It’s the weekend and that means it’s time to head over to Craiglist, scan the Brooklyn Missed Connections and pick one or two to highlight here because they stand out. For whatever reason, there is a bonanza available this week in the land of sadness, comedy and ships passing in the night. Nonetheless, we have a our favorite standout:

Puppet Sex Talk at Union Pool – m4w – 27

I know you remember me. I was the handsome man with the pierced tongue and toe rings who wanted a no-strings sexual relationship with you in which you would indulge my passion for puppet sex. This is where either I or you wear a harness of cables, and the other one uses these cables as puppet strings to get the other one to do this or that. I live in an amazing loft-like duplex on the water with iconic views that makes this possible (for obvious reasons).

I wanted you to squeeze my pink clown nose, but then you disappeared when I had to go to the bathroom. So maybe you have had second thoughts?

No weirdos please.

Why would the poster be worried about getting strange emails?

Words:

• Atlantic Yards, Meet Gazprom City [No Land Grab]
• Atlantic Yards Blogger Goes to Nets Game [AYR]
• Dark Days at Victory Hospital [NYT]
• Run to Floyd Bennett Field and Flatland [Runs Brooklyn]
• Five Years After Moving to Brooklyn [Brooklyn Streets]

Photos:

• Flowers on Union Street [seriously excited!]
• Death Takes a Holiday in Farragut [bluejake]
• Library [atomische]
• Empty Space [A Test of Will]
• Gerritsen Beach Lights at Night [GerritsenBeach.net]
• Christmas Trees in Marine Park [GerritsenBeach.net]
• Harsh Times [Park Slope Street Photography]
• Q Train [Pixel Opera]

• Bayard Street Update: Slow on Karl Fischer Row (Above)
• Hipsters Realize They’re in Brooklyn, Return to Manhattan
• Bridge of Sighs & Smith-9th. Same Difference
• A Shot of Vinegar Hill
• The Rivierafication of South Brooklyn Marches On
• Dutch Want New York Back, We Think
• Toll in Williamsburg: 50 % More Crane, 100% Less Street
• When Things Get Crappy in Park Slope
• Brooklyn Bridge Park Lawsuit is Toast
• New Williamsburg Tall Building Smackdown Coming

Here’s a GL Brookvid of Astroland that includes footage of our favorite sold and soon-to-close Coney amusement park both with, and without, people. Music is Death Cab for Cutie’s Coney Island, natch. Click on this link or on the embed below.

Pictures of Note:

• My Story, Nevins Street [seriously excited!]
• Boy in Bus on Wythe [bluejake]
• Support in Gowanus [Lex’s Folly]
• Under the Bridge [Bay Ridge Blog]
• Coney Island [Stefan Falke Photography]
• Here Comes Santa [atomische]
• Heights Light Up [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
• Having a Ball in Greenpoint [jUSTINYC]
• Friday Photo [Clinton Hill Blog]
• Majestic [Brit in Brooklyn]

Words of Scale:

• Largescale: Greenpoint Conflagration Firebug Drunk Sentenced to Rehab [NYT]
• Upscale: Red Hook Thieves Into Home Improvements [Carroll Gardens Courier]
• Downscale: Park Slope Thieves Taking Trash Cans [Park Slope Courier]
• Dumbscale: Are Glass Towers and an Arena a Target? [No Land Grab]
• Hopefulescale: Atlantic Yards May Fall in Spitzer’s Lap [Brooklyn Record]
• Funnyscale: Sunset Park Rooster or Park Slope Mom. Take Your Pick [Sunset Parker]
• Hohohoscale: Santa’s Brooklyn Schedule [About Brooklyn]
• Shoppingscale: Bust Magazine Shopping Show at Warsaw Today [OTBKB]

City Seen offers that The Lotus–which isn’t a bad building as new Williamsburg construction goes–has no certificate of occupancy, which is curious indeed. (Update/Correction: A commenter notes, correctly that a Certificate of Occupancy does indeed exist for The Lotus. It was, in fact, issued on Oct. 18. There is a long back-and-forth about this in the comment section at City Seen about this, and buyers note that they are in the process of moving in. The Lotus should have residents shortly.)

We have written about a nearby development site with some nasty issues. We, in fact, updated the situation in an item yesterday.

