Oral History Archive

Filtering by Boardwalk, The back to all

Emmanuel Elpenord

An actor's memories of growing up in Sea Rise apartments and a souvenir of the Wonder Wheel

Gabriel Valencia

Twenty-five years at Gregory & Paul's and Paul's Daughter on the Coney Island Boardwalk

Natasha Lvovich

Moscow-born Coney Island resident, writer of creative nonfiction and fiction, and professor of English

Stella Bacolas

Growing up in Greece and living in Coney Island's Luna Park Houses since the 1970s

Mort Shatzkin

Memories of growing up in Coney Island and the family business, Shatzkin's Famous Knishes

Ronald Kannatt (The Prince of Coney Island)

Twenty years at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park's Karaoke on the Boardwalk

Jerry Omanoff

Memories of living in Coney Island from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s

Stanley Shapiro

Memories of growing up in Coney Island in the 1940s and going back four times a year

Linda Zhang

Coney Island homeowner for 19 years enjoys organic gardening and walking on the boardwalk

Crystal Isley

Memories of growing up in Coney Island Houses in the 1980s and '90s

Sam Shlivko

Growing up in the Russian community in Coney Island and Brighton Beach

Abby Jordan

Growing up Latina in Brighton Beach with a special connection to nature and the ocean

Karen Dawn Blondel

Environmental justice organizer who was born in Coney Island and raised here in the 1960s and '70s

Eric Safyan

Architect who grew up in Coney Island in the 1980s and designed the renovated Ruby's Bar & Grill

Paul Sanchez

Coney Island singer/songwriter who wrote "A Coney Island Song"

Mohammed Saad Ali

Actor and playwright whose new play A Lonely Night in Coney Island is set on the Boardwalk

Al Burgo

Memories of growing up on West 33rd Street in Coney Island and working on the Boardwalk in the 1960s

Donna Bianco

Memories of working as a police officer in Coney Island in the 1980s and '90s