On Street Music and the Polar Bear Swim

Photo by myself on the subway platform, below 34th Street.

There is nothing like the connection between a musician and his or her audience.

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For those of you who remember the Seinfeld episode on 'shrinkage', here's an event for you: the annual Polar Bear Swim took place as scheduled on New Year's Day, in Coney Island, Brooklyn.

The name sums the event up well - strip to one's knickers, undies or whatnot, hop crazily down the beach and jump into the ocean. Some of the undergarments are something to behold. Eek.

For a series of great photos of this year's event, check out a slideshow on the New York Magazine site, here.

Related posts: Don't Stop the Music on the Upper West Side, Seen, Below Ground and On Kids in the Slope, and in the Country.

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City Portraits - Coney Island, Brooklyn

Photo by myself at Luna Park, in Coney Island.

Coney Island in Brooklyn, has been New York City's playground since the late 1800's. Folks were enjoying the last dregs of summer there this holiday weekend. Mark, Rupert and I took a quick tour around. It was very sunny and wonderfully breezy.

Luna Park is the main amusement park there, next to a stretch of boardwalk and the beach. The boardwalk is known for hosting the Mermaid Parade, a public costumed event each summer. All sorts of characters and families frequent the area.


A glimpse of the boardwalk, where you can always find interesting people.


Nathan's hotdogs are required eating at Coney Island. Lines are typical.


Old fashioned, hand lettered signs decorate booths that have been there for years.


Loads of people strolled along the boardwalk.


Benches along one side of the boardwalk afford nice views out to the beach.


Ah, the last gasp of summer!

Coney Island is easily accessible from the subway. Just take the N, Q, D or F trains to the very last stop.

City Portraits is an ongoing, once-in-a-while installment featuring parts of New York.

Related posts: City Portraits - The New York Public Library, City Portraits - Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn and City Portraits - Shelter Island.

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On the Mermaid Parade, in Coney Island

Photo by myself, in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

A local gastropub in Park Slope serves up beers made locally, including Blue Point Toasted Lager from Long Island, and Coney Island Lager, shown above.

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Speaking of Coney Island, the annual Mermaid Parade was held yesterday. Mark and I did not go, but saw those who did walking around in Brooklyn, still in their mermaid costumes.

Each year, the boardwalk in Coney Island is swarmed with adults and kids dressed as mermaids. Yesterday, musicians Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson led the parade as king and queen.

Coney Island has historically been known for its boardwalk and amusement park, just a subway ride from Manhattan. The area is known for being run down, but developers have recently committed over $30 million to renovate the park over the next 10 years.

For more about this year's parade from the New York Daily News, including photos, click here.

Related posts: On the Boardwalk, in Coney Island, Shoot the Freak, Coney Island and Beer, Wonderful Beer.

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Shoot the Freak, Coney Island

Photo by myself on the boardwalk in Coney Island.

An image from a while ago, when the boardwalk in Coney Island was under repair.

During the off-season, the shop fronts look completely derelict. In the summer though, the boardwalk is usually packed with people strolling about, enjoying the scenery.

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Not much to report here. We are gearing up for a sale of goods at our building, Sunday.

'Stoop sales', as they are called, are very popular in Brooklyn. Few people have garages or yards, so it would be odd to call them 'garage sales' or 'yard sales'. We do have plenty of stoops, though, which is the term for steps leading from the sidewalk.

Stoop sales are a great way to socialize and get rid of your junk. Space is limited in New York, so it's good to be clutter-free.

Related posts: On the Boardwalk, in Coney Island, Now on Sale, in Midtown and Signs of Hope.

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On Dogs and Dogs

Photo by myself in Washington Square Park, in the Village.

When asked, the owner reported that this tiny dog, hardly bigger than a sneaker, was in fact full grown.

She was a bit nervous but did fine in front of the camera.

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Mark and I debated whether we should make the trip to Coney Island or not - Sunday is the annual Nathan's hot dog eating contest. Past winners Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi will be there, and each routinely down more than 50 hot dogs in the 10 minute time period.

But the last thing we wanted to do was to stand in the midst of a hot crowd. We might just watch it on tv, instead.

The hot dog eating contest is being broadcast live on ESPN at noon, EST.

Update: Joey Chestnut won the contest for the third year in a row. He set a new world record, eating 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Kobayashi came in a close second, with 64 1/2.

Related posts: Dog Days of Summer, Our Four-Legged Friends and Keeping Your Dogs in a Row.

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On the Boardwalk, in Coney Island

Photo by myself on the boardwalk at Coney Island, Brooklyn.

Though the beach season hasn't yet started, some vendors were already serving customers this weekend. Hot dogs tend to be the crowd favorite.

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On Sunday, Mark and I took our dog Rupert for his first walk on the beach. The walk was short-lived; unfortunately, the beach was littered with broken glass.

Coney Island is located at the tip of Brooklyn, about 20 minutes away by car. You can also take the subway. Lots of other people had had the same idea, since the weather was mild.

Coney Island is known for its boardwalk, an amusement park with a wooden roller coaster and an overall feeling of decay. Perhaps at one time the rides and storefronts were new, but the area always seems a bit run down. The neighborhood around the park is a bit depressing.

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More is More

Photo by myself near Madison Square Park, at 23rd Street, between Madison and Fifth Avenues.

An extremely tall modern building is rising up opposite the historic Metlife Tower. An equally staggering crane is aiding the construction.

The buildings all along 23rd Street to either side of this new building are rather low in comparison. Some restaurants, a nail and hair salon, and a FedEx office can be found at street level.

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Saturday morning, I heard Mark yelling at the tv: 'Oh wow! Whoa! Come on!'

I shuffled over. What kind of game was he watching? Mark is one of those rare guys who isn't a huge sports fan. He'll tune into tennis or the Olympic trials that are going on, but that's it.

Turning the corner, I realized what he was screaming about: the annual hot dog eating contest held on Coney Island every 4th of July.

Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs sponsors the contest every year. Just about everyone in New York shakes at the name of Kobayashi, who won the contest six years in a row, typically eating more than 60 hot dogs and their buns in the 12-minute period. (Egad, it is a lot of dogs!).

This year's contest was scaled back to 10-minutes, and the winner, Joey Chestnut, also won last year. Chestnut tied Kobayashi by devouring 59 dogs. The contest was finally decided in with a tie breaker.

Part One


Part Two


For more on this year's contest, click here.

Related posts: Food on the Brain and Food For Thought.

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