The Central New Jersey Home News from New Brunswick, New Jersey • 53

SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2006 Home News tribune TRAVEL www.thnt.com PAGE F3 Rules are changing for travel to Canada SAVVY TRAVEL 'f FwMXiltTMi i tional autism society to work with a cruise line and sponsor a cruise. Disability cruising is a growing and potentially lucrative market, so cruise lines should be open to your group. Some parents who have taken autistic children on cruises have posted their experiences on www.cruisecri-tic.com message boards. They suggest alerting the cruise line of the situation to avoid long boarding lines and noisy dining areas. Many parents have taken autistic children to Disney World.

You might try that first to see how your child reacts before attempting a cruise, suggests Jennifer Lefever of the Autism Society of America. Ellen Creager answers readers' questions about practical travel concerns on the first Sunday of the month. Contact her at ecreagerfreepress.com. Selected questions will be answered through the column only. Because of the volume of mail, personal responses are not possible.

By ELLEN CREAGER GANNETT NEWS SERVICE Q. Is it OK to use an expired passport as a form of identification when crossing the border between the United States and Canada? Uncle Sam A. A valid or expired passport or an original birth certificate (not a photocopy) proves your citizenship, according to the U.S. Department of State. You also will need proof of identity such as a driver's license or government ID card (not a Social Security card).

But this rule will change soon. By the end of 2007, all American citizens will need a valid passport to get back into the United States from any other country, including Canada. Q. My son has autism. Are there cruises for autistic children and their families? Need a vacation A.

They are rare. My suggestion: Bug your state or na New park in historic Frederick, Md. A trip to the top of Deno's Wonder Wheel is a tradition for visitors to Coney Island. Coney Island's on the comeback trail New attractions, old favorites help shine its tarnished image IF YOU GO Frederick, is known for clustered spires of centuries-old churches, and a historic district that boasts numerous 18th- and 19th-century buildings. Now, the city has a 21st-century attraction to help visitors enjoy the historic street-scapes nearby: Carroll Creek Park, a three-quarter-mile stretch of walkway.

The park, conceived 28 years ago, opened in late June. It features a brick-lined promenade, newly planted trees, a 400-seat amphitheater and a pergola for parties and picnics. Restaurants, shops, offices and homes are starting to open along both banks on land J. W(V I Visitors (above) stroll the boardwalk at Coney Island. The Coney Island Circus Sideshow (below) features sword swal-lowers, fire eaters and a man who swings a bowling ball fttrannad to his ear lohAft.

rRANNFrr nfw ifpqpv phothq! once occupied by dank factories. A well-known local Mexican eatery, La Paz, has moved from a hidden corner of downtown to a prominent place near the park's center. A kayak livery is scheduled to open, and paddlers can pass beneath three new pedestrian bridges including an unusual single-column suspension bridge and several traffic bridges. The older spans include the meticulously hand-painted Community Bridge, a renowned piece of public art that has been Carroll Creek's main attraction since muralist William Cochran finished it in 1998. The Associated Press YOUR GUIDE TO Current air fares price were researched June 22 Are subject to availability.

May not include local fuel surcharges collected by some airports and other taxes. Other limitations may include date, day and time of travel, and length of stay. Fares on connecting flights are not included; such fares may be substantially less than above prices. TRIP OF THE WEEK By MICHAEL T. BURKHART GANNETT NEW JERSEY Ella Vasquez holds on tightly as the Cyclone roller coaster grinds up the hill, approaching the first monster drop.

She screams as the cars rocket down the slope, continuing through the first turn to the right. Although she has lived in Brooklyn for 36 years, this is only her second time on the Cyclone, a Coney Island classic that has drawn thrill seekers since it opened in 1927. It took a visit from her daughter and son-in-law to get her back on the coaster. Visitors are coming back to Coney Island, which has long suffered an image problem left over from decline through the 1960s and beyond. Things have looked up, though, for nearly a decade.

A minor league ballpark opened a few years ago, bringing in families who stay to ride the amusements and see the fireworks after the last out. There's a new $260 million train station that welcomes visitors from Manhattan and beyond. Bathrooms have been built on the boardwalk. More change is coming. There's a $1 billion plan to turn Coney Island into a year-round attraction.

Home of the hot dog There are plenty of things to do every day during summer. And a trip would not be complete without a spin on the Cyclone, a trip to the top of Deno's Wonder Wheel or a corn dog at Nathan's, which has locations on Surf Avenue and the boardwalk. There also are special events, such as Nathan's annual hot dog-eating contest at high noon on Tuesday. A huge clock on the restaurant ticks down the minutes until the next competition. When the Cyclone opened, Coney Island was the apex of American entertainment.

Charles Lindbergh came to ride the great roller coaster. Sig-mund Freud stopped by the Dreamland amusement park. The hot dog debuted here. In 1944, a fire destroyed Luna Park, one of the great amusement areas. Developer Robert Moses, no fan of Coney Island, designed highways that made it easy to bypass the city beach or just abandon it for the suburbs.

City housing towering "vertical slums," as locals called them sprung up in the '60s and '70s. Crack arrived in the '80s. No place to go but up Today, the area along the boardwalk is a mix of vacant lots and vintage storefronts selling everything from T-shirts to frozen alcoholiclrinks. CONEY ISLAND, BROOKLYN THINGS TO DO: Astroland Amusement Park is at the corner of Surf Avenue and West 10th Street. Hours: noon-midnight daily through Sept.