Related Posts:
Roebling Oil Field Update: We Have a Foundation

The cheap headline is just an excuse to mention this item that caught our eye on Gridskipper about possible Nazi-looking Santas in Deutschland. The item is weird, if not spooky, and we’ve had in on our list for a couple of days, delaying because it’s “not a Brooklyn item.” Since Brooklyn and Berlin go nicely in the same sentence, it’s a Brooklyn item. In any case, it Seems Germany, at the moment, has an issue with Santa dolls that appear to be doing the old Hitler Sieg Heil arm to the sky salute. Although, he may just be pointing at reindeer. Either way, that someone at a Germany company didn’t notice this could be a problem is amazing. You can check out the pic and the English article in Der Spiegel and decide for yourself.

Here’s the second installment of GL’s Brooklyn Holiday Gift Guide. Part I focused on memberships in Brooklyn organizations and on Brooklyn groups one could support with a donation. Part II is, well, more traditionally materialistic, focusing on a very selective and random selection of books, products or interesting things made in Brooklyn. More will be forthcoming in Part III.

Brooklyn by Name, by Leonard Bernard and Jennifer Weiss. A fascinating gift for those who wish to learn things about Brooklyn neighborhoods and history and impress others with their deeep knowledge of the borough. Check out the author’s website here.

Insiders NY. Cool bags and accessories made by artist Sigal de-Mayo at a Brooklyn Navy Yard studio featuring photos printed on leather. Dozens of options including messenger bags (small to large, $80 to $100) and wallets ($56). (GL has had one of the messenger bags since 2003 and it goes everywhere with us, functioning as our camera and gadget bag. Unique and durable as all heck.)

Coney Island: Portraits of America. Get a taste of Coney Island history as all of Coney Island prepares to become history–Steeplechase Park, Luna Park, Dreamland, Nathans and more with more than 100 black and white archival photogaphs of Coney Island from days gone by. From the collection of the Museum of the City of New York. Get it through the Coney Island USA online shop, which has a lot of other interesting Coney books, like Coney Island Lost and Found, plus Mermaid Parade posters and more.

Brooklyn Pass. Know someone coming to Brooklyn? Your significant other have time on his or her hands and wants to do Brooklyn like a tourist? Get ’em a Brooklyn Pass. $25 for a two day pass ($15.00 for kids) gains admission to the Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, New York Aquarium, New York Transit Museum, a ride on the Prospect Park Carousel and the Electric Boat and more.

Eat. Shop. Brooklyn. A pretty cool looking guide to eating and shopping in Brooklyn, it’s a good gift for recent arrivals in the borough.

Coney Island Clown Baby Doll T-Shirt and other Lola Staar creations. For all the Coney Island lovers you know and even the ones you don’t Coney and Brooklyn designer Lola Staar has got the perfect holiday gift for everyone. How about a Coney Island Snow Globe? A Parachute Jump beach towel? A Rocket Ride Carousel Tin Toy? A Coney hoodie?

Forgotten New York. This is Kevin Walsh‘s 384-page book filled with incredible information about New York City. It’s not strictly about Brooklyn, of course, but the recipient of this gift will know a lot more about our favorite borough when he or she is done absorbing some of Mr. Walsh’s knowledge.

Neighborhoodies. You name it–Park Slope, Clinton Hill, Dumbo, Bay Ridge, Mill Basin, Sunset Park, Red Hook–and you can get it made here. The company has branched out way beyond neighborhood hoodies, but if someone you know wants one, this is your source. We personally find the Dick Nixon Tricky Dick boxer shorts fascinating but they’re a little off topic.

NYC Building Code with Update. Knowledge is power, especially in a borough under seige by developers and construction projects. Yes, this book is pricey, but it could also be priceless. It could be invaluable in helping someone that want to create a youtube video documenting the illegal work going on next door. Getting the Department of Buidings to pay attention, however, is another matter. Also of possible value to your favorite Brooklyn community person, the New York City Zoning Handbook, so your loved one can say with authority, “No way you can build that 40-story thing on my block…Uh…What do you mean we’ve been quietly rezoned?” For those looking for something a little less ironic might we suggest the New York City Parking Card, also available along with a lot of other stuff through the New York CityStore?

