Postcard Thursday: The Cylcone

Yikes! Another Postcard Thursday on Friday? We won't make a habit of it, we promise.

Nor will we make habit out of recycling material, but today is the birthday of Coney Island's famous Cyclone roller coaster, so below is the PT post we put up a year ago.

However, while we have your attention -- there are still a few slots left for our Upper Central Park walking tour this Sunday, June 28, at 1pm. Follow this link for all the details and registration information: 

http://blog.insidetheapple.net/2015/06/public-walking-tour-exploring-upper.html

Fans of wooden roller coasters probably already know that today is the 88th birthday of the Cyclone, which opened on June 26, 1927, and is still going strong.

However, the history of roller coasters at Coney Island is much older than the Cyclone; in fact, America's first roller coaster, the Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway, opened on June 6, 1884, at an amusement park just off the boardwalk.

The switchback was the brainchild of LaMarcus A. Thompson. Visitors would climb to the top of a tower and board a car that then dropped six hundred feet over an undulating track. At the far end the car would be "switched back" to another track and returned to the tower. Thompson envisioned his ride as wholesome family entertainment -- in a period when amusement parks were often seen as dens of sin and iniquity -- and the cars, traveling at an "invigorating" six miles per hour, provided great views of the Coney Island beach and boardwalk. He charged 5 cents a ride and made back the $1600 he'd invested in the roller coaster in less than three weeks.

It is unclear how long the Switchback Railway lasted at Coney Island (or even precisely where it stood). Despite its early success, Thompson soon faced a host of competitors and his original coaster may only have stood for three years.

By the 1920s, roller coasters were all the rage at Coney Island, and the Cyclone was just one among a number of rides with names like the Tornado and the Thunderbolt.

Of course, when we think of Coney Island roller coasters, we think of this:

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Read more about Coney Island in
Footprints in New York: Tracing the Lives of Four Centuries of New Yorkers

If you haven't had a chance to pick up a copy of Footprints yet, you can order it from independent bookstores across the country

And, of course, Inside the Apple is available at fine bookstores everywhere.

Postcard Thursday: New York City Clubs

Did you know that a little over a century ago, there were 157 private membership clubs in New York City, with over 38,000 combined members?

James wrote a piece on the proliferation (and, then, steady decline) of these clubs for Curbed this week. From alumni clubs like Yale and Harvard to arts clubs such as the Players and National Arts clubs on Gramercy Park to the rarefied halls of the Union and University clubs, these social organizations served as an important part of the framework of New York's high society.

Read all about it at http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2015/06/17/the_rise_and_fall_of_new_york_citys_private_social_clubs.php

What does this image have to do with New York City clubs? Nothing at all -- it's an arch in Central Park. But we posted it here to remind you that we're giving a tour on Sunday, June 28, at 1:00pm, of the northern section of the park. Read about it and make reservations by following this link: http://blog.insidetheapple.net/2015/06/public-walking-tour-exploring-upper.html

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Explore more NYC history in

Footprints in New York: Tracing the Lives of Four Centuries of New Yorkers

If you haven't had a chance to pick up a copy of Footprints yet,
you can order it from your favorite online retailers (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) or
from independent bookstores across the country.

And, of course, Inside the Apple is available at fine bookstores everywhere.

Postcard Thursday: The Ferris Wheel at the 1964 World's Fair

While the movie Tomorrowland hasn't lived up to box office expectations, it does feature a wonderful sequence at the beginning at the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows. The scenes -- a mix of on location and CGI -- feature a number of real locations from the fair (including Disney's Carousel of Progress and "It's a Small World"), but alas, not one of our personal favorites: The Uniroyal Ferris Wheel.

The first Ferris wheel at the 1893 World's Fair.

