Coney Island Restaurant
448 N. St. Peter Street, St. Paul
A curious survivor of St. Paul’s obsessive (and often destructive) urban renewal projects, the Coney Island operates in two turn of-the-century structures that were once a mainstay of St. Paul’s urban landscape. The little buildings now hide in the shadows of looming neighbors.
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The Coney Island's building is presently vacant. Image courtesy of Minnesota Public Radio. |
In Minnesota, a surefire method of communication involved a pack of upturned Pall Mall cigarettes. If one man was interested in another, he placed the pack in the other’s eyesight. The object of desire, in turn, would either observe the gesture without a second thought, ignore it, or respond with verbal code. The infamous line is “are you a friend of Dorothy?” referring to the Wizard of Oz. Other phrases were likely uttered, yet these passed with the people who used them.
This page is still under construction. -SVC
Part of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN: 100 Queer Places in Minnesota History, (1860-1969), (1969-2010)