New York City

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Would "The Warriors" recognize the Coney Island of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's dreams? The street gang at the center of the 1979 cult movie fought police and rival gang "Armies of the Night" as they trekked 27 miles back to their Coney Island turf from The Bronx. New York City has revived since the Seventies, when street gangs ruled some of the graffiti-scarred neighborhoods in the city's five boroughs. Bloomberg, running for mayor for a third term as an independent, has built on those changes and now has Coney Island in his sights. An oceanside neighborhood in Brooklyn long known for ... Read Full Story

Stephen Baker will happily lie on a bed of nails at Coney Island -- it's the New York authorities' approval Wednesday of a new plan for the iconic amusement park that scares him. "They're going to destroy the magic," said Baker, 42, resting between acts at a freak show that also featured a sword swallower and "elephant woman." Nearly everyone -- even Baker and fellow sideshow colleagues -- agrees that an increasingly decrepit Coney Island needs a makeover. But a plan passed by the City Council on Wednesday to open the gritty seafront area in south Brooklyn to development is sparking controversy. Mayor Michael ... Read Full Story

A plan passed overwhelmingly by the City Council to develop the gritty seafront area of Coney Island in south Brooklyn is sparking controversy. Stephen Baker will happily lie on a bed of nails at Coney Island -- it's the New York authorities' approval Wednesday of a new plan for the iconic amusement park that scares him. "They're going to destroy the magic," said Baker, 42, resting between acts at a freak show that also featured a sword swallower and "elephant woman." Nearly everyone -- even Baker and fellow sideshow colleagues -- agrees that an increasingly decrepit Coney Island needs a makeover. Mayor Michael Bloomberg ... Read Full Story

Stephen Baker will happily lie on a bed of nails at Coney Island -- it's a city council vote Wednesday on the iconic amusement park's future that scares him. "They're going to destroy the magic," said Baker, 42, resting between acts at a freak show also featuring a sword swallower and "elephant woman." Nearly everyone -- even Baker and fellow sideshow colleagues -- agrees that New York's Coney Island needs a makeover. But what Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration terms "revitalization," many Coney Island fans call an agenda to turn a gaudy national treasure into a bland money spinner. Many of the most famous 20th ... Read Full Story

The New York City Council has approved Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to redevelop Coney Island, turning the Brooklyn beachfront area into a year-round entertainment complex. The council voted overwhelmingly Wednesday in favor of the plan. Coney Island would get a new amusement park, high-rise hotels, restaurants, retail stores, movie theaters and the city's first new roller coaster since 1927. Community activists say redevelopment could rob Coney Island of its nostalgia, even though the landmarked Cyclone roller coaster will stay. Now, there's one more major hitch: a battle over land between two billionaires, Bloomberg and developer Joseph Sitt. City officials are negotiating with Sitt to ... Read Full Story