Vintage Photos? Nope, Just Coney Island In The Winter

Looking through the recent photo essay on Untapped Cities, you’d think these eerie black-and-white Coney Island photos were a set of vintage images of the iconic neighborhood.

You’d be wrong. The photos by Ayelet Pearl might be reminiscent of harder times in a rundown neighborhood, but apparently that’s just what the area looks like in the winter.

The photographer writes:

[In] February, the walk to the boardwalk is entirely deserted. The wind howls and swirls of snow whip against your face and your boots are barely enough to tackle the slushy mess that puddles around the curbs. But the boardwalk, nearly untouched by harsh car wheels and stomping feet, is covered in a thick layer of snow, extending out across the sand and gently being swept into the ocean at the very edge.

There’s still life to be found, Pearl writes, in the Christmas lights stretching over empty streets, or the Cyclone’s stately demeanor. And it’s still able to “satisfy the soul,” even devoid of the hustle and bustle of the summer months.

Check out all the photos here.