BROOKLYN, NY.- From horse-drawn streetcars, steamboats, and railroads, to the buses and subways of today, mass transportation has played a pivotal role in Coney Island’s development as a whirling smorgasbord of amusement parks, seaside resorts, veiled temptation, and kitsch. A complex and rollicking microcosm of Americana, Coney Island has weathered fire, flood, Prohibition, the Great Depression and the changing mores and morals of a diverse society. The New York Transit Museum’s exhibition Five Cents to Dreamland: A Trip to Coney Island explores how transport to Coney Island has changed and developed with the times, propelling the Island’s transformation from a retreat for the rich to the people’s playground.

Through objects and images from the Transit Museum’s collections, Five Cents to Dreamland traces the evolution of public transportation in Brooklyn and its storied connections to the wonders of Coney Island both past and present. New York & Sea Beach Railroad tickets from ca. 1880, vintage Coney Island destination signs, and postcards dating as far back as the late 19th century offer a glimpse of the vital role mass transit played in transforming Coney Island from a summer vacation destination to a treasured year-round neighborhood and American icon. Visitors will also have the opportunity to view patent drawings for the world’s first roller coasters and, for a fun twist, see their distorted reflection in a wacky funhouse mirror.

Five Cents to Dreamland is the first in a three-part series of exhibitions and programs showing how transportation has influenced the development of New York City. In 2017, exhibitions on this theme will focus on the impact of the 7 train on Queens and the Fulton Ferry on Downtown Brooklyn.