deno vourderis: the wonder wheel was built during the 1918 pandemic. so if you look at the way the cars are staggered, they're all socially distant. fast forward 100 years later, we're building our phoenix roller coaster. same situation. we stagger the cars, we separate them further apart, showing people who have been locked in their pandemic bubbles what it feels like to smile again. [upbeat music] johnny devenanzio: new york has seen its fair share of adversity. 9/11, the financial crisis-- deno vourderis: hurricane sandy was in there too. and every time, new york found the way to come out almost stronger than it went in. i was born and raised here and what keeps me going isn't the history behind us, but the history that we have to make in front of us. and i think the best times for coney island and new york are tomorrow. johnny devenanzio: amen, brother. all right. dj, i got to say, that's the most fun i've ever had in the ferris wheel. oh, boy! look who it is! [cheering] all right! come on. i want to put you in this cage over here. - no, no i don't