Lauragay Scarnaco-Albergo

At 57 years old, Lauragay remembers many particulars of Coney Island from her childhood and teenage years, including exact addresses and years in which events took place. She remembers, for example, Ocean Tide and Ravenhall pools, Mary's and Busy Bee's sandwich shops, Stella's and Seven Seas restaurants and, in 1954, seeing Gravesend Houses being built on what was then a working farm. Perhaps most fascinating is hearing the stories about Lauragay's mother, which give a vivid sense of what life was like in Coney Island until the 1960's, when its character began to change.