Coney Island Mermaid Parade

It's summer in the city again (although the weather certainly won't tell you that) and last night was most people's yearly pilgrimage to Coney Island for the Mermaid Parade. As usual, fantastic time. Great costumes, music, etc and just a great reminder of the oft-forgotten treasures of NYC. And we rode the Wonder Wheel, in a "swinging" car. Fantastic.

Unfortunately, there were overwhelming shadows over the parade this year from twin looming threats of the continuing war in Iraq, and the more recent fear of over-development along the shore near Coney. The boardwalk and amusement park are fantastic resources and are basically free to wander around. It'll be hard to imagine them surrounded by gated communities and the businesses that will inevitably attend to them. Have a look at my photos and others and keep fingers crossed we'll all be able to take more similar ones in the future.