Coney Island = A Summer Bucket List Destination

So it goes like this: Christmas, respective birthdays, Coney Island. In terms of the girls' favorite days of the year, that's how far up the pole Coney Island ranks. Pretty impressive, right? They just love everything about the place, from the rides at Luna Park, to the boardwalk and aquarium, to the ice cream they figure we'll most likely buy them for the long subway ride home. Our day at Coney Island has become a summer bucket list item that we all really enjoy and look forward to once the last day of school finally arrives.

This time around, we spent most of our time at Luna Park, and also tried a legendary pizza place that we've somehow missed on previous visits. But more about that in a moment. Luna Park is filled with rides for all ages, and while we sadly skipped a few that they're just too big for now, there are still plenty of rides they love and even talked their mother into doing with them (AGH). From the swings to the Coney Clipper, the Wild Ride water log ride to The Tickler (the girls' all-time favorite, which we did twice)... it was a day full of twists and turns -- literally. Follow along for a few fun photos from our day!

For lunch, we headed about 10 minute walk from Luna Park to a Coney Island institution (for the last 93 years, in fact!): Totonno's Pizza. It is off the beaten path away from the boardwalk, so you may wonder where in fact you're walking, but just think of it as discovering Brooklyn... we're so happy we did. Called #1 pizza in America from the Food Network, it was also recently featured in an episode of Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix. And while we did have to wait a little bit to be seated (and then wait some more for the actual pizza).... sufficed to say, it was worth it. Each pizza is made from scratch and put in a coal fire oven and what you get out is just perfection. From the sauce to the not overly thick crust... we found ourselves a new part of our Coney Island tradition.

Lastly, for your viewing enjoyment... my trip down the roaring rapids of the Wild River (I apologize in advance for the screaming). I've always been too scared to do it before, but when it's really hot and your children are begging you... it's amazing what you can get talked into. And you know what, that cold water at the end felt really GOOD! Until next year, Luna Park, Coney Island and Totonno's!

For more information on Luna Park pricing, calendar, etc., check out their website. Just a few weeks of summer vacation left for NYC kids... enjoy it! 

Disclosure: We were provided with complimentary tickets to Luna Park for the purposes of this review. All opinions herein are my own.