A post for Pablo57

By fuzzy1 written 1/26/08 10:12 PM, published 1/28/08 5:36 AM
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Nestled between the high rises at Milson's Point and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, there is an amazing little amusement park called Luna Park.

(I've been to Sydney a number of times in the past few years, but it's always been in either June or July, which is Wintertime in Australia, and the park has always been closed.  This time, I timed my visit for December and I finally got an opportunity to wander around the park.)

Opened in 1935, Luna Park was modeled after the grandaddy of all amusement parks, Coney Island in NYC.  The towers of the entrance gates are designed to resemble the art deco style of New York's Chrysler Building.  Between the Towers hangs The Face  which was modeled after the traditional fairy tale character 'Old King Cole'.  

Although it's gone thru several renovations and is no longer as large as it used to be, the midway is still a pretty interesting place to hang out, take your chances and try your luck at winning a prize (and people watch on a sunny weekend).  

The end of the midway brings you here, where imitation really IS the sincerest form of flattery....

a last look back towards the entrance makes me glad I braved the raindrops and finally made a visit to this place.

And Pablo, even though the 'real' Coney Island may one day fade away, take comfort in the fact that it's memory will live on forever, halfway across the world in Sydney, Australia.


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  • Ashton 1/26/08 10:23 PM
    Great story! "Amusement park" is my favorite with "a last look" a close second! Glad you braved the rain too!

    - Say...CHEESE


  • andreaeagle 1/27/08 1:53 AM
    That was a excellent Post! The color in Amusement Park are so rich, and Entrance Gate a glorious! Thank for take us in you back pack. Coney Island Lives! Thank Denise!

    - come over for lunch


  • Candice 1/27/08 4:12 AM
    I love "traveling" with you! What a tribute to Pablo! "The Face" is such a good angle and I think because you had a little rain...awesome exposure!

  • Pablo57 1/27/08 4:17 AM
    Beautiful photos, Fuzzy1, great colors, compositions, and crisp. We'll take a trip up to the moon For that is the place for a lark So meet me down at Luna, Lena Down at Luna Park http://home.nyc.rr.com/johnmiller/luna.html

  • smalltown05 1/27/08 4:38 AM
    These are so gorgeous and rich Fuzz. What a nice set.

    - blow.....hard


  • Lidljo 1/27/08 4:48 AM
    The color and detail in these shots is super!

    - Flowers are happiness...


  • calepo 1/27/08 6:20 AM
    Very nice considering the weather conditions. I'm glad you finally made it, too, and that you shared it with us. I love visiting new places and seeing them through the eyes of others. Fantastic.

    - Enjoy the journey....


  • Pablo57 1/27/08 7:05 AM
    Oops, Thanks for the title, I don't know how I missed it the first time through. June 21, 2008, Saturday, you need to insert a timed bug in your programs so you're in beautiful Fort Lee the week of June 20th. Then on Saturday morning you can come to the Mermaid Parade with me. Nice shots considering you were standing upside down on the other side of the earth. How did you keep your camera from falling off the earth?

  • msjudi 1/27/08 9:55 AM
    Great story and captures.. i love "entrance gates", i think a small child would either love it or fear it! fun post...

    - Smile ; )


  • Penny 1/27/08 10:02 AM
    Fantastic I love what you have done with these as usual.

    - Smile


  • ROCKADEE 1/27/08 1:29 PM
    Great Post, Enjoyed Each One!

    - NATURE RULES!!!


  • fuzzy1 1/27/08 5:07 PM
    Pablo, I would love nothing more than to see the Mermaid Parade! Maybe in '08.... And I followed the link that you provided - I'd completely forgotten about Cleveland's Luna Park - my Grandmother used to tell me stories about taking the streetcar there as a child....then she'd tell me stories about taking my Dad (her son) to Euclid Beach Park when he was a child. Those stories were the beginnings of my fascination with old amusement parks....EBP closed in 1969 when I was a child, so I never got to see the inside of it, although it remained, abandoned and dilapidated, in what is now Inner-City Cleveland, until about the early Eighties. I remember driving by it many times and wondering what it was like in it's heyday. The only thing that remains today are the crumbling entrance gates, in a vacant lot in front of a run-down housing project...so I'm left to travel the world, in search of ancient roller coasters and flickering neon, trying to keep the memories alive just a little bit longer... :-)

    - f8 and be there...


  • tomnorth 1/27/08 5:55 PM
    Love the face shot. The colors and perspective are great.

    - One size does not fit all


  • KayN 1/27/08 6:46 PM
    I love this set, Denise! The colors are so rich, and I really like the white framing; looks good.

    - Ms.N


  • dragonfly 1/27/08 9:49 PM
    Great set...I love the composition in "The face"...

    - Have a nice day...


  • kalole0 1/28/08 4:38 AM
    Beautifully done set. Love the towers at the entrance, but think that if I were a child, the face would scare me. Really enjoy your travels. You're doing what I have always wanted to do.

    - togetherness.....


  • RobinG 1/29/08 9:41 AM
    Thanks for sharing! Love the colors! The detail in face is awesome, great angle! ;o)

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