Related Post:
GL’s Brooklyn Holiday Gift Guide: Part I

1) The Phoenix Theory. This line of thought says that there is far more to the Astroland deal than meets that eye. That the Albert family sold Astroland to Thor with some sort of understanding about relocating the park to the big, empty lot next to Keyspan Park. That lot is owned by Horace Bullard, who has sold other Coney holdings to Sitt. Others have identified the land around the Abe Stark complex to the west of Keyspan, but some of that land serves as parking for the ballpark, so it doesn’t seem very likely. A big, empty site further to the west, which was flipped by Thor at a huge profit, may be another possibility, but it is more likely to end up as condos.

The Eminent Domain Theorem. We have previouly postulated that the Coney Island deal is shaping up to be quite similar to the Atlantic Yards deal in terms of being controlled by one firm with a big plan. The Eminent Domain Theorem holds that if a land owner like Bullard doesn’t make nice and sell, then the city will take the land to, say, move Astroland or amusments to his property.

The Shut the Fuck Up Postulate. We have also compared Thor’s Joe Sitt to Bruce Ratner. As further evidence, we cite opinions that Thor is inserting clauses in its contracts with landowners–like the Albert family–that have sold so that they can not speak ill of Thor or its plans. Interesting.

2) The Wonder Wheel Theory. This very plausible theory holds that Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park, which is now the hole in Thor’s donut, will be the next property to be sold. Believers argue that Thor will either demolish the Wonder Wheel or try to move it elsewhere. We’d wager money on this one, because old Wonder Wheel Park isn’t going to sit very well in the middle of Mr. Sitt’s Times Square/Las Vegas by the Sea water park-shopping mall-hotel-convention center-condo vision. Not at all. The London Eye Sub-School argues that Sitt will eventually propose a huge new wheel along the lines of London’s wheel on the Thames. In fact, there was a huge new wheel in an early Thor rendering of Coney.

3) The Sitt Manifest Destiny Theory. This school of thought believes that Thor will eventually purchase and redevelop everything from Keyspan Park to the Coney Island Aquarium. They say that both the Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone will eventually be toast, believing that what is landmarked can be de-landmarked. We don’t place much credence in this theory. The Sitt Manifest Destiny Theory is developed more by the MTA Coney Island Yards Sale School, which is only kidding. We think. Then again, no super-sized New York City development deal is complete without an MTA angle.

4) The Sleeps with the Fishes Theory. The fishes in this school of thought, so to speak, are the ones at the Coney Island Aquarium, which has its own grand renovation plans. Thor, it is said, wants to somehow link its projects directly to the aquarium and that they, in fact, want to build on the aquarium parking lot. The only problem with this plan is that the Cyclone is in the way. The Sleeps with Fishes school agrees with the Manifest Destiny School that the Cyclone is screwed. However, there is a butt-ugly building along the boardwalk that is owned by the aquarium that could easily be bought and demolished by Thor to create the cherished (and no doubt indoor, year-round) Passage to Fishes.

The unspoken part to the Thor Equities plan for a “historic expansion of the Coney Island amusement area” is that (a). your definition of “amusement area” and Thor’s definition of it may be radically different and (b). even if they are the same, the developer is going to have to build condos–a lot of condos–to make the project viable.

Exactly what might they have in mind? The rendering here is one that was dismissed by the developer as having been made public by mistake, but a thumbnail of it was included in Thor’s own Thor Urban Property Fund document labled as “Coney Island Boardwalk.” (We are unclear of the date, but it may have been emailed to potential investors as recently as last month. Clearly, money people are more interested in outlines of highrises than renderings with women with pumpkin graphics on their bikini bottoms.) There are, if we count correctly, four highrises visible in the drawing. The plan, generally speaking, include four highrises, one of them up to 40 stories tall. There would be a hotel and condos, and even the developer acknowledges that the condos would create the financing for the amusements.

In the end, the discussion about Coney’s future–if there is a public dialogue as opposed to a marketing campaign and decisions made with no meaningful community input–will not be about whether to redevelop Coney Island. It will be about whether to preserve bona fide amusements in Coney Island and whether to allow zoning changes that would lead to elimination of amusements and the rise of luxury condos and hotels.

Coney’s glorious past is long, long gone. The issue is whether the future is about hotels and condos and Times Square-style retailing (think Nathan’s in a food court with pictures of the old Coney) or whether the New Coney will have a significant place for good old fashioned boardwalk amusements.

