10.16.2010

the polar bears club.





The Coney Island Polar Bears Club is the oldest winter bathers organization of the United States (Est. 1903).
From October to April the Club meets every Sunday at 1 pm on the Coney Island boardwalk, Brooklyn, New York.
One time Coney Island was the favorite destination of the New Yorkers, weekend dream for children and parents crowding the wooden boardwalk, the cotton candy stands, the gaming tables, and the dodgems of the oldest amusement park of the United States, Dreamland.
Nowadays, Coney Island displays only the memories of its glorious past. However Russians, Italians, and South Americans keep meeting in front of the New York Aquarium, main seat of the Coney Island Polar Bears Club, regardless the weather conditions. To be accepted as members of the Club, the bathers have to demonstrate to be able to dip twelve times into the Atlantic Ocean for at least 90 seconds.
Members come from all walks of life and range from people in their teens to those in their sixties.

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