February | 2010 | Amusing the Zillion

Archive for February, 2010

Thor’s Coney Island: Amusement Operators Balk, Money Talks at Stillwell

Posted in Coney Island Redevelopment, Real Estate, tagged advertising, amusement park, amusement rides, Coney Island, Stillwell Avenue, Thor Equities on February 10, 2010| Leave a Comment »

What is Joe Sitt planning for Stillwell Avenue in Coney Island 2010? Last month, ATZ said “Good Riddance to Thor Equities Flopped Flea Market, Hello Rides?” In the February print edition of the amusement trade publication Funworld, Thor Equities has a full page ad seeking amusement operators for two large open air lots at Bowery and Stillwell: “Are you ready to count cash this summer in Coney Island?”

After selling the Boardwalk half of the property to the City, Sitt appears to be playing a high stakes game with amusement operators to lease what’s left of his Stillwell lots to the highest bidder.

Thor Equities ad in this month’s Funworld Magazine seeks amusement operators to lease the Stillwell property. The photo shows an overflow crowd at Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on the 4th of July.

But sources say several carnival and amusement park operators have balked at Thor’s initial asking price, a cool $2 million for the two 50,000 square foot parcels. Some of the interested parties were contenders in the City’s RFP for a Coney Island Amusement Operator, which was won by Zamperla. The Coney hopefuls who put in bids for Thor’s parcels are said to be balking at the slew of onerous lease terms such as a 30-day-vacate clause.

Sideshow operator John Strong, who made a deal to lease the Thor-owned Grashorn Building for his freak museum, managed to get the 30 day clause removed. Perhaps Sitt will play let’s make a deal with one of the balking operators as we get closer to Coney Island’s opening day—March 28, 2010. At the moment, the Coney Island Rumor Mill says all bets are off for the City’s RFP winner Zamperla and runner-up Amusements of America to lease Thor’s Coney parcels.

Or maybe not…. Jane Baxter Vivona, an independent ride operator who is married to A of A’s Phil Vivona, is said to be eager to park her Space Roller in Coney Island for the season. Here’s a vid of what we’ll be missing if A of A has indeed dropped out of the picture…

Glenn Geren of Geren Rides, whose carnival has supplied the rides for Sitt’s Dreamland for two consecutive seasons is still in the running. Last summer, Geren purchased a Schwarzkopf Wildcat Coaster, Reverchon Himalaya, Watkins Swinger and Tempest in anticipation of a third season in Coney Island (“Coney Island 2010? Carnival Gambles on Roller Coaster,” Aug 8, 2009). Perhaps his gamble will pay off.

Geren Rides Trabant in Coney Island, Labor Day 2009. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Funworld is a trade magazine published by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), the largest amusement industry association in the world. Sitt’s ad appears to be trying to take a page from the CIDC’ s playbook. In November, the CIDC successfully pitched the City’s Coney Island Amusement Operator RFP to attendees at IAAPA’s trade show in Las Vegas.
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But Thor Equities advertisement touts visitor stats for Coney Island’s season that are as over-inflated as Sitt’s rents and cites five million more visitors than the City’s estimate for an entire year. According to the ad copy, “Coney Island, Brooklyn’s famous entertainment destination, expects 10 million thrill seeking visitors this summer and your business can be right smack in the middle of them!” The Coney Island Development Corporation’s RFP Fact Sheet says, “Currently, approximately five million visitors come to Coney Island every year. With its signature events and its iconic attractions, Coney Island ranks among the must-see destinations for both the more than 8 million New York City residents and the estimated 46 million visitors who come to New York City each year.”

The City’s five million figure includes the New York Aquarium’s 750,000 year round visitorship. The majority of amusement rides and attractions are currently open from Palm Sunday through Columbus Day, with daily operations from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend.

The best estimate of what an individual amusement operator can expect in Coney Island this summer is provided courtesy of Alberto Zamperla, the CEO of Zamperla, in a recent article about their new Luna Park: “For the first season we have estimated the presence of 400 thousand visitors and we are confident it will grow in the future,” Zamperla told the the Italian newspaper Il Giornale di Vicenza.