(71 8) 372-0275. Deno's Wonder Wheel Park is on the boardwalk at West 12th Street. Hours: 11 a.m.-midnight daily to Labor Day, then weekends through October. A ride on the giant Wonder Wheel, centerpiece of the park, costs $5. Coney Island Circus Sideshow Is at Surf Avenue and West 12th Street.

Performances run from 2-8 p.m. Fridays and 1-1 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. There's a reduced cast from 2-8 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Tickets for the 45-minute show are $6 for adults; $4 for children. For adults, there are burlesque shows at 10 p.m. Fridays. Tickets cost $15. MORE: The New York Aquarium is at Surf Avenue and West Eighth Street.

Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. weekends and holidays, through Sept. 4. Admission: $12 adults; $8 children; (718) 265-3474.

The Brooklyn Cyclones, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the New York Mets, play at Keyspan Park at 1 904 Surf Ave. For more information and a schedule, call (718) 507-8499. GETTING THERE: Coney Island is on the south side of Brooklyn. Take the New Jersey Turnpike north to Exit 13, for Interstate 278 east. Take I-278 across the Goethals and Verrazano Narrows bridges and take the Belt Parkway east toward John F.

Kennedy Airport. Take Exit 6 for Coney Island. Parking at metered spaces can be found along Surf Avenue and numerous side streets. There's also parking at Keyspan Park, at Surf Avenue and 19th Street, for $8. INFO: Call Coney Island USA at (718) 372-5159.

Sideshows by the Seashore A few blocks away, Dick Zigun runs the Coney Island Circus Sideshow (Sideshows by the Seashore) attraction. It includes sword swallowers, fire eaters and a guy who swings a bowling ball strapped to his ear lobes. i Zigun, who founded the nonprofit Coney Island USA in 1980, is active in the community. Upstairs from the sideshow is the Coney Island Museum, with old signs and photos. Jennifer Martino and her son Vincent of Staten Island emerged from the sideshow no worse for wear.

"It's cool," Vincent said. "I liked the girl who ate fire." As a youngster growing up in Manhattan, Coney Island was not a place where Robert Boy-nton's family ventured. But today, the 43-year-old, his wife, Helen Yoo, and their 3-year-old son, Tyson, regularly venture onto the boardwalk. They're also members of the New York Aquarium. "This area in the 1960s was pretty seedy," he said.

But that has changed. "It's safe to say that it's a family place again," he said. DESTINATION FARE CARRIERS Atlanta $218 Cont, Delta, Nwest Baltimore $339 Cont, US Boston $238 AA, Cont, Delta Chicago (Midway) $158 Cont, Nwest, UA Cincinnati $298 United Cleveland $178 Cont, Nwest, UA Dallas $286 AA, Cont, Nwest Denver $288 AirTran Detroit $238 AirTran Fort Lauderdale $198 Cont, Delta, Nwest Houston $284 AA, Cont, Nwest Las Vegas $348 AirTran Los Angeles $338 Air Tran Miami $218 AA, Cont, Nwest Minneapolis $226 Cont, Nwest, UA Nashville, Tenn. $198 Cont, Delta, UA New Orleans $198 Cont, US Orlando, Fla. $198 Cont, Nw est Phoenix, Ariz.

$358 Cont, UA, US St. Louis $454 Cont, Nwest, UA San Francisco $318 United San Juan $198 Cont, Delta Seattle $368 AA, Cont, UA WashingtonBaltimore $228 US Airways West Palm Beach $1 98 Cont, Delta, Nwest FOREIGN DESTINATION Acapulco $299 Continental Cancun $309 Aero Mexico Frankfurt $700 AA, Delta London $578 AA, Lufthansa, UA Montreal $305 Delta, UA Paris $800 Al Italia, British Air Rome $860 KLM, Nwest, Czech Air buf 'Mr li I'l'i There's "Shoot the Freak," where visitors fire paintballs at a human target (five shots for $3). The Parachute Drop tower still stands, unused since the 1960s. Deno's Wonder Wheel, built by the Eccentric Ferris Wheel stands 150 feet above the boardwalk. The 1970s and into the '80s were tough times for Coney Island, said Dennis Vourderis, whose father started selling hot dogs at the amusement park and later bought the place, eventually adding kiddie rides.

Vourderis, 47, started working behind the counter, scooping water ice when he was 9 years old. The family stuck with it during the rough years. "We always had the inkling that Coney Island had no place to go but up," Vourderis said. "Where the sea meets the sand always attracts people." Meanwhile, the Wonder Wheel keeps spinning, offering a great view of Brooklyn, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and SOURCES: 1-800-FLY-4-LESS; WWW.FLY4LESS.COM Round trips from Newark 3 Fares are provided as guide only, Fares: May change during certain holiday periods. May change daily and without notice.

May not apply to all seats on all flights. Will be subject to advance booking, payment restrictions and cancellation fees up to 100 percent of the ticket price. Ticket Manhattan in the distance. It has not missed a summer since it opened in 1920. "The swinging cars are the ones that pay the rent," he said.

"It's a classic.".