area was deserted. It was Monday after the 4th of July and there was a total of 10 people walking around. at little scary to be at a deserted Coney Island. I had seen picture of this place and there was thousands of people everywhere! not for me which was rather nice.

I walked right past Nathan's Famous Hot dogs where the hot dog eating contest was held just the other day. I did not get a hot dog though- there is just something about knowing someone ate 70 of their hot dogs in one minute....
I the ventured to the sea salt air and sandy beaches and boardwalk. It was an odd place, but very interesting. Small shops lined the boardwalk and there was an entire amusement park as well as the beach and the New York Aquarium.

I probably should have done my research- this trip was more of a "wake up lets go to Coney Island kind of morning" not planned out one bit. Which is fine- but I didnt know that when people go to Coney Island you lay out on the beach. Well since I didnt bring any beach materials I called my Mom panicking. I spent a whole $2.50 to take over an hour train ride. I was NOT going to leave after walking down the boardwalk. Being the perfect mother she is- she told me to go to the aquarium. I am 21- do they even allow 21 year olds into an aquarium? Is it considered creepy if one goes to the aquarium alone? Well if you know me you know I reallllllllllllly dont care what people think- I will do anything in this city alone (I'll make a reservation at a restaurant for one- yes I've done that and I was damn proud too).

So I went over to the aquarium expecting to see Keiko the orca whale, bottle-nose dolphins, jellyfish and everything else that lives under the sea. Well to my surprise someone who is rather selfish and rude decided to take away all the animals as well as the Jersey Shore- Sandy.. Really Sandy? You tear up the entire east coast, force the aquarium to take away two thirds of their animals and relocate them so they can rebuild the aquarium.
Luckily the aquarium still had, 2 walruses, a few otters, 3 penguins (why are there penguins in New York City is what I really wondered), a few starfish, a few tanks full of fish and drum roll please.... SEALS. And if you dont like seals you should probably #SealWithIt.

The Diva Seal 

At the Aquarium they notify you whenever they are about to feed an animal- I was fortunate enough to watch them feed 40 pounds of fish to two walruses for their second lunch.. Walruses are such strange animals- but they are cute in a sea creature way.

After the Walrus feeding I ventured down the outdoor paths to go touch a starfish! If you are really jealous- Ill just let you know now that it just felt like a pointy rock. You had to use two fingers to touch the sea creatures- i guess so you dont hurt them.

After Touching the starfish it was time for the SEAL SHOW! And let me tell you- that was the highlight of my day! Being such an avid tourist I made sure to get prime seating. Front row. Now when was the last time you were front row at anything? That's I thought...

FRONT ROW

OH YEAAA! FRONT ROW AT THE SEAL SHOW! And looking around before the show started I am 100% positive I was the only single person at the aquarium. The seal show was very cool- they talked about how much damage was done because of Sandy and that they are now rebuilding to make it bigger and better to house even more animals- and to come back in 2018 when it is all finished......

During the Seal Show they brought out two seals who were very good at what they do- being a seal. They did a few tricks and flips and even jumped off a diving board. Quality entertainment right there.

After the show was over I made one more round around the small aquarium to make sure I didnt miss any of the animals and then headed out towards the beach. I thought it would be a great idea to walk to the water- take off my sandals and embrace the warm sand and salty air. Well once again my brilliant ideas in my head turn out to be not so great with the execution. The sand was on fire! It was around 90 degrees at the beach and the sand felt like 150 degrees. Not thinking "just put the sandals back on" I awkwardly ran/hopped/powerwalked to get to the water so my feet wouldn't melt off. And if you want an even more graceful picture of me doing this- I am having to hold my up my maxi dress so i dont trip on the end of it and topple over while also trying to take a photo. To say the least it was not a prouder moment of mine.. In the end I made it safely to the ocean and cooled my feet off while soaking in the amazing view.

After enjoying the water for a little bit I realized there wasnt much more I could do at the water- and it was time for me to once again cross the lava pit also known as hot sand. I must have flipped off the common sense switch that day... I didnt put my sandals back on... I once again had to run/hop/powerwalk while holding up my maxi to get back to the boardwalk. Thank goodness I wont ever see any of those people again.

I found a nice bench on the board walk to people watch and decided to indulge in a small ice cream cone- ice cream and the beach go together like wearing flip flops on hot sand- perfectly. I enjoyed my ice cream cone while looking out into the ocean and people watching the boardwalk- a perfect afternoon if I say so myself.

Well I should probably mention that my phone died while I was sitting on this bench. Many of you know that awful feeling when your phone dies. Now think about this. You are on Coney Island, phoneless, have over an hour train ride, and no clue which train to take. luckily I am able to read maps and try and figure it out. I got home safely and next time I want to go on a random adventure- I will at least google it.

xoxo