Playland

When I was in 5th grade, my family moved us to Rye, a northern suburb of NYC on Long Island Sound. Much to the joy of us six children, our big stucco house was across the street from Playland, a beautiful art deco amusement park.

Playland loomed large in our lives - the steady screams from riders on the Dragon Coaster pervaded our soundscape all summer long; the fireworks twice a week were colorful free entertainment we could catch from our front porch; scavanging under the boardwalk yielded coins dropped by strollers above; in winter, we skated in the Casino ice rink. When we were old enough, most of us worked at Playland in one capacity or another: selling ride tickets, running a ride, or teaching swimming at the beach.

Now, a great delight is to find scenes of Playland in a movie. Being so close to NYC, it often was used as a film location. Favorites include "Big" and "The Sweet Low Down." Last night, we saw another: "Muppets Take Manhattan." There's a scene that they say is set in Michigan, but yes, oh, yes, it's Playland. The scene combines the lake with the boardwalk, two sites that are actually at opposite ends of the park. Editing can do wonders. Yep!