Getting Ready for the New Coney Island Season

We were in Coney Island this weekend to check on the progress of the demolition being done by Joe Sitt and Thor Equities (still ongoing, but the war-like wreckage that made for excellent photo has been cleaned up a bit, except for all those pesky paint chips) and found it busy with workers re-installing rides and getting ready for the April 1 reopening. Rides were turning and employees were finishing up the task of reattaching the cars to the Wonder Wheel, which was rotating. Workers were also getting the rides in shape at Astroland, which reopens for one more season before the demolition crews are dispatched again. Today's Sun has a great article about Astroland getting ready for its bittersweet final year.