New Yorkers Start Up Their Big Goodbye To Summer 2019 As Labor Day Weekend Begins
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - The Labor Day long weekend kicked off Friday.
Considered by many as the unofficial end of summer, it's no surprise many people were out getting a head start on the weekend fun.
Whether it's grabbing a beer with friends, playing some carnival games or getting a thrill on a roller coaster, Coney Island was filled with people soaking in the last moments of summer, reports CBS2's Kiran Dhillon.
"We're gonna stay here all day long and try to see if we can go ahead and give them the end-of-the-summer blast," said Shantiya Lemay of her family of eight.
The sentiment was felt around the holiday hot spot.
"I'm in denial, quite frankly. I don't want it to end," said Bridget Rante.
"I'm sad because then I have to go back to school," said Addison Misotti.
Businesses are welcoming the rush of people hitting the beach and the Boardwalk this long weekend.
"We've done really well. It's been a really good summer," said Christine Jennings of Place To Beach.
If you're planning to spend the long weekend outdoors, the weather is expected to mostly cooperate. The best day to take in the sun is on Saturday.
The nice weather is top of mind for many of the people at Coney Island. Most already have the rest of their weekend planned out close to home.
"We're just going to stay local," said Lacey Vargas. "We're just excited to hang out around the city and do kind of the last summery things around here."
Despite many people sad to see summer go, there's plenty who are excited about fall.
"The end of summer just starts to slow down a little bit, and you feel like you're kind of waiting for something to happen. You finally get to fall and it's like, OK, we can kind of start up again," one man said.
"The fall is great. The fall is fun," said Joanne Sisto. "Look forward to the holidays and Halloween, right? Christmas, all that good stuff."
"I like the fall," said Jennifer McDermott. "It's been a hot summer, so I'm looking forward to cooler days."
Those who aren't are still trying to stay positive.
"It's OK, everything comes to an end," said Peter Gambino.
"Summer don't end 'til October," another man said.
TripAdvisor says the Friday before Labor Day is usually one of the busiest travel days of the holiday weekend. The second busiest is the Tuesday after Labor Day.