It was once a bit of a wonderland with its 1927 Cyclone rollercoaster and the world famous hot dog eating competition. It would have been a day better spent doing almost anything else but I'm sort of glad I burst my own bubble because I'd always thought Coney Island would be soooo cool.
Set on a wide, sandy beach with a classic wooden boardwalk, the area reminded me more of the desperation I saw on the streets of Rio de Janeiro than the fun parks in Orlando.
As soon as we walked out of the Subway station my jaw fell to the floor. I had expected shrouds of happy families having a great Sunday afternoon with cheery Ferris wheels spinning in the air.
It looked more like the movie set of a film depicting some post-apocalyptic nightmare. The Astroland amusement park was in operation but the staff looked half dead and very uninterested and the rides might not have been upgraded for years.
The most entertaining part of the whole ordeal was the staff member manning the 'Shoot the Freak' stall. He would call lazily into his microphone: 'Shooooot the Freak. Shoooot the Freak..' as if he was just waiting for someone to shoot him and get it over with.
It was kind of cool to see the 1927 Cyclone rollercoaster in action although I did not have the nerve to ride it, especially after I noted that it creaks in the most terrifying way and I'm sure those people up there were not screaming for joy.So there was only one thing left to do - drown our sorrows in Coney Island's most famous snack - a delicious hot dog.
Another bad idea. The diner was packed with disappointed tourists just like us, the food made me want to vomit and the homeless people begging for money in the queue only added to the whole depressing day.
It wasn't the greatest way to round off four amazing weeks in the United States but it was an eye-opening experience, and at least I now know Coney Island is not the funnest place on earth.
I got over finding out Santa Claus was a farce, so I knew I'd get over this too.
Check out more photos from my trip in my Flickr album.
Find out about New York.
Read more of Kelly's blogs.
