Coney Island and 
The New York Aquarium

Food and Fun

Nathan's

Going to Nathan's after a day at the beach, fishing pier or Astroland Park in Coney Island, was a childhood treat.  The food doesn't taste the same as it did when I was a kid, but it's an institution worth experiencing. 

Nathan Handwerker visited Coney Island in the summer of 1915 and saw a help wanted sign at Feltman's restaurant. Although he was a manager of a modest restaurant in downtown Manhattan, he decided to take the job slicing hot dog rolls for a living. Within a year Nathan had saved $300 by frugally eating free hot dogs at Feltman's. It was enough money to rent the ground floor of a building located near the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues. He installed counters in the weathered clapboard building and nailed up large red signs proclaiming the five cent hot dog.

It was a great idea but Nathan nearly went broke. Even when he offered root beer on the house and threw in a free pickle, the public was suspicious. They ignored him and took their dimes to Feltman's.  Then in the early 1920's the subway extension enabled millions of New York's poor to reach Coney Island for only a nickel. Nathan's stand had a strategic position directly between the subway terminal and the boardwalk. But even they, with only nickels in their pockets, were mistrustful of Nathan's cheap price because in their experience, anything so cheap was inferior.

To draw business Nathan resorted to hiring derelicts to sit at his counter and eat free hot dog. But the crowd saw only bums and avoided the place. Then he borrowed ten white jackets with white pants and ten stethoscopes from a friend in the theatrical costume business and dressed ten freshly shaven bums as doctors. When the public saw his sign, "If doctors eat our hot dogs, you know they're good!", they began patronizing his stand. He became so successful that the police were always trying to clear the mass of customers that blocked the broad sidewalk in front of his stand.

Although his counter was only twenty feet long, Nathan's sold an average of 75,000 frankfurters every summer weekend. His record was on Decoration Day 1954 when 55,000 hot dogs were sold on a single day. Naturally his counter became bigger and Nathan's became a year round operation. On July 6, 1955 he sold his one hundred millionth hot dog.
Nathan's became the king of the hot dog.

1999: New York's Passport to Aquatic Adventures

The central theme for the Aquarium's 1999 public event schedule emphasizes "globalism," that is, the diversity of aquatic species and habitats--from around the world--exhibited at the Aquarium. During the 1999 public event schedule, the Aquarium's visitors will be "taken on a journey around the world," where they will discover fascinating (and fun!) things about aquatic species and habitats.

While each event will have its own central focus, many event components will be consistently featured throughout the season. These include:

• interactive entertainment--courtesy of well-known children's performers
• educational slide shows--by Aquarium staff and guest presenters
• table-top exhibitors--presenting information related to the event theme
• supervised arts and crafts activities--educational hands-on fun for everyone

• thematic graphic elements--included during each event will be a fun-fact global conservation poster, given free to children ages 2-12, while supplies last; event "passports" will guide visitors through our events
  
  All event activities are free with general admission to the Aquarium
  Please call 718-265-3454 for more information.

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