Coney Island
 

I am about a four hour drive from NYC. Typically we either take a day trip to Manhattan or spend a few nights in the least expensive hotel we can find. My teen daughters have wanted to go to Coney Island the past couple of visits. However, I am reluctant to take the time when in the city. Is there a hotel near Coney Island that would be clean and less expensive than the hotels in Manhattan?

No - don;t even think about it! This is a lower middle/working class neighborhood of primarily high rises - and the beach/boardwalk attractions are primarily for the locals - and others who access it by subway.

(There is a Marriott abut 10 miles away - in Brooklyn Heights I believe - but doubt that it would be any less expensive than a good hotel in Manhattan via Priceline.)

Where are you coming from? There are hotels at Kennedy Airport which is about 15 minutes away during a non-rush hour.

I work near Coney Island. It is great there. This is how summer used to be in the US 50 years ago. This is also a prime beachcombing place. Also, nearby, is Brighton Beach. This neightborhood has the largest Former Soviet Union population in the world. I work with many of them.

You might want to stay near JFK airport for the cheaper motel rate. Coney Island is about 20 minutes drive on the belt parkway.

20 mins to Coney Island from JFK? In your dreams!! Don't even think about doing this. Coney Island will probably be a let down, don't make it worse by staying in a dreadful airport hotel. You could stay in downtown Manhattan though and take the subway. Here's the subway map

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/nyct/maps/submap.htm

Maybe try the Embassy Suites near the South Street Seaport.

You can find hotel deals in the city depending on when you are coming. The Travel Inn on W. 42nd St is under $100 a night and they offer free parking and have a pool, (unusual in the city).
Also try www.hotels.com for more suggestions.

If they are looking for a nice beach, I'd suggest taking a day trip out to Fire Island. Long Island Railroad at Penn Station (34th and 7th) has a package train/taxi/ferry round trip for I think $22pp. The beach at Fire Island is one of the best in the area, and there is a ranger station, gift shop and outdoor cafe for food. Part of the charm of the trip is the walk through the "Sunken Forest", which is a boardwalk through the forest, where if you look around, you might see some deer, fox, lots of birds, and other critters. The forest is protected on either side by tall dunes, a very nice day trip.

Coney Island, well,,,,,,,,,it's not what it was years ago. We were there on Labor Day last year, the weather had been so awful all summer we didn't get to the beach at all, so I just wanted to get my feet in sand, there are a few rides, food stands, the pier, and something I can recommend is the Aquarium. It is part of the Nature Conservancy (Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo) and well worth a trip to see.

Hope this helps a bit,

Thanks for posting this, davsy. I'm thinking about taking our kids to Coney Island as part of a trip to NYC early this fall. What is the nature of the attractions, that they would be primarily for locals or geared to subway access, nytraveler?

Coney Island has an extremely crowded public beach in season. There is also a boardwalk with a series of food stands - led by Nathan's Famous - awful hot dogs, great fries - and a bunch of quite tacky games/arcades sorts of things. the real reason for Coney Island was the rides - most of which are gone - and the fact that the subway made the beach accessible to anyone who had the 5 cent fare.

Even in the 1920's - when my mom was a child - people with a dollar or two more went to Long Beach - no rides - but a nicer beach - and took a tiny cottge for a week or two. For a much nicer beach - go to Jones Beach in Nassau - an enormous state park with incredibly beautiful beaches. The main parking lot (there are 9 or 10 all togehter) also has a boardwalk with restaurants and some actvities (not tacky arcade things though).

If you go a little further along the beach there is a pretty good aquarium

I don't think any mention of Coney Island is complete without mentioning The Cyclone. If you're into roller coasters, especially classic wooden coasters, you have to ride The Cyclone. (But watch out! The first drop's a doozy!!) The Wonder Wheel is also a very old ride that's still operating (it's a big ferris wheel with cars that swing and move in and out as it turns).

I love Coney Island, and ride my bike out there many times each summer. The beach IS extremely crowded, but the rides are empty! I'm a chicken when it comes to rollercoasters, but my BF will ride the Cyclone over and over again, without having to wait in line. The Wonder Wheel is great - my grandmother used to ride it when she was little! There are also go-carts, batting cages, disco bumper cars and tons of "kiddie" rides. And they still have a Freak Show - I kid you not!

My favorite thing, though, about Coney Island is the people watching. I don't believe a more diverse (& nutty!)population exists anywhere. Buy an Italian ice & a Nathan's, grab a bench, and be entertained by the parade of characters walking by. THIS is more NY than anything in Manhattan.

PS It's a long trip from Manhattan, but the subway will drop you off right there.

Since you only live an hour from the city, why don't you just make it a day trip? It's not that hard to get to.