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 19 Going Incognito We all secretly wonder what mischief we’d make if invisible: When our identity is hidden, everything seems possible. Arts & Culture Issue 19 The Best Policy Sometimes we talk to each other without feeling heard. Honesty—a most intimate interaction—can be just as thrilling as its more devious inverse. Arts & Culture Issue 19 A Sense of Suspense With unhinged imaginations and mountains of cliff-hangers, the filmmakers behind the sci-fi podcast Limetown have all the makings of a scary story. Arts & Culture Issue 19 Like Clockwork In this new column about time, we learn how slipping off our watches makes us feel like deadline-damning renegades. Arts & Culture Music Issue 19 On a Grander Scale Malaysian singer-songwriter Yuna now may live on the opposite side of the globe, but she’s determined to evolve while staying true to her roots. Fashion Issue 19 Catch Me If You Can Now you see them, now you don’t. Life eludes us in many ways, much like the split-second sighting of a mysterious stranger.
Arts & Culture Issue 19 Going Incognito We all secretly wonder what mischief we’d make if invisible: When our identity is hidden, everything seems possible.
Arts & Culture Issue 19 The Best Policy Sometimes we talk to each other without feeling heard. Honesty—a most intimate interaction—can be just as thrilling as its more devious inverse.
Arts & Culture Issue 19 A Sense of Suspense With unhinged imaginations and mountains of cliff-hangers, the filmmakers behind the sci-fi podcast Limetown have all the makings of a scary story.
Arts & Culture Issue 19 Like Clockwork In this new column about time, we learn how slipping off our watches makes us feel like deadline-damning renegades.
Arts & Culture Music Issue 19 On a Grander Scale Malaysian singer-songwriter Yuna now may live on the opposite side of the globe, but she’s determined to evolve while staying true to her roots.
Fashion Issue 19 Catch Me If You Can Now you see them, now you don’t. Life eludes us in many ways, much like the split-second sighting of a mysterious stranger.
