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The Ride of Your Life: Playland!By Karen ForrestPeople spend ridiculous amounts of time and money trying to recapture the lost glow of youth. I have a simple, less expensive solution: go to Playland Amusement Park in Rye, NY, ride the Dragon Coaster and feel like a kid again.
The Dragon Coaster is considered a scenic railway ride because it travels on tracks, using inertia to hurl riders back in their seats. Beware...as soon as you get off the ride, you might just find yourself back on the line, ready to try your luck at snaring the first seat - the best seat - on the coaster. If roller coasters aren't your thing, Playland has so many rides (45 major ones!) and new ones opening this summer, that I couldn't list them all. Seven original rides still exist, pre-dating the 1930s. The Derby Carousel, which was recently refurbished so the horses move up and down, is one of them. Traveling at speeds of 25 m.p.h., the carousel, designed by Fred Church, is unique in the simulation of horse racing. These hand-carved thoroughbreds were galloping very fast around the track - exciting, a tad scary and fun, all at the same time. The Whip, the Old Mill (currently closed for renovations) and two rides in Kiddyland, the Kiddy Coaster and the Kiddy Carousel, are other magical passports to the early days of Playland. One of new rides is the Playland Plunge, which will take passengers in a boat 50 feet into the air and then bring it down into a pool. A number of new rides will be added to Kiddyland, including the Jump N' Bean and the Kiddy Klimb. A new coaster, the Family Flyer, will accommodate children too small or too tall for the other coasters.
If all of this is too much for you, head over to Kiddyland, where there are fewer height (or fear) impediments. Three tickets buys your way onto the Crazy Yellow Submarine and the Flying Dragon; there are also bumper cars, boat rides, a pirate ship, coasters, carousels -just a sampling of the many kid-sized attractions. If you're smart, you will wait to indulge in a Nathan's hog dog, or pick at cotton candy, funnel cakes or ice cream before going on a ride. You can park yourself in front of the Music Tower Stage, where many a summer night, Cousin Brucie broadcasts his CBS-FM oldies radio show from the stage. We scarfed down hot dogs and fries at one of the picnic areas next to Playland Lake, watching a covey of kids with silly, pointy hats celebrate a birthday, complete with presents and pizza. Kayaking and boating are available at Playland Lake. You can bring your own grill to the picnic site, and stationary grills are also available. Captain Hook's Seafood Restaurant offers reasonably-priced food on the boardwalk with views of Long Island Sound. A walk on the boardwalk is a must. The Boardwalk Museum features a wonderful collection of memorabilia: a pictorial history of Playland, old bumper cars from defunct rides, and lots more. A little further down the boardwalk is the Beach Shop, where beach and sand toys, inflatables, magazines, hats, umbrellas and towels can be purchased and dragged onto the sandy Playland beach (adults, $3.25, children $1.50.) There is also an Olympic-sized pool, miniature golf, and an ice arena, with three rinks that can accommodate 1,100 skaters. Playland's evolution is quite extraordinary. In the late1800's, the fancy resorts and amusement parks that dotted the Rye shore were becoming seedy and unsavory. Fed-up residents petitioned the Westchester County Parks Commission to purchase and redevelop the property. Two theme parks, the Rye Beach and Paradise Park, were razed. In 1927, Frank Darling, who had constructed amusement parks in France, England and New Zealand, was hired to construct, operate and manage Playland. Playland's 280 acres were turned into an art-deco masterpiece, earning the park a place on the National Register of Historic Places. Playland's place in history is well established. It's even been featured in the movies. When I spied arcade manager Dan Toskaner fiddling with one of the arcade games, I approached him. "I guess I'm not the first person to ask you about Zoltar," I said sheepishly. He nodded. "And you won't be the last," he said. Zoltar was the name of the arcade game that Tom Hanks shot his quarter into in the movie Big. He made a wish - to be big - and his wish was granted. Hollywood brought that game to Playland when they filmed the movie, Mr. Toskaner said. But he confided that there is a similar game called the Fortune Teller at the arcade closest to the beach. I found it - dropped in some coins - and wished.... Getting there: Playland is open for the season 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 10 a.m. to midnight Fridays; noon to midnight Saturdays; noon to 11 p.m. Sundays. Closed Mondays. Take either the New England Thruway to Exit 19 or the Hutchinson River Parkway to Exit 25. Follow signs for Playland Parkway. Admission to the park is free. A 36-ticket book costs $20, $16 for a 24-ticket book, $8.50 for a 12-ticket book. Adult rides are 3-6 tickets, children's rides, 3 tickets. Parking fees vary; Tuesday through Friday, $5; weekends, $7; major holidays, $10. Admission to the ice arena is $10 for adults. Fireworks explode into a kaleidoscope of colors over Long Island Sound very Wednesday and Friday evenings at 9:15 in July and August. A good viewing spot is near the Log Flume. Call ahead for the music schedule, which includes a big band concert series in July and another concert series at the Music Tower Stage: (914) 813-7000. For general
information: Images by Karen Forrest |
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Since
1928, thrill seekers and amusement lovers have made the trek to this art-deco
flavored park, which is surrounded by Long Island Sound. I have fond memories of
excitement building as my crazy family of seven headed down Playland Parkway.
Soon we walk through the gates, purchase a book of tickets and run to the back
of the inevitable line at the park's most famous attraction, the wooden-tracked
Dragon Coaster where "cars careen into a tunnel resembling the mouth of a
dragon," according to a plaque. "Into the fiery breath of the
beast...rocking like there's no tomorrow, the dragon's hair-raising joy ride
turns grownups into screaming children."
I
was the only (nutty) one in my group that would allow myself to be strapped in
to the Double Shot, where I was shot up an 85-foot tower in less than 2 seconds.
We all went on the Log Flume, with two vertical drops and a lot of water
(prepare to get wet.) There's another coaster, The Hurricane, and the Gondola
Wheel, and the Sea Dragon and the Inverter, which is strictly for the fearless-
you're vaulted 50 feet into the air and begin spinning 360 degrees while you
"counter-rotate."