Laura Friedman came up with a list of things she wanted to do before leaving Brooklyn for law school in California, and near the top was an outing at Coney Island.

So the other day, she reveled in the restored Wonder Wheel and the Steeplechase roller coaster in Coney Island’s spruced-up amusement parks and chomped on a cob of corn from one of its legendary food stands. Afterward she enjoyed a beer with a friend at Ruby’s Bar and Grill, an 81-year-old Boardwalk dive that itself has been refurbished as part of Coney Island’s revitalization.

“Having never been here before, it still feels honky-tonk to me, but in a good way,” said Ms. Friedman, 23. “I like a little bit of grit.”

Skeptics who feared that replacing or freshening the woebegone Boardwalk shops, restaurants and rides would mean the Disneyfication of Coney Island — a swapping of its distinctive sizzle for a more standardized glitz — may have to wait awhile to see their fears realized. While the overhaul engineered by the city is evident throughout the seaside neighborhood, Coney Island has so far avoided becoming too sanitized and tidy, many patrons say.