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Coney Island Is The Place to Celebrate New Year’s Day

Posted in Events, News, tagged Coney ISland Polar Bear Swim, Freezin for a Reason, January 1, New Year's Day, Ruby's Bar on December 31, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Formal Pose, Members of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club at New Year's Swim. Photo © Bruce Handy/Pablo 57 via flickr

Formal Pose, Members of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club. January 1, 2010. Photo © Bruce Handy/Pablo 57 via flickr

The Coney Island Polar Bear Club’s New Year’s Day Swim is wacky fun, but they’re Freezin’ for a Reason. Support a Bear and make a pledge now. According to the Bears’ website, “There is no fee for swimmers or observers but we encourage all participants to make a voluntary donation to our partner Camp Sunshine.” The Coney Island Plunge has already raised more than $20,000!

On January 1, 2010, more than one thousand people took the plunge, including about 140 members of the Polar Bear Club (ATZ, “By the Numbers: Coney Island New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim 2010,” January 8, 2010). Tomorrow’s dip in the ocean is at 1 pm sharp, but get there early for festivities on the Boardwalk. You can register, pledge and buy Polar Bear Tee’s on the Boardwalk from 11 am.

Ruby

On New Year’s Day Ruby’s Bar & Grill will be the place to raise a toast to the New Year and to the real Coney Island. If you missed the last of the “Last Call” party/protests at Ruby’s in November, tomorrow may be your final last chance to have a drink at Ruby’s. Of course, we hope not. Ruby’s & the other evicted Boardwalk businesses made Curbed’s 2010 List of Threatened Neighborhood Places that are not dead yet. What to do? Take a cue from the folks who showed up at November 6th’s Rally, Party and Last Call and bring along a hand-made sign. Ruby’s will open at 10:30 am. Live music from 12:30 till around 4 pm.

American History Vanishing Before My Eyes. Coney Island Boardwalk, November 6, 2010. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

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

Ruby’s Parties On, Rubys Host To Celebrate Birthday at Bratva

Posted in Events, Food & Drink, tagged Bratva Bar, Coney Island, Ruby's Bar, Rubys Host on November 19, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Ruby's Rally, Party & Last Call. November 6, 2010. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

The venerable Ruby’s Bar & Grill, which was evicted by new kid on the Boardwalk Luna Park, is partying on! Word comes from Rubys Host that Ruby’s will be open one mo’ time on Saturday, November 20, though they were supposed to “vacate the premises” by today. Cheers to the headline on Grub Street: “Ruby’s Digs Nails Into Boardwalk, Opens Past Move-Out Date.”

Beer will be served from 11 till 7 pm for final last call X 3. Robert “Bluesman” Ross, who wowed us at previous shows at Cha Cha’s and Coney Island USA, will be singing the blues on the Boardwalk in front of Ruby’s from 1 till 4 pm. Drink up, because all proceeds go toward the Save Ruby’s Fund. The legal wrangling will begin in court on Monday, when a judge will be asked to sign an Order to Show Cause to prevent the eviction of Ruby’s and 7 other Boardwalk Mom & Pops. The proceedings are expected to drag on for some time. Other businesses fighting the eviction are Cha Cha’s, Paul’s Daughter, Grill House, Gyro Corner, Shoot the Freak, Beer Island and Coney Island Souvenir Shop.

On Sunday at 3pm, Rubys Host will celebrate her birthday at Bratva, the new Russian bar on the north side of Surf Avenue. “I moved my B-day party to Bratva on Sunday after the Bears swim – u should come by – 3 pm – live music etc,” says the invite. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Paul Sanchez of Coney Island band Neptune Jam is playing till 7 pm.

Bratva Bar is an upscale sports bar and restaurant across the street from Coney Island USA and down the block from the new Luna Park. Does Luna’s management, which plans to replace Ruby’s with an upscale year-round sports bar, realize the neighborhood already has a new upscale year-round sports bar? The north side has long been considered the wrong side of Surf for seasonal amusements since it gets very little foot traffic. But year-round bars and restaurants such as Footprints Cafe seem to do fine. Bratva opened this summer: “We’re a casual lounge owned for and by good old friends and welcome you to join us for beer, cocktails and a wide range of American pub and Russian-style snacks and meals. We’re major motorcycle enthusiasts, but our bar is not a a biker clubhouse. It is a place to meet new friends and have a good time.”