Cha Cha's Old Tyme Burleque

Well, at long last we get to Cha Cha's. It had already been a fairly long day what with beers on Beer Island while listening to Rockabilly and then a cocktail and fish fingers at Footprints before we finally headed back to the seaside and Cha Cha's. And the crowd was already forming for the entertainment within.

Crowding In At Cha Cha's


Luckily, we actually managed to find seats at a table relatively close to the stage and were soon joined by a friend of ours. She was just there to watch, not to perform.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman, Ellen, And Bar Man


The Mysterious Chinese Woman had to be restrained a few times. I kept reminding her that she had left her tassels at home.

The evening started with more Rockabilly music and the crowd was really getting into it.

Rocking To Rockabilly


And, as promised, there were a variety of sideshow performances. Everything from fire eating to laying on a bed of nails.

And, Of Course, Toilet Plunger Swallowing


Needless to say there was also plenty of burlesque. Pretty mild stuff by today's standards, but reminiscent of the performances of old.

More Fun Than Flesh




Did Someone Order A Pizza?


More Than You Ordered, Or Less


It was a rollicking good time that went on for who knows how long. But after a few more beers and a couple of shots everything was beginning to look a bit bleary to me.

Oh, Pretty Colors And Bright Lights


I wobbled on out and took one last look back before taking the subway home.

That Last Look Back


Nobody knows what lies in store for Coney Island in the years to come. In typical New York fashion things end up in a state of limbo for years. The developers and the city can't seem to agree on what they want to do and in the meantime lots sit vacant and long-time attractions like Astroland shut down because of no guarantee of a lease. And nobody is going to invest significant money in upkeep to their establishment because of the possibility that they will be closed down. It is really sad. All the promises for a better tomorrow and the reality is that things just start going to hell.

Sadly, it isn't just Coney Island. The big promises for a new basketball arena in downtown Brooklyn with new housing and modern office buildings. Just lovely pictures. The reality; vacant lots and deserted buildings. The new Brooklyn Bridge Park, after years of promises and more lovely pictures and scale models, it is just fenced off crumbling piers. The big push for a new Jets stadium on the west side of Manhattan, still just railroad yards and the Jets gave up and stayed in New Jersey. The much vaunted redevelopment of the World Trade Center site, just a hole in the ground seven years later. Sometimes you don't know whether to laugh or cry.