Yes, it’s that craziest of holiday rituals when members of the Polar Bear Club head down to Coney Island on New Year’s Day and just dive into the Atlantic Ocean, damn the temperatures.
I’ve never attended this ritual until today but it seemed relatively balmy (above 50 degrees) so I figured why not? My impression of the Polar Bear Club was a dozen old guys surrounded by two or three photographers. Boy, was I wrong. There were thousands of people at Coney Island, and dozens, maybe hundreds were wearing bathing suits and taking the plunge. (BTW, if you even go to this, take the subway. Parking is insane. I finally gave up, pulled into the parking lot of a Chinese restaurant and bribed them with cash to let me park. It was easier than getting into a legit parking lot.)
It looked like a lot of fun and who knows, maybe next year I’ll try it. I have a whole year to think about it…..
That is an AWESOME story!! Hysterical…