Kadir Nelson’s “Soft-Serve”

Keeping it cool while keeping cool.
A woman holds an ice cream cone at Coney Island.

When the city heats up, many New Yorkers start to contemplate taking the subway to the end of the line, dreaming of the fresh ocean breeze and the frozen treats sold along the boardwalk. For the July 8 & 15, 2024, issue, the painter Kadir Nelson indulged a form of this fantasy. “As a kid walking along the Atlantic City boardwalk, my all-time favorite summertime sweet was soft-serve vanilla ice cream on a cone,” Nelson said. “To celebrate summer in the city, I switched the setting to Brooklyn’s Coney Island.”

For more covers about summertime in New York City, see below:

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