Long Time, No Sea

Been slacking off on the blog for a bit! I have been in Coney a lot lately though. Two weeks ago I went to Coney to give my talk on growing up at the Coney Island Lighthouse, and it went very well. I had been preparing for that right up until then, so I didn't have much else going on until after that was over. A few days later I went to The Gate in Brooklyn with my cousin Steven to try out the new spin-offs of Coney Island Lager. They came out with three new beers - the Sword Swallower Steel Hop Lager, Albino Python White Lager (brewed with spices), and the Human Blockhead Tough-As-Nails Lager. We liked them all, but the Human Blockhead was our favorite. And they even let us keep some Coney Island Lager beer glasses, even though only half of our beers came in them.

Last weekend I went with my girlfriend Nicole to Lola Staar / Dianna's roller-rink benefit party at Peggy O'Neils, and then we headed to the Burlesque show Lucha Muertes Atomicos #3 at the sideshow. Both were incredibly awesome, and completely different from one another. Jo Boobs performed her fan dance at the benefit party, and Scott Baker was on hand to keep everyone laughing with slightly off-color jokes. And the burlesque show was full of surprises and rowdy entertainment including a masked man with a mysterious mustache (hmmm) who jumped off a ladder onto broken glass...

Also, a special shout-out and "get better soon" message goes out to Angie / Miss Cyclone who is recovering from a softball-related injury. 30 cc's of Brooklyn blackout cake, stat!

Coney Week

I'll fill in the details this afternoon, but last week started with the Coney Island USA Spring Gala party, which was a blast (see the photo), then went into the Save Coney Island rally, the This or That Burlesque At the Beach Gameshow, and on Saturday, I went to Coney for the Cyclone, Wonder Wheel, Aquarium, Skeeball, Sideshow, and a bunch of other stuff!

Burlesque at the Beach 2008

Ah, what a great night for burlesque! Yes, it may have been raining, but that doesn't matter when you're indoors watching the first Burlesque at the Beach of the 2008 season. Had a great time, and tonight is even more fun with the Gotham Girls Roller Derby and a sweet birthday party to go to.

As for what you missed last night, it was babes, beer, and a birthday. And what's a birthday without cake? And if it's burlesque, it's more than just a cake...

Pistachio Ice Cream & Great Friends

Dick Zigun said we should chug our beer? Okay, since he said so.

Went to my second home, Coney Island, on Friday night and helped the Annual Congress of Curious Peoples choose their new members. There were five categories and after we all had a thorough and educational discussion led by James Taylor, we made a decision on a certain category, and welcomed in the new inductee with a chant and a drink. And by drink I mean (if possible) an entire drink. And Coney Island Lager comes in a 22 ounce bottle.

A great time was had by all.

When all of the categories were finished, the audience was cleared of any children and the rest of us were treated to a very special act by Charlotte Sometimes - a new take on the "human pincushion."

After the show I had the honor of buying Norman a Kid's Meal from Nathan's. If you haven't already heard, the Kid's Meal is the way to go if you want a hot dog, fries, and a soda, because it's much cheaper. Yes, of course it's hillarious to see grown men buying Kid's Meals, but it's part of the fun. Especially when you're drunk.

The next day I slowly made my way back to Coney, this time with my cameras and mini-tripods. I checked in with the other people recovering from the night before just as the Sideshow was opening for Alumni weekend shows. This is where performers of Sideshows past came back to work there for a bit. Eak the Geek was back, as were Tyler Fyre, Thrill Kill Jill, Little Jimmy, The Great Fredini, and the Penguin Boy (who still works at the Sideshow).

I finally managed to get over to the Lola Staar gift shop when it was open, and had some great tacos & conversation about Coney and our projects. Since it was freezing, she closed her store early and went home to warm up and I went to back to wandering Coney in search of fun.

Skee-ball was calling, so I got in my regular practice and scored a bunch of tickets - trophy of champions.

Then it was time for an old Coney favorite - pistachio ice cream. The best place for it now is Denny's right next to the Museum, so I bought one and snapped a photo of it. Damn, thinking about it is making me want more.

Anyhow, I also took some other cool shots, including the Grandma's Predictions machine where Grandma is getting visions of the Lovers. ConeyLovers, perhaps? Hmmm...

Derby Girls Know How to Party

Went to the Gotham Girls Roller Derby season opener at LIU last night, after walking there from Union Square (crossing the bridge was awesome with the nice weather). Being an LIU grad (and mischievous) I decided not to wait on line with the others waiting to get in and just snuck into the campus so I could check out my old stomping ground. Saw the artwork in the LLC building, relaxed outside the Honors Lounge, and sucked up some fresh air while checking out the warm-ups.

Then I headed inside, assisted by Regina Dentata of the GGRD's Manhattan Mayhem, who allowed me to hide behind her as I ninja'd my way in. The Gotham Girls killed both visiting teams, but they get respect for trying. Awesome matches and a great start to the season.

Afterwards a bunch of us partied until the early hours of the morning, and a lot of fun was had by all. Thank you to everyone who made it such an awesome night.

It's a good thing the only thing I had to do today was go have a giant Italian meal with my Brother, his girlfriend Lizzie, and our families. We always joke that when they get married, her side of the church will look like Italy and our side will look like the U.N.

SHOWBIZ!

Last night I went out for dinner and drinks with some friends and family, and afterwards we went to the late night show of "This is Burlesque" at Corio, 337 West Broadway and Canal Street in Manhattan. Between Murray Hill and the World Famous Pontani Sisters, they put on a hell of a show, with comedy, dancing, and always something for everyone. So go check them out!

Coney Photos

Went to the Bond Street Gallery today, where they're showing Coney Island photographs by Harold Feinstein, Bruce Davidson, Bruce Gilden, Sid Grossman, Harold Roth, and Henri Silberman. I was entranced, especially by the emotion we all share as human beings, that shines brightly in Coney Island.

Check it out... The show runs March 27th to May 8th at the Bond Street Gallery, 297 Bond Street, Brooklyn - (7i8)858.2297 - http://www.bondstreetgallery.com/

There's also a cool exhibit at the Brooklyn Historical Society called "Lost in Transition: South Brooklyn, Williamsburg & Coney Island", which are photographs done by High School students to capture and document what the ongoing changes in Brooklyn mean to them. Although the Coney Island portion is small, it's still worth checking out. And while you're there, check out the other great items on view. http://www.brooklynhistory.org/