If you’d been a child in the late 1800s, the Atlantic City boardwalk would have been a place of pure wonder. Racing across the wooden boards, saltwater taffy in hand, you could weave between the legs of big-city visitors and the rolling chairs, pushed by dapper attendants, in which the wealthy rode past grand hotels. Opposite Applegate’s Pier was a carousel, mesmerizing crowds with its hypnotic revolutions and the siren song of its organ, piping out popular songs. Though originally designed as a temporary solution to keep the sand out of seaside buildings, the boardwalk—a simple raised wooden walkway—is an American institution. It has supported the feet of revelers for 150 years—an iconic place to people-watch, buy a hot dog, check out a sideshow or ride a Ferris wheel. This story is from Kinfolk Issue Thirty-six Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 50 Close Knit Close Knit: Meet the weavers keeping traditional Egyptian tapestrymaking alive. Arts & Culture Issue 50 The Old Gays Inside a Californian TikTok “content house” of a very different stripe. Arts & Culture Issue 50 New Roots The Palestinian art and agriculture collective sowing seeds of community. Arts & Culture Issue 50 Angela Trimbur An all-out tour de force. Arts & Culture Issue 50 Peace & Quiet In the UK, a centuries-old Quaker meeting house encourages quiet reflection. Arts & Culture Issue 50 Free Wheelers On the road with London’s Velociposse Cycling Club.
Arts & Culture Issue 50 Close Knit Close Knit: Meet the weavers keeping traditional Egyptian tapestrymaking alive.
Arts & Culture Issue 50 The Old Gays Inside a Californian TikTok “content house” of a very different stripe.
Arts & Culture Issue 50 New Roots The Palestinian art and agriculture collective sowing seeds of community.
Arts & Culture Issue 50 Peace & Quiet In the UK, a centuries-old Quaker meeting house encourages quiet reflection.