Friday, July 04, 2008

Photo Friday

Belmont Park
Oh my.
The big Diane Furstenberg sunglasses tell me it was the 80's.
I was camera-in-hand (as usual) at Belmont Park.
The city had just decided they were going to save the Giant Dipper--a wooden roller coaster built in 1925.

The Plunge was also saved--the indoor swimming pool that had been the show piece of the park.
Initially it was part of a gym but open to the public.
They used to host "Dive-in" movies, where you could float around on an inner tube and watch an old B horror movie like Creature of the Black Lagoon.
Now it's in an athletic club, but I don't hear about it anymore, so I assume it's members only.

I had been writing letters to the City Council, and was excited they weren't going to add a hotel or condos.
Ironically, I don't really like what that area has become.
Shops and restaurants have failed, so it's just a big arcade now.
But I still love the roller coaster, all outlined in white lights.

In 2002, the lease was purchased by a private citizen who....plans to build a hotel on the property.
At least the coaster was saved.

Labels: ,

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Barb: It is amazing how much glasses changes someone's appearance. I would not have known that was you. What brand of camera were you using back then? In the 80s, my camera of choice was a Mamiya Sekor 2X2...I loved that old thing.

10:37 AM  
Blogger woof nanny said...

ha! It was a manual Nikon (I can't remember more details, though I do still have it packed away somewhere). I was taking photography classes at a community college, and learning all about the techniques Ansel Adams used.

6:30 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Barb we have something similar happening here. The fairground was closed down and the new metal rollercoaster was taken to Blackpool to be part of a big funfair they have up the coast. The older wooden rollercoaster was just going to be broken up, but they found a place for it in the end. Since then a new person has started a new fairground in the ripped out grounds of the old, and is trying to make a go of it. Southport is undergoing a lot of development so you always see men in hats and safety boots in town. Just need an indian and a cowboy and we could have the full YMCA chorus. :-)

10:37 PM  
Blogger Gina E. said...

Dive In movies - ROFLMAO!!! You guys have such a great sense of humour - that is almost as cute as lips bandaids!

8:38 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home