Coney Aquarium Gets Sparkling Makeover
The Wall Street Journal’s got a rendering of the new New York Aquarium, slated to open in Coney Island in 2015. The $150 million reno will cover the new facade, a huge glass shark tank, and access from the Coney Island Boardwalk. According to the article, the facade will be made of “sparkling aluminum squares”…
The Wall Street Journal’s got a rendering of the new New York Aquarium, slated to open in Coney Island in 2015. The $150 million reno will cover the new facade, a huge glass shark tank, and access from the Coney Island Boardwalk. According to the article, the facade will be made of “sparkling aluminum squares” and will include a spiral ramp leading to a roof deck overlooking the ocean. The shark tank will hold 500,000 gallons and 40 sharks. So far the city’s given the aquarium $49 million; the rest must be raised through donors. Says Steve Sanderson, the President of the Wildlife Conservation Society, “We think of the aquarium as the anchor to the revitalization of Coney Island.”
NY Aquarium’s New Look Swims Into View [WSJ]
Whatever happened to crazier redesign by West 8 Urban that looked like a blob?
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Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Central Park zoos.
?! i had no idea there were zoos in brooklyn, queens, and central park. i know about the bronx zoo (is it worth it? are there peacocks there?) i remember the butterfly exhibit in central park (i think) but i never made it 🙁 i did really wanna go
*rob*
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Base admission is $13 for adults, $9 for kids.
anyone else find that a tad unfair? kids (at least the ghetto ones) gets free health insurance, free school lunches and after school lunches, free metrocards, etc. when you think about it, it’s totally unfair (tho im all for kids getting free meals that’s not exactly my point) my point is that i dont think it’s fair they get free meals and adults dont for the most part, and they get to go under the turnstyle (ive seen 13 year olds with their parents duck under :-/ rich ones in park slope no less.) double :-/
senior citizens get all crazy movie discounts too. why?
*rob*
$17 is for the “total experience” ticket, which includes a lame “4D” show in a temporary trailer-theater outside.
Base admission is $13 for adults, $9 for kids.
Having been to various aquarium, zoos, and museums around the country, the price seems right for the size and quality of the aquarium.
Memberships start at $79 for a single adult and $124 for a family, and gives you membership to the aquarium plus the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Central Park zoos.
$17.00 for an adult ticket. A dollar more than the Bronx Zoo’s admission.
how much is the admission btw? i feel like a lot of people give this place nothing but an after thought. it’s like all the times ive been to coney island i never really thought about going to the aquarium even tho it sounds like a fun thing. i wonder if other people feel the same way.
*rob*
I love the Aquarium and I’m glad they’re pursuing a bolder agenda. I think that access from the Boardwalk will help a little — always thought it was odd the way you have to take that more convoluted walk to get to it. It should be really inviting to give you that sense you can just ‘stop in’.
I also wonder if lowering the admission price would generate increased traffic to get more revenue. I’m a big fan, but the price is prohibitive, unless you become a member. That has its own negative vibe though.
Rob, I’d think it’d be sadder to see mammals poking their faces at you thru glass. Especially some of the more intelligent mammals who have the capacity to understand – if only abstractly- the notion of captivity. Animals that rely on herding or pack structure as an inherent survival strategy. That’s sad.
I have the notion that fish are generally content in captivity. Whales and dolphins – any animal that echolocates – have no place in a tank. I strongly believe that a captive existence is torturous for them; they’re intelligent and social and their sonar bouncing back at them must be impossibly confusing and disorienting.
With all that said, I’m really enthusiastic about the plans for the aquarium. The place is currently a charmless dump with mildewy carpets and flickering flourescent lights. If fish had necks I’m sure the majority of the aquarium’s current aquatic population would be busy trying to hang themselves.