It’s not that making Coney “nice” is a bad thing. Nice is good. The real question is whether you want Condo Nice or Amusement Nice.

December:

• Ditmas Park Holiday Extravaganza [Living in Victorian Flatbush]
• Brooklyn and Beyond Gift Guide: CaryMo Fudge [Brooklyn Record]
• Christmas Time Again in Brooklyn [Brooklyn Graphic]
• Party with Your Community Board [Brooklyn Papers]

Anytime:

• Atlantic Yards as a Synonym [No Land Grab]
• Council of Brooklyn Neighborhoods Struggles to Check AY Document [AYR]
• Starrett City is the New Stuy Town [NYDN]
• Starrett City Up for Sale [NYT]
• Thor Un-Hoopla [Kinetic Carnival]
• Editorial: Thor is God of Coney [Brooklyn Papers]
• Hungry Cabbie Checks Out Junior’s [Gothamist]
• Mad Props for Brooklyn Pies [Brooklyn Record]
• Heath Ledger Checks Out Bocce [Brooklyn Heights Blog]
• St. Paul’s Place and Crooke Ave [My Life in Brooklyn]

Here is what we do know: Before moving in somewhere or buying a condo, we’d certainly like to know what was beneath the basement. On the other hand, the city’s land use strategy includes looking to more and more formerly industrial brownfield sites to handle growth in the future. So, more and more gross land will be sprouting buildings with names like N-Ten and The Greenpointe. How about The Lube and The Octania.

Dyker Heights. First among equals in Brooklyn, the Lights of Dyker Heights are something to behold. They’re insane, over the top and so Brooklyn you’ll want to scream. And, you’ll have plenty of company because they’re estimated to attract 100,000 visitors during the holiday season, including bus loads full of kids. The area where the lights are centered is between 80th and 86ths Street and 10th and 13th Avenues, with 84th Street between 11th and 12th Avenues having some displays that words simply can’t describe. If you’ve never been, Dyker Heights is next to Bay Ridge. You can click on this Google Map for help finding the area.

Dumbo. This year, for the first time, Brooklyn Bridge Park is going to have some lighting displays that are being promoted as being pretty cool. We’ll have to wait until the switch is flipped on December 5 at 6PM to see for sure. The show runs through January 7.

Carroll Gardens. Among the many things we love about Carroll Gardens is the exuberant nature of the Christmas displays. Take a walk through the neighborhood and see for yourself. There are some very enthusiastic displays not far from the Gowanus Canal.

Downtown Brooklyn. Brooklyn’s tree is in front of Borough Hall. It’ll be lit on December 13th with a Hannukkah menorah to follow on December 18. Metrotech and the area around the Marriott also have some cool lighting.

Williamsburg. Some people in the Burg pull out all the stops to decorate their houses. There are some very lit up houses around Berry. One street that is also heavily decorated is Ainslie between Graham and Humboldt.

Bergen Beach. We haven’t personally seen the Bergen Beach lights, but the lights on National and Arkansas Drives are said to be one the borough’s “biggest and brightest displays.” You have a car and you have a Google Map and you’re right there.

(Some of the information here comes from the Borough President’s Brooklyn!! publication, which arrived in Brooklyn mailboxes last week. As always, we’re sure there are some very decorated Brooklyn streets and neighborhoods that we’re missing. Feel free to add them in comments or to email us so that we can add them.)

1) No. No No No No No. No. I don’t believe a word Thor Equities has said. I have no faith in their claims. I don’t believe they wish to keep the amusements in Coney Island. Not when they claim their development will contain “the first roller coaster built in Coney Island since the Cyclone.” (Hello, Jumbo Jet?) Not when their concept art is just that — conceptual. And not when they’re actively pursuing a giant mall/condo complex. Revitalizing a depressed area is one thing (and let’s face it, Coney Island deserves all the revitalization it can get, especially year-round stuff) but not when it’s one developer calling all the shots and buying up all the land. Yes, all the land. Today I learned of a big purchase they just made. Thor Equities is finishing the job that Robert Moses started over 40 years ago and Fred Trump, Donald’s father, tried to finish as well. They’re finally killing Coney Island. [Derspatchel/Live Journal]

