Historic Coney Island is rising from the ashes. The famed amusement park, Luna Park, is reopening today, on the former site of Astroland. It has been over 60 years since the original park was destroyed in a fire.

The site, just over 3 acres, boasts 19 state-of-the-art rides, including a new thriller called Air Race.

Although it isn’t ready for the park’s grand opening today, officials tell us it simulates the experience of being a fighter pilots, jolting riders upside down at up to 4gs of force.

Some other rides include a Balloon Expedition, a Coney Tower, and Surf’s Up, which allows rides to stand up and “catch a wave.”

In addition to the thrills and excitement, the $150 million dollar project is bringing some much needed economic relief to the area. About 200 jobs have been created for this inaugural season, and more than half are from the local neighborhood.

After getting a tour of the new park, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said “our vision for Coney Island is not only to recapture its historic glory as a seaside attraction, but also to make it more livable and affordable and make it a real neighborhood for the community that is here.”

Seth Pinsky, of the NYC Economic Development Group, said the new park, is a win-win for Brooklyn. “This is a community that has very high poverty rates, has one of the longest commutes in the entire city, and has been under served for years, one of the main reasons we are doing this opportunity is to create jobs,” Pinsky said.

There are plans for a phase 2 of Luna Park set for next summer, which will result in over 100 more jobs. Pinsky said the money pumped into the park, will have a ripple effect in the surrounding area saying, “ it will be people who are shopping in local stores, people who are going to be eating at local restaurants, and it will be an enormous boost to the entire economy.”

There is no entrance fee at the park, you pay per ride – anywhere between $3-$7.

Or, Mayor Bloomberg suggested buying a wristband for $26, which gives you four hours of unlimited rides!

Oh, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention one other great attraction here at Luna Park – the food!

Come hungry, and prepare for some Nathan’s hot dogs.- but to be safe, don’t eat them until after Air Race!

Update

It is after 11 am here at Coney Island’s Luna Park and what was supposed to be the time for the doors to swing open and let the visitors in! But, it has been delayed for at least one hour to make sure all the rides are safe enough! Crews have been working around the park these past 100 days on the rides and concession stands. In fact, construction crews are still doing tests on the rides and cleaning up the area.

Also, we are told only 10-12 rides will be open today, a bit of a disappointment for those expecting 17. The four hour unlimited pass though will be discounted to $15.