I visited Coney Island for a day and had a wonderful experience. No admission fee, beach atmosphere, very large crowds. It’s best for hanging out at the beach, amusement park, restaurants and nice city views.

I spent my day watching the hot dogs eating contest that Nathan’s sponsors each year, then toured the NY Aquarium, then walked the surf of the beach, then visited a museum and then ate at Nathan’s. The perfect way to spend the 4th of July, with hundreds of other people screaming and yelling at the contest and on the surf with the sites and smells of the shore. Very hot but great day.

It;'s a fun place to go in the summer, an old school amusement park with rides and boardwalk games. You can get here by the subway. And there is a beach. We did indulge in a classic hot dog.

DO NOT GO HERE! I'm from Colorado and wanted to do everything in New York which includes Coney Island. We had two and a half hours before we had to get back to the hotel to GO HOME! The ticket guy explained poorly where I could and could not go with the unlimited ticket I bought for FIFTY FIVE DOLLARS! apparently the ticket was only for kiddie rides. I went to the ticket keosk and the lady said you can upgrade FOR 100 DOLLARS! So I went to another ticket keosk and they said the same thing. Which I get it. Its the rule but they refused any other thing. What I wanted was to change my mistake into 55 credits because that's how much I paid. Pretty simple. Never got that. We then went to the customer service and again they said the same thing or SEVENTY DOLLARS for some credits. By that time we had 30 minutes left. Luckily they gave us a free Cyclone ride. One ride! 2 and a half hours! 55 dollars! 2 minute ride! They are GREEDY

Coney Island was almost one hour ride away from Brooklyn via the subway (Q Line dropped me off right near the entrance) so I decided last minute to head out there since I've never seen it. We have the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk back home but Coney Island dwarfed it.For a Friday, the 2 amusement parks were busy with lots of kids and parent chaperones wearing the same t-shirts. I wasn't here to ride the rides but to wander and take it all in. Ticket prices varied per ride (little kids cheaper than the more thrilling ones for older kids/adults. All day wrist bands also were offered and maybe a better deal if staying a few hours or hitting the big rides.Lots of food options available in and around the parks. The most recognizable one for me was Nathan's Hot Dogs which actually served seafood, burgers and more besides their famous namesake hot dogs.The wooden boardwalk was in good condition and wide. It extended all the way down to the aquarium and Brighton Beach.. lots of benches to sit or sun yourself. Bathrooms were located near the beach but interestingly elevated above. Nice design from the outside but a little cleaner than your typical public bathrooms since there were staff busy cleaning when I popped in.The beaches wasn't as busy as the park and even less people were in the water. Overall fairly clean that day. Lifeguards were on duty, FDNY zipped by in a unique ATV style ambulance and later a patrol showing a good attention to safety and quick response.I'm glad I was able to finally see Coney Island in person. It should have enough options to entertain, thrill or just let you relax.