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When I saw these pictures from Ruby's bar I was reminded of a thought put forth by sociologist Ray Oldenburg. In his book The Good Great Place, he talks about the idea of "third places," which he describes as being "nothing more than informal public gathering places. The phrase 'third places' derives from considering our homes to be the 'first' places in our lives, and our work places the 'second.' He continues by saying, "The character of a third place is determined most of all by its regular clientele and is marked by a playful mood, which contrasts with people’s more serious involvement in other spheres. Though a radically different kind of setting for a home, the third place is remarkably similar to a good home in the psychological comfort and support that it extends…They are the heart of a community’s social vitality, the grassroots of democracy, but sadly, they constitute a diminishing aspect of the American social landscape....Life without community has produced, for many, a life style consisting mainly of a home-to-work-and-back-again shuttle. Social well-being and psychological health depend upon community. It is no coincidence that the 'helping professions' became a major industry in the United States as suburban planning helped destroy local public life and the community support it once lent."
It looks to me as though the patrons of Ruby's certainly look to be heartbroken over the impending loss of their "third place." Read more about redevelopment plans for Coney Island and the vendors' loss of their leases in The New York Times.
Do you have a favorite third place in your community?
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A few years ago I visited Coney Island and Astroland.
Camera in hand I shot away, and found after I got back to SB that The Leases were coming up. I went out to my Local Bar, had a beer and pondered Coney's Fate. I talked with those who came in about The Island and discussed it's meaning. Everything from being a kid and going there, to seeing a Seinfeld episode filmed there went around. A year later The Downtown Brewery is gone, a place with local clientele, who could relate, is no longer.
The Internet will never replace a good local pub, ever.
You can blame this disaster on the neo-nazi anti-tobacco social planners intent on destroying America.
No doubt, it will be replaced by a soulless Starbucks. Italy has cafes everywhere, but not one Starbucks. Chain cafes and chain pubs just don't work.
Have you heard of the Coney Island 8? Central Amusements and Mayor Bloomberg will soon get to know them very well. Coney businesses are going to fight back and fight hard. NO Corporation is going to make Our Boardwalk look like the rest of American. Say no to Central Amusements and Mayor Bloomberg who is directing this from his smoke free office. Coney Island belongs to the people of New York. Bloomberg wants to jack the prices to play so only rich people can enjoy the park. New Yorkers will fight back. The 10 year lease given to a foreign corporation to run our park for 100K per year for 6.9 acres of precious property is insane. Now they are hiring a French company to manage all the food concessions. What happened to Americans who need work? Why do you hire a manufacturer of rides to run a park. All the rides are from Central Amusement. This all stinks now and the smell will only grow worse. Nathans will be the monopoly for hot dogs. $4 per dog will mean most people visiting this beach will be out of luck. There is also the deception of how many people actually visited Coney Island this summer. Numbers were actually down because of the extreme heat in the month of July. Central Parks admitted to a much slower than expected August. The All season halloween party drew about 100 participants who cleared the boardwalk early because it was too cold. For all of this deception, Bloomberg needs to be investigated as to why he would spend so much money in a down economy and give our money to a foreign company.