December | 2010 | Amusing the Zillion

Archive for December, 2010

Photo of the Day: First Snow on Coney Island Boardwalk

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged Boardwalk, Bruce Handy, first snow, snow in Coney Island on December 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

First Snow. December 26, 2010. Photo © Bruce Handy/Pablo 57 via flickr

Coney Island resident and photographer Bruce Handy went out yesterday to capture the first snow of the season on the beach and boardwalk. Our fave image shows a serene Coney Island Boardwalk and its signature Parachute Jump viewed through a snow-flecked lens. The pristine beauty of the scene makes the ugliness of the ongoing Boardwalk evictions and Surf Avenue demolitions recede temporarily.

Bruce also photographed the Coney Island Polar Bears Swim at the start of the blizzard. You can watch his slide show and video (with a soundtrack by Cirque De Soleil) on YouTube.

If you haven’t dropped by since before Christmas, yes it is indeed snowing on ATZ thanks to our blog host WordPress.com! Snow is expected through January 4.

Video: Tribute to the Henderson Theater by Charles Denson

Posted in video, tagged Charles Denson, demolition, Henderson Building, Joe Sitt, Thor Equities on December 27, 2010| 2 Comments »

Historian Charles Denson‘s video tribute to Coney Island’s historic Henderson Music Hall is beautifully done and, of course, heartbreaking. In addition to rare archival material, the video features an unexpected recent look inside the building, which is currently under demolition.

Denson’s interior shots reveal what remains of the Velocity Nightclub on the building’s second floor. This performance space was exquisitely restored and brought up to code in 2004, before Thor Equities bought the building and began to blight it. The footage shows the space to be in surprisingly good condition and repudiates what Thor Equities CEO Joe Sitt told NY1 in May: “Every one of these buildings is just horrible, rundown relics with nothing exciting about them. I hate to say it, but the great buildings of Coney Island disappeared 80 years ago.”

Last time we wrote about Thor’s demolitions, readers asked: Why wasn’t this building saved? The City aided and abetted Joey “Bulldozer” Sitt by rezoning the Henderson parcel for a high rise hotel. The City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission denied landmark designation and also declined to create a historic district, which would have created tax incentives to rehab the building.

Video: Today’s Snow Swim with Coney Island Polar Bears

Posted in Events, tagged Coney ISland Polar Bear Swim, Freezin for a Reason, New Years Swim, Snow Swim, winter swimming on December 26, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Are you ready for the Coney Island Polar Bear Club’s New Year’s Day plunge? Whether you plan to swim or spectate, this high-spirited vid of today’s snowy Sunday swim should put you in the mood. “Water temp 40 outside is 24. Coney expecting 13″ of snow – the bears go for a dip at the start of the snowstorm,” says Rubyshost, who is a Polar Bear and shot the video both in and out of the water.

The Coney Island Polar Bears swim at 1 pm every Sunday from November through April. The club has 140 regular members, but the New Year’s Day event attracts hundreds of first timers. Last year about 1,000 swimmers participated, said Polar Bear president Dennis Thomas. The world-famous event is a fundraiser to benefit Camp Sunshine. Participants are requested to raise a minimum of $100 in pledges. The 2010 swim raised over $23,000 for the retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses. To register for the 2011 New Year’s Day Plunge or sponsor a swimmer, visit www.freezinforareason.com.

Coney Island Polar Bear Club, New Year’s Day Plunge, January 1, 2011 at 1 pm. Riegelmann Boardwalk, Coney Island