Amid the chaos and crowds of Coney Island, Ed Zander learned an early lesson in the value of hustle and patience. The son of a furrier in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Zander loved the Parachute Jump, the Silver Streak and, of course, the Cyclone. After school he and his brother would stand at the exit to Steeplechase Park for hours and charm people out of unused ride tickets, hoarding them in a rented locker. "We had, like, 3,000 free rides," Zander says. By summertime, they could spend all day in the park without ever buying a ticket.
Zander tells the story with a...
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