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Photo of the Day: Greetings from Ruby’s Snow Mountain Resort!

Posted in Photo of the Day, tagged Coney Island snow, East Coast Images, Polar Bear Club, Ruby's Bar, winter swimming on January 7, 2011| 2 Comments »

Dano Sunbathing on Ruby's Snow Mountain. coney Island Boardwalk. January 1, 2011. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

The New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim in Coney Island is always a joyous occasion. We felt a bit subdued this year due to the ongoing demolitions and evictions, but seeing so many of our Coney Island friends at Ruby’s Bar on January 1st put the “happy” in “Happy New Year” for ATZ. Here’s our flickr slide show from the day.

In the above photo, our friend Dano, best known as the photographer behind the lens of East Coast Images, is seen sunbathing on Ruby’s snow mountain before taking the Plunge. With today’s predicted accumulation of 2 to 4 inches on top of the snow already on the Boardwalk, you may want to head out to the People’s Playground this weekend to frolic in the snow.

If you missed the New Year’s Plunge, keep in mind that members of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club swim in the Atlantic at 1 pm every Sunday from November through April. Visit the Bears’ website for info on joining them for a guest swim or simply spectating. It’s a great way to enjoy Coney Island’s ambiance during the winter season.

After the swim, drop by the Freak Bar at Coney Island USA for Sunday Brunch–“Bagels, coffee and characters”– at 2 pm with the Polar Bear Club. Bratva Bar and Restaurant on Surf at 12th also open for coffee, drinks and food at 2 pm. Live music starts at 3 pm.

Polar Bear Greetings from Ruby's Bar on New Year's Day 2011. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i vi flickr

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.

Photo of the Day: Shoot the Freak Is Boarded Up

Posted in Photo of the Day, Redevelopment, tagged Amanda Burden, Boardwalk, Coney Island, Mayor Bloomberg, Shoot the Freak on December 22, 2010| 1 Comment »

Shoot The Freak. Dec. 22, 2010. Photo © Rubys Host via flickr

If you were hoping to take one last souvenir photo in front of Shoot the Freak on New Year’s Day, fuhgeddaboutit. This afternoon, construction workers boarded up the front of the vacant lot where the famed Coney Island paintball game has been played since 2002. Central Amusement International/Zamperla has a DOB permit for “the installation of temporary fencing and site preparation.” Workers told the photographer: “It’s the new entrance to one of the roller coasters coming into Scream Zone for 2011.”

“The back wall/fences are now gone and the stuff inside removed, but that’s it,” said Rubyshost in an email. “They were bringing in new material for fencing, poles etc – part of the wall was open so I could see the entire back.”

Shoot the Freak is one of the eight Boardwalk businesses being evicted by CAI, which has leased the property from the City. The Coney Island 8’s court date was postponed till January 10, 2011

When news of the Boardwalk evictions broke in November, New York Magazine chimed in with “Let Us Now Mourn the Loss of Coney Island’s ‘Shoot the Freak’” to remind us that city planning commissioner Amanda Burden once assured New York that she “loved” and “would vote for” Shoot the Freak. That was back in 2007. No love now! Here’s the vid of the Mayor, Burden and Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff answering a reporter’s question about the future of Shoot the Freak and other Coney Island attractions. The videographer is the late Bob Guskind of Gowanus Lounge. Bob would have appreciated the irony of this video showing up three years later in a post about the demise of Shoot the Freak.

UPDATE… December 23, 2010…11:00 pm

This afternoon, “The Coney Island 8” issued a press statement on the shuttering of Shoot the Freak. It says in part: “We are angered and saddened that, just a few days before Christmas, one of our businesses, ‘Shoot the Freak,’ has had its entrances illegally boarded up and all of its property removed. This was done without the knowledge of the owner Anthony Berlingieri.” The businesses, which are fighting their eviction in court, also launched a new website to tell their story and ask New Yorkers to call the Mayor’s office in support of the Coney Island 8. The url is www.coneyisland8.com.