dlq04

Here is a cool photo of Nathan’s on Surf Ave, at the corner of Stillwell Ave., in Coney Island in 1961. There is a walkway between Nathan’s and Frozen Dessert known as Schweikerts Walk where hot dog eating contests took place. Skooter appears to be a bar but I’m told its was actually a ride; one of the many independent smaller rides with in the amusement parks.

As for the cars I’m told that the rear of a 58-59 Rambler, then a blue&white ’57 Olds Super 88, followed by a blue&white ’56 Buick Super Rivera with a rear fender dent. At the curb is a ’54 Mercury followed by a 61-62 red Alfa Romeo Gulietta Spyder.

Hope you love all the eye candy in the photo as I do.

Morris

Is the far left blue car what you are calling a Rambler? Looks like a early 50's Ford to me. Or is the fin to the right the Rambler?

skunkworks

A nice capture! I especially liked the rear-end lowering of the 1950 Chevy and white tee shirts of that era's cool dude(s) on the far right.

boltonblue

I guess mail trucks are timeless.

S1997

tof

Yup

skunkworks

Prior to 1954 mail trucks were painted in an Olive Drab color. I remember the change of paint schemes.

ralper

Yes, I remember that well. My first visit to Nathan's Famous was sometime in 1961 and its been an addiction ever since. Later in the 60s, when we were seniors in high school, we'd cut gym class on Friday and go to Nathans for lunch. Nathan's Coney Island was only about 4 miles from our school and we'd pile into my friend's old Rambler and go. Back then Nathans had a dining room in the back with waiter service. Today the dining room is gone, replaced by outdoor tables. We were at Nathan's last summer, the old servers (the ones who had the dogs on the buns before you finished giving your order) are all gone, replaced by teenagers, but the dogs are just as good as they ever were. The rumor is that the reason the french fries are so good is because the oil has never been changed since Nathans opened 100 years ago. Oil has been added, but never changed. I wouldn't be surprised.

Skooter was a ride. If my memory serves me correctly it was bumper cars. To the right of Chic's Souvenirs and the CocaCola logo was the Thunderbolt roller coaster. If you've seen the movie Annie Hall you've seen the Thunderbolt rollercoaster. It had fallen into disrepair in the 70s and 80s and was torn down to make room for the Brooklyn Cyclone's (Mets minor league team) stadium. A few blocks to the left of Nathan's is the Cyclone, the world's greatest wooden rollercoaster. Its still there and every bit as scary and as much fun as it was back then. About 1/2 mile further to the left, along the Boardwalk is the Brooklyn Aquarium. I spent a lot of Friday nights, Saturday nights and Sundays at Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach in my teens.

In the late 60s until the mid 80s Coney become a bit seedy, but in recent years it has gone through something of a renaissance and is now once again a lot of fun.

Surf Avenue looks a little different today, most of the stores are gone, but Nathan's Famous, thankfully, is still there.

ralper

Across the street from Nathan's was a giant Coppertone billboard. The one with the dog pulling down the little girl's bathing suit. Something like this:

It was a bit of a landmark.

dlq04

Why of course it is - I threw in a clunker to see who might catch it. I should know, my dad had one.