Ferris wheels were first introduced at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893 in Chicago, the so-called "White City" World's Fair, and soon became a staple of amusement parks. To showcase its products outside the Travel and Transportation pavilion (where the Queens Zoo is now located), the Uniroyal Tire Company erected an 86-foot-tall Ferris wheel emblazoned with its logo and then-name "US ROYAL." As at many carnivals and fairs, the Ferris wheel was a hit in that it gave fair-goers a great view of the fairgrounds from the top. According to a 1997 article in the Detroit News, dignitaries such as the Shah of Iran and Jackie Kennedy rode the wheel on their trips to the fair.

After the fair's closing in 1965, the wheel was dismantled and shipped back to Michigan, where it was reassembled (sans gondolas) next to Uniroyal's sales office. Though that office later moved, the wheel remains. We snapped this picture last year:

While the wheel is today just a roadside oddity, it also serves as a reminder of the far-reaching marketing potential of these fairs. How many of the 51 million people who visited Flushing Meadows chose Uniroyal Tires after seeing this?

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ICYMI: We're giving a tour of Upper Central Park on Sunday, June 28th. Details are at http://blog.insidetheapple.net/2015/06/public-walking-tour-exploring-upper.html

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Explore more NYC history in

Footprints in New York: Tracing the Lives of Four Centuries of New Yorkers

If you haven't had a chance to pick up a copy of Footprints yet,
you can order it from your favorite online retailers (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) or
from independent bookstores across the country.

And, of course, Inside the Apple is available at fine bookstores everywhere.

Public Walking Tour: Exploring Upper Central Park | June 28 at 1PM

Exploring Upper Central Park A Walking Tour with Michelle and James Nevius authors of Inside the Apple and Footprints in New York SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 1:00 - 3:00PM Kick off your summer by joining us on a ramble through the parts of Central Park that are often left off the itineraries of visitors and New Yorkers alike. We'll stroll the picturesque North Woods, climb the Great Hill, see the oldest building in the park, which was built for the War of 1812, visit the Harlem Meer and Conservatory Gardens, and even track down the memorial to the "Founder of Greater New York City," Andrew Haswell Green. $20 per person or $30 if you'd also like a copy of "Footprints in New York" (a great deal!) TO RESERVE: email footprintsinnewyork@gmail.com with your name number in your party how many people are $20 (no book) and how many are $30 (with book) a cell number where we can reach in case anything changes THE MEETING PLACE WILL BE EMAILED TO YOU WHEN YOU RESERVE.   PS: If you missed the Alexander Hamilton walk last month, it is available as a private booking. Visit www.walknyc.com/lm.html to read about the area and just mention Alexander Hamilton when you make your reservation!

Postcard Thursday: Happy Birthday, George III

On June 4, 1738, the future King George III was born at Norfolk House in London. He became king in 1760 on the death of his grandfather, George II (his father had already passed away, putting him next in the line for the throne) and ruled for 60 years, making him at the time the longest reigning monarch. Of course, in America his reign ended much earlier--in New York City on July 9, 1776, when New York became the thirteenth and final colony to ratify the Declaration of Independence.

The above postcard was issued in 1909 as part of the massive Hudson-Fulton Celebration that year. One of the largest parties New York has ever thrown, the festival marked three centuries since Henry Hudson's arrival in New York Harbor and a hundred years since Robert Fulton's successful launch of the steamship Claremont.

One part of the celebration was a parade with floats depicting key scenes from New York history. In the image above, angry colonists are shown tearing down George III's statue in Bowling Green Park on the evening of July 9, 1776, having just heard the Declaration of Independence for the first time. The image is remarkably accurate considering how many depictions of the event are fanciful:

Interested in seeing this spot in person? Check out our Lower Manhattan tour, which can be customized to focus on colonial/Revolutionary War history.

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Explore more NYC history in

Footprints in New York: Tracing the Lives of Four Centuries of New Yorkers

If you haven't had a chance to pick up a copy of Footprints yet,
you can order it from your favorite online retailers (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) or
from independent bookstores across the country.

And, of course, Inside the Apple is available at fine bookstores everywhere.