Lighting the Parachute Jump

Filmed by Coney Island photographer Jim McDonnell, the short was entered into the 2013 Coney Island Film Festival.

F Train Hell: 1,300 Commuters Stranded For Hours After Track Snap

F Train Hell: 1,300 Commuters Stranded For Hours After Track Snap: Gothamist

Most New Yorkers would agree that there's no better way to cap off a long work week than being trapped on a subway for hours with hundreds of other straphangers. So approximately 1,300 commuters are probably counting their lucky stars after they got stuck on the F train for over two hours last night in Manhattan. According to the MTA, a southbound F train ran over a broken rail south of the West 4th Street station around 7:10 p.m.; the train didn't derail, but it couldn't move anywhere on the snapped track. And as you can see in the Tweets and Instagrams below, people were mighty pleased about the situation:

Screwed on the Boardwalk: Rare ticket given to couple riding bikes on the #coneyisland #boardwalk

Screwed on the Boardwalk: Rare ticket given to couple riding bikes on the #coneyisland #boardwalk

Rare ticket given to couple riding bikes on the #coneyisland #boardwalk

Walk to End Alzheimer's drew a big turnout in morning

Bike rider should have walked bike through the crowds

Festive atmosphere with lots of families

Not surprising that the boardwalk would be crowded on this spectacular day.  But with the 2013 Walk to End Alzheimer's starting at 9am  and a large turnout in the afternoon by Hasidim and their families to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot it was more festive with large numbers of families and young boys and girls in and out of hundreds of strollers.  It is always difficult to navigate by bike around the masses on the boardwalk and the prudent and considerate thing to do is get off and walk your bike for everyone's safety. But today was especially busy including a presence of heavy security.. Earlier I had just observed a woman in a light blue top speeding and swerving through the densely packed groups and wondered if she had a clue how reckless she was.  As I turned to go back I observed this young couple being stopped by a police officer and given a ticket for riding their bike on the boardwalk. They obviously were unaware of the rule which forbids any bike riding except between the hours of 5am-10am. .
The young woman explained that this was her first visit to Coney Island and she saw no signs or warning that biking was not permitted.  She is partly correct.  The signs are stenciled at the bottom of the ramps that enter the boardwalk at various locations along the route.. But they are not very visible and it is easy to miss the faded decals as one rides up the ramp.
I tried to warn other riders about the police ticketing and most got off and walked or turned back.  One elderly woman  told me to "F*** Off! I hope she got caught.
The parks department needs to make the signs more visible as one enters onto the boardwalk.  The parks department has a love affair with these decals along Ocean Parkway as well. The older ones are barely readable and the newer ones don't seem to do the job although the graphics are nice.  Brightly colored signs that are at eye level must be installed.
Soon afterwards I noticed the woman in the blue top speed again returning from the Coney Island amusement area.  I don't think she got a ticket.  Felt bad for the two that did.  It was the first time ever I saw a ticket being written for riding on the Boardwalk in the twenty years I have been going there..

Police officer writes ticket to couple for riding their bikes on the Coney Island Boardwalk