2) The Beginning of the End. A major shoe has dropped in the redevelopment plans for Coney Island…I’m trying to stay positive. Coney Island’s history is cyclical — over the years it’s gone through countless transformations, so perhaps this will just be another “phoenix moment” for the area. And anyway, the job’s not done yet — there are still zoning variances to slog through before “Joey” and his mallrats can do anything. To those who oppose what Thor is proposing, find out when the variance hearings are and SHOW UP. You might not be able to stop the wholesale gentrification and obliteration of Coney Island’s history, but I know from experience that a few angry villagers can at least create some headaches and slow the process down. [Out and Back]

3) Coney Island (as you know it) R.I.P. it’s hard for me to tell you how much this saddens me. [girlhattan]

4) Coney Island Only Has Until Summer ’07 to Live. i m sad to announce that it was in the paper today that astroland in coney island bk will close after summer 2007,making this upcomin summer the last season open.This to me,was the last place in nyc that hasnt changed since it opened.Look back at the movie,The Warriors,and you can see very little has changed.My family all worked in astroland,running the wonder wheel and the cyclone,my father helped buid the boardwalk dock outside cyclone stadium.My earliest childhood memiores were of going there wit my brother mike and my parents,who have been seperated since i was 4.It killed me today to open the paper and see that there closing it to make a diney world knock off for tourists and upper class yuppie fucks from west bubble fuck.i was fortunate enough to spend my halloween in coney island with my close freinds and music makers.Preforming on the boardwalk to a very small crowd.but in all,it was defintily worth while.I plan on spending many nights there this upcoming summer,and encourage every one else to as well,espically those of you who somehow have never been.Hopefully we can pull anotha gig or 2 out of our ass for the summer, and rock a crowd in coney one last time RIP ASTROLAND CONEY ISLAND 1962-2007 [Phantom Enigma/My Space]

Brooklinks is a daily selection of Brooklyn-related news and images. On Thursday, we focus on food.

Eat:

• Fusion at Petit Bassam in Bed-Stuy [Brooklyn Record]
• Smoke Joint in Fort Green [NY Press]
• Winning Schnitzel at Bay Ridge’s Schnitzel Haus [Village Voice]
• Get Ready to Wait Longer at Lucali’s [NYT]
• Patsy Grimaldi Coming Out of Retirement [Eater]
• Scoring Kababs on Coney Island Avenue [Chowhound]
• Kate’s Joint in Williamsburg Now Easier to Spot [A Test of Will]
• Dakar Restaurant on Grand Avenue [Brooklyn Record]
• Fifth Avenue’s Biscuit is ‘Appalling’ [Chowhound]
• Battle of the Brooklyn Bahn Mi [Sunset Parker]
• Smith Street’s Ghang Thai Kitchen: ‘Perfectly Mediocre’ [ABL]

Read:

• MAS’s Barwick on What Went Wrong with Atlantic Yards [streetsblog]
• The Latest on The Smith [Brownstoner]
• Call Every Land Deal ‘Atlantic Yards’ From Now On [Daily Intel]
• 10 Top New Shops of ’06, but Only Two Are in Brooklyn [citysearch]
• Bad Housing S(h)ituation in Greenpoint [newyorkshitty]
• Caught in an Explosion as Bay Ridge Blows Up the Spot [Sexy Jesus]
• Holiday Heights [Brooklyn Heights Blog]

[Photo courtesy of daltonrooney/flickr]

The photo above was shot by photoblogger Dalton Rooney, whose blog seriously excited! is one of our favorites and worth checking out. He had emailed the other day to say that the Gowanus is looking extra funky this week, with extra-murky water and a lot of floating debris. “The greyish-green color was really disturbing, and the water wasn’t moving at all,” he writes. Is the flushing system, which keeps “fresh” water circulating in the Big G and has been responsible for improvements in water quality (and is slated for a major upgrade) out of whack? There is a oil visible on the surface in the photo, which we have previously noted coming from the area around the Union Street Bridge. This serves to remind us that the Gowanus Canal Conservancy was formed earlier this year and that the Big G could really use its advocacy services.

None of this helps the Gowanus’s image. For instance, take this morsel from Gridskipper: “Carroll Gardens and Park Slope are separated by a twenty-minute walk during which the fetid Gowanus Canal must be traversed.”

Fetid. They said, “fetid.”

