coney island

 New York's famed Coney Island, long fallen into a state of seedy disrepair, gets a new lease on life this weekend with the opening of 19 new rides including the hair-raising "Air Race."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg hailed a renaissance for the fairground district which had been allowed to "shrink to a shell of its former glory."

"Today, we're reversing that trend," he announced Friday.

The new attractions area, dubbed Luna Park, was opening in time for the three-day Memorial Day weekend with 19 new rides from Italian amusement rides specialist Zamperla.

These include "Air Race," which simulates the 4G forces experienced by fighter pilots, "Balloon Expedition," "Electro Spin, "Mermaid Parade" and the "The Tickler" -- a twisting roller coaster of switchback curves and steep drops.

Rides will be open until midnight each day of the summer.

City Council speaker Christine Quinn said Luna Park was the first new amusement park on Coney Island in 50 years. "It seems only apt that there is a ride called 'Brooklyn Flyer,' where visitors are able to swing across the sky and see all of Luna Park -- and Coney Island -- from a new horizon," she said.