Was Brighton Beach the resort, like in Neil Simon’s memoirs?
If it was a resort it was before my time. From what I heard, Manhattan Beach was more the resort area. Coney Island was America’s play-land… What’s your sense for the renaissance of Coney Island currently underway? That’s a tough question because my feelings have changed for Coney Island over the years. I’m 52 years old, so I grew-up in that period when Coney Island had fallen into its nadir. The boardwalk was in disrepair, the rides were closing, crime at its worst. And then, over the years, it sort of rebounded a bit. So I’m kind of sad at the prospect of a Coney Island that I grew-up knowing — even though it wasn’t this great place that my parents used to talk about — I have regrets, sadness, over the fact that it’s going to be redeveloped. You attended Abraham Lincoln High School, where another famous Brooklyn writer went, Joseph Heller. Right, Catch-22. Lincoln has a history of producing musicians and writers. I always think it’s funny because so many kids go to high schools in