So, you’ve been ignoring all those maps that show what could happen in Gowanus (and Brooklyn generally) during a hurricane. A kind reader that saw our post of an old-time Gowanus photo yesterday emailed us some others. For the moment, we’re going to post only a couple of them that show Fourth Avenue flooded by the Gowanus. Twice. Once in 1922 and once in 1947. Someday all those 12-story buildings going up on Fourth Avenue will have water views! We have two bits of advice: (1) Don’t buy any lower than the second floor and (2) Very good hip waders.

Gowanus Canal Floods Fourth Avenue, 1922

Gowanus Canal Floods Fourth Avenue, 1947

There’s more to it than that, however. With the sale of Astroland to Thor Equities, the massive Coney project is starting to look like the new Atlantic Yards and, inevitably, developer Joe Sitt is looking like Nouveau Ratner. The only thing missing is the Empire State Development Corp., but the Coney Island Development Corp. may yet prove itself to be a spiritual equal.

So, what’s wrong here? Let’s start with a project driven by a single developer and firm and move on from there. Projects of this magnitude that would literally place the fate of a huge part of an entire neighborhood in the hands of one firm or entity are a bad idea. It’s led to a mega-project of massive density in Atlantic Yards and it will likely yield something unsettling in Coney Island. If Thor’s model is something of a Times Square by the Sea (with rides looping in an out of buildings), it neglects one fact: The Times Square redevelopment never went anywhere until it was an organic process in the hands of multiple interests. Generations of top-down schemes crashed and burned.

Yes, Coney Island needs to be redeveloped and needs to regain some of its former glory after so many years of neglect and decline. However, destroying every remnant of its history and stripping away yet another bit of the Brooklyn we love–and one of our earliest life memories is going to Coney Island, where a good part of the family lived–is not the way to do it.

To recap a story that has been broadcast all over the country in the last 16 hours: Thor Equities bought Astroland for $30 million from its owners, the Albert family, yesterday. The 3.1 acre amusement park will close at the end of the 2007 season. The Cyclone will remain (it’s a landmark) under the current agreement with the city. Oddly, the family said that “the cost of converting Astroland to a year-round operation was too steep.”

Even more oddly, they’re retaining ownership of some of the rides in the hope of “adding some new rides and relocating to another section of the neighborhood.” The family is “hopeful that city and Brooklyn officials could help with relocation costs.”

Killing one of the last two Coney Island amusement parks–no matter how unspectacular Astroland might be–is like ripping out part of Coney’s soul. It verges on being an act of cultural violence. This is the point at which a mayor with a sense of history and a borough president who utters more than empty cheers would step in to say, ‘enough’ and work to ensure that Astroland stays a genuine amusement park and that the amusement zone–which is Coney Island’s historic heart–is protected by zoning.

We would love to know exactly what Mr. Sitt has in mind for Coney Island, especially in purchasing Astroland. Thor’s press release is titled “Future of Coney Island to Include Expanded Amusements on Astroland Site.” It goes on to say that Thor:

envisions a unified plan for its properties with Astroland becoming a 12-months-per-year amusement destination. In the future, Astroland will house a mix of amusements and attractions. Thor’s vision includes the introduction of enclosed amusements for the 21st century that can operate throughout the year, as well as a new hotel that will be needed to accommodate the expected influx of visitors to the area.

(You can find the full Thor press release over at the Coney Island Message Board where it was posted by Dick Zigun.)

It’s not the amusements that scare us so much as the “attractions.” Are we talking about Legal Sea Foods and Starbucks? Meanwhile, the Times, in a very short article, reports that Thor is planning to build a hotel on the property with some amusments on the ground floor. And, even if Thor plans a “21st Century amusement park,” do people really want an indoor park in summer at the beach? (Note to Thor: Retractable roof, please.)

The interesting thing is that Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park sits between Sitt’s other properties and Astroland. Is that the next shoe to drop? Will Deno’s end up hemmed in by Sitt projects like the proverbial building whose owner refused to sell surround by highrises? Will the only things left of the past in Coney Island be the Cyclone, Wonder Wheel and Parachute Jump, the equivalent of those big, old signs that are preserved when the factories to which they were attached are torn down? Will Thor use preserving Astroland as an amusement park as the bargaining chip to get the zoning changes to allow boardwalk condo towers? Is the grand plan–as cynics have suggest–to turn Coney Island into an absolutely desolate ghost town by the end of next year to pressure quick action on their plans?

