Sunday, August 18, 2013

Improv Everywhere Black Tie Brighton Beach

As I approached the entrance to the boardwalk on Ocean Parkway I was suddenly swept up in a wave of men and women, boys and girls, all decked out in formal wear, and weird beach toys,  pouring out of the Asser Levy park across the street.  Yes. They're back.  The wild and zany Improv Everywhere group made its annual descent onto the sand and surf of Brighton Beach in their evening best to the surprise and delight of the Sunday crowd.  
Decided not to chase after those that headed towards the water but stayed dry while following some of the elegantly clad eccentrics down the boardwalk towards Coney Island.  Here are more of the photos taken that wacky Sunday afternoon

Improv Everywhere Black Tie Brighton Beach

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Join us Monday for Flicks on the Beach: 42 and Diversity Day!

Join us Monday for Flicks on the Beach: 42 and Diversity Day!

Before the movie, join us at MCU Park as we celebrate Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese's legacy at the Brooklyn Cyclones game as they face the Staten Island Yankees at 5:30pm

Then, make your way to the Boardwalk for Flicks on the Beach with a special presentation of the Jackie Robinson biographical flick, "42". Plus! Wear your favorite baseball jersey and receive special discounts on the Boardwalk.

Where:  Coney Island Beach
               Beach and West 12th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11224
When:    Monday, August 19th, 7:00pm
What:     Join us in your favorite baseball jersey in celebration of the movie 42 and Diversity Day! Enjoy some great deals on the Boardwalk before Monday's Screening of 42! To join in on the fun, make sure to wear your favorite baseball jersey!

The following offer will be available all day:
Offers will be available at the following venues from 7pm- close:

Don't miss the fun - we promise it will be an unforgettable experience! RSVP for the event here.

How Sandy has changed the game in Coney Island

How Sandy has changed the game in Coney Island | The Indypendent



(Excerpt)

“We’ve been doing everything on the up-and-up for 20 years,” said Jane Parmel, who runs a party-planning business at the corner of West 15th St. and Mermaid Avenue. She lost $150,000 in equipment and supplies to the storm’s rising waters. “In those 20 years I’ve employed over 100 people, and I can get nothing back from the city that I’ve paid taxes to.”

Around the corner from Parmel, Magda Perez has received one $15,000 loan from the Small Business Administration. Perez and her husband Sabino Eugenio, a retired butcher, opened Mermaid Prime Meats last October with a the hope of providing groceries at affordable prices to their fellow Coney Islanders, more than a third of whom rely on food stamps. In order to use food stamps in a business, that business must have an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card swipe machine, which is provided by New York State in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In the wake of Sandy damage, the state has stalled on providing Perez with a machine, which has caused her business to dwindle. Now, the Perez and her husband struggle to keep their shelves stocked. Many other businesses in the area have fared worse, remaining shuttered because they could get neither direct assistance nor loans.

“Right now there are so many dead zones where there are no banks or supermarkets,” said Perez, a 45-year resident of Coney Island. “Before the storm there were local stores where you’d run in and get what you need, now you have to go out of your way.” (Click on article title above to see the rest of story).



Stores were shuttered after Sandy flooded  Coney Island






The New Grimaldi's Pizza after Sandy hit


It is easy to see the water line along Surf Avenue. Owner worked hard to reopen.  Other stores never did.






Saturday, August 10, 2013

PTB Volleyball Tournament - Saturday August 10, 2013

PTB Volleyball Tournament - Saturday August 10, 2013 

On Saturday August 10th, Place To Beach Cantina (PTB) is the Place to Be as the restaurant hosts the first PTB Beach Volleyball Tournament in Coney Island. The one-day beach volleyball tournament will feature both a men's and women's draw with a 1st place cash prize of $1,000, a 2nd place cash prize of $600 and a 3rd place cash prize of $200 for each winning team.
Attendance will be open to the public, and from 8:30am spectators and beach goers can witness some of the best beach volleyball players from the east coast battle it out on the legendary Coney Island beach. Confirmed players include professional athletes and Olympians.
The tournament will take place on the beach at the Stillwell Avenue entrance, Coney Island across from PTB Cantina. Following the tournament, the awards ceremony and after party will take place at PTB Cantina from 8:00pm-10:00pm, open to all who would like to attend. Rain date for the tournament is scheduled for the following day, Sunday, August 11th.
A portion of the tournament proceeds will be donated to AllStarr Volleyball (a 501c3 nonprofit organization), the fastest growing USA Volleyball Juniors club in New York City with teams of girls and boys ranging from ages 13-18.

Friday, August 9, 2013

A Traffic Light to Replace a Bridge Over Traffic?

Coney Island Pedestrian Bridge Torn Down « CBS New York

(excerpt)
Coney Island has lost another landmark after an iconic pedestrian bridge was torn down overnight for safety reasons.

The bridge, which connected the West Eighth Street subway station to the New York Aquarium and boardwalk, had stood for 50 years, but fell into disrepair. Chipped paint and rust could be seen on a remaining section of the bridge Thursday morning.

“It was like the entrance,” Eliza Shulman, a Coney Island resident, told CBS 2’s Don Champion. “You could see everything. You could see all the way down that way — the boardwalk, the ocean, the baseball stadium, the aquarium. It was just really cool.”

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Friday, August 2, 2013