Photo of the Day: Save Coney Island Club of California’s Agoura HS

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged Coney Island, fundraiser, high school club, public advocacy, Redevelopment, Save Coney Island on February 9, 2010| 2 Comments »

Save Coney Island Club of Agoura High School, Agoura Hills, California- 2009-2010. Photo © Boardwalklover via flickr

When we saw this adorable photo of the Save Coney Island Club of Agoura High School in Agoura Hills, California, it made us think– Wow, California really is ahead of the curve! We agree with the sentiments of the Brooklynite who found the photo on flickr and called it to our attention: “Maybe it’ll spawn Save Coney Island Clubs in New York City high schools!”

According to the photo caption “As of January 2010, we have raised apr. $130.00. It meets EVERY ODD FRIDAY in ROOM M5A at lunch! (periods 1-3-5).”

ATZ contacted the club’s founder, 15-year-old Taylor Stein, for more information. Taylor got the Save Coney Island T-shirt that he’s wearing in the photo when he visited Coney Island last summer with his Dad. The Stein family is originally from Brooklyn. Taylor returned to California more determined than ever to help save Coney Island’s shrinking outdoor amusement area from high rise development and to preserve its historic structures.

Taylor told us about the club’s activities: “We raised $130 by having a candy apple and fudge fundraiser, and also by getting donations and rewarding candy on a daily basis at school. Our club meets every other Friday at lunch and discusses key ways to raise money that will help cover the expenses of the Save Coney Island lawsuit against the city. We also watch historic Coney Island films while eating lunch, plus we talk about the history and current events happening in Coney Island. We hope to raise at least $400 by the end of the year.”

Mapquest’s total travel estimate from Coney Island to Agoura Hills is 43 hours 5 minutes or 2833.03 miles. We’re impressed by the California club’s long distance devotion to Coney Island. It’s proof that what Steeplechase Park creator George C. Tilyou wrote in 1886 is truer than ever: “If Paris is France, then Coney Island, between June to September, is the world.”

Coney Island Valentine: Get a Sea Lion Kiss at New York Aquarium!

Posted in Animals, tagged aquarium, Brooklyn, California Sea Lion, Coney Island, Julie Atlas Muz, New York Aquarium, Norman Blake, Photography by Norman Blake, Sea Lion Encounter, Valentine's Day on February 7, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Julie Finds a Friend © 2007 Norman Blake. All rights reserved. NB Photo Flash via flickr

ATZ is celebrating Valentine’s Day with one of our fave portraits by contributing photographer Norman Blake. That’s Coney Island mermaid Julie Atlas Muz getting a smooch from a sea lion after her annual swim in the New York Aquarium’s tank on Mermaid Parade Day.

This Valentine’s Day and all year long, you too can get a sea lion kiss at Coney Island’s New York Aquarium! From ATZ’s inbox…

Catch one of the aquarium’s daily Sea Lion Celebrations in Aquatheater, and afterwards, book a Sea Lion Encounter to ask questions and get up close with our sea lion celebrities. Visitors will receive a meet-and-greet session with one of the aquarium’s California sea lions. Encounters occur every day after the Sea Lion Celebration show. Participants will learn about these magnificent animals, ask questions, and finally get a sea lion kiss. Sea Lion Encounters cost $20.00 per participant.

The Aquatheater demonstrations are included with general admission to the aquarium and take place twice daily. Winter shows are at 11:30 am and 3 pm. “Our pinnipeds (the scientific term for sea lions, seals, and walruses) also make great teachers,” says Jon Forrest Dohlin, Aquarium Director. “You’ll learn how to make seafood choices that are healthy for the planet, why predators like the great white shark are essential to maintaining a balanced food chain, and how the WCS [Wildlife Conservation Society] is helping to save threatened marine life and habitats around the globe.”

The New York Aquarium is open 365 days a year. Admission is $13.00 for adults, $9.00 for children ages 3-12 and $10.00 for senior citizens 65 and older. A general admission ticket allows you to explore the New York Aquarium and attend all animal feedings and demonstrations. Admission on Fridays beginning at 3 pm is pay-what-you-wish!

New York Aquarium, Surf Avenue at West 8th Street, Coney Island, 718-265-FISH