We are fairly certain that Mr. Sitt does not intend to build a bigger, better amusement park where Astroland is. Amusement parks–unless you plan to do a Mall of America indoor thing–are not “year-round attractions” in the Northeast. At least, not until another 75 years or so of global warming occur. At which point, they might want to plan for a lot of water rides.

The sale of Astroland is not something to be automatically cheered, and it is probably not the last sale or purchase about which we will be writing.

1) This sounds like another project that will ram a development, like it or not, down the community’s throat – similar to Bruce Ratner’s Atlantic Yards…It is going to be interesting to see how south Brooklyn reacts to this. They have offered overwhelming supported Ratner’s mega-development, sweetheart deal in northern Brooklyn – much to the dismay of people who will actually have to live in that project’s shadow. Now, we will see how they react to this similar “single developer” giveaway in their own backyard. It won’t be so exciting having a huge development increasing traffic beyond road and infrastructure capacity when its in their own yard. (Maybe it’s Karma).

Anyway, Thor now owns C.I. I think the CIDC has done a great disservice to C.I. and this city by not demanding a diversity of development. Coming soon: million dollar condos to the C.I. boardwalk and SEASONAL rich folks complaining about the noise. SEASONAL rich folks complaining about the poor people hanging on the boardwalk at night. Seaside condos sold to SEASONAL buyers, who will offer NOTHING to the economy of C.I. in the off season.

Watch for the glitzy grand-opening of Sitt’s follie. Coney Island will never attain a “year round” economy. I think the CIDC has really screwed the residents of this city and Brooklyn. –BrooklynRider

2) I am wondering if Thor will buy Deno’s too. Excuse me while I jump for joy!!! I wouldn’t be surprised if this project goes over $2 Billion now. To hell with Great Adventure and Disneyland, CONEY MAY END UP BIGGER THAN BOTH PUT TOGETHER!!!!…Bloggers may write all their negativity now…….. —Amuse1

3) I am just worried that the same thing that happened to the Steeplchase property after Trump bought it and was unable to get a zoning change could happen to all the Thor property. Only this time a giant sized vacant lot that will be there for decades to come. Even if Thor sells the land back to the city, will they sell the land to Disney or some other amusement developer, or will they fence it off and keep it vacant for decades? —Switchback

4) Look at Rockaways Playland! The developer bought the property, and couldnt get the neccesary rezoning, and the property DID sit vacant for 20 years or so! But, I dont think the zoning is a problem at all! Joe Sitt didnt spend all this money without already knowing he will get his way. Sitt bought the Washington Baths property for 13mil, and sold it to Taconic for 85mil! You think Taconic just spent that kind of money on sheer specualtion? Or did they know something none of us knew at the time? —Thor-Hater

In the blogs:

5) “No longer are amusements in areas prone to cold climates useless during the winter. But perhaps may prove claustrophobic in the summer when we invite our relationship with the outdoors.

Joe Sitt of Thor Equities plans to develop everything from the Aquarium to the Cyclone stadium. Most likely Deno’s Play Land will be the next acquisition. And perhaps the Wonder Wheel will most likely be resituated somewhere else in the area – probably next to wherever they place B&B Carousel.” —Kinetic Carnival

And, in the press:

6) “Say goodbye to Coney Island’s Astroland Amusement Park.” —Bloomberg

7) “It’s the last ride for Astroland as New Yorkers know it…The park purchase is the latest land grab by Thor for its plan to add residential, retail, entertainment and other all-weather amusement components to Coney Island. Brooklyn-born Sitt has reportedly laid out more than $100 million so far.” —NYDN

• Astroland’s Swan Song [NYDN]
• Thor Equities Buys Coney Island’s Astroland [Crain’s]
• Astroland Sold to Thor Equities [Kinetic Carnival]
• Land Deal Right on the Coney [NYPost]
• Developer Buys Coney’s Astroland [Sun]
• Astroland Amusement Park Sold [7Online]
• Cyclone Saved, But Beloved Astroland Will Close [AP/NYDN]
• Coney Island’s Astroland Closing After 2007 Season [Newyorkology]
• Astroland Sold, Will Close Next Year [Bloomberg]
• Coney Island’s Tilt-a-Whirl Has Final Spin [Bloomberg]
• Another NYC Legend Going the Way of the Automat [KVIA]
• Developer Buys Amusement Park [NYT]