Summer is on its way (we think), and when it arrives, New Yorkers will steel themselves against the crowds and the heat and the inconvenience of lugging a beach umbrella onto the subway, and end up at one of our city’s coastlines. Coney Island, of course, is a timeless option. We go there mostly out of obligation, because it doesn’t feel right to let the season go by without a Nathan’s hot dog or a jaw-rattling ride on the Cyclone.
It’s what we’ve always done. These photos of Coney Island revelers, taken by photographer Aaron Rose between 1961 and 1963, capture that New York tradition. Rose’s photos are now part of an exhibit opening Friday May 9 at the Museum of the City of New York.
Rose, a lifelong New Yorker himself, documented his fellow residents as they spilled out from every neighborhood for their annual migration to Brookyn’s end. The swimsuit styles are a little different, but it looked even then like it was impossible to find a spot for your towel.
