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Robert Moses, a Republican, had won an international reputation by his dramatic expansion of New York State's park system under Democratic governor Al Smith. His greatest triumph had come with the opening of the Jones Beach State Park in August 1929, the most lavishly praised public works project of the decade, heralded for its vast expanse of beaches, its enormous parking lots, its tastefully designed bathhouses and restaurants, its workers' neat sailor uniforms, and its scrupulously clean boardwalk. A writer described the difference between Jones Beach and Coney Island, which it had displaced as New York's most famous seaside resort: "There are no concessions, no booths, no bawling hot-dog vendors. You won't see any weight-guessers or three-throws-for-a-dime-and-win-a-dolly alleys or blaring funhouses. For almost the first time in the history of public beaches, this beach is conceived as a spot for recreation, not amusement stimulated by honky-tonk." [Ch1622]
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