FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MARСH 26, 2020 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 31 buzz
Silver Gull Beach Club and
Breezy Point Surf Club perfect
for a summer staycation
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
To step on to the grounds of the Silver
Gull Beach Club, or the Breezy Point
Beach Club two miles to the west, is to
travel back in time. No one knows that better
than Jamie Blatman, the general manager
of both clubs for the past seven years.
“It defi nitely feels like the ’50s and the
’60s at both places, that for sure,” Blatman
said. “Th e average person here has been a
member for 34 years.”
Th e summer season at the Silver Gull
Beach Club was chronicled by the New
York Times in 2016. At the time, at the
age of 101, Dave Gelfman had a memorable
quote about the multi-generational
memberships at the club saying, “No one
leaves this club; we just die.”
He is still a member.
“Dave Gelfman is still a member now at
age 105,” Blatman said. “In fact, we have
another member at the Surf Club since
1937.”
Th ere was a time when such clubs lined
the oceanfront in Queens and Brooklyn.
Blatman grew up in Bay Ridge spending
most summers at the Capri Beach Club in
Atlantic Beach.
“Th ere are now only three left in New
York City and I run two of them,” he said.
And both clubs are concessions of the
National Park Service, so they are not subject
to restrictions from the city and state
in regards to the coronavirus outbreak.
“If the National Parks are open we are
open and that’s what we are planning for,”
Blatman said. “It’s the perfect time to try a
staycation this year and come down here
and enjoy the summer sun. Most people
in Queens and Brooklyn do not know
these hidden gems are in the city, but once
they know, they want to sign up. You can
get a Season Pass or you can come down
any day on our Daily Pass.”
Th e 59-acre Breezy Point Beach Club
opened in 1937 and the 10-acre Silver
Gull Beach Club opened in 1963 on the
western end of the Rockaway peninsula.
“We have about 1,100 cabanas between
the two clubs that rent for about $5,000
for the summer season, but with the Daily
Courtesy of Silver Gull Beach Club
Pass you get access to both beach and
pools,” Blatman said.
Th ere are also modern amenities such
as a gym and free Wi-Fi, but most of
the members are happy in their cabanas
which include a shower, electricity
and two chaise lounges. Th e clubs also
host special events from weddings on
the beach to communion parties in their
catering dining room.
“We do special events year-round but
mostly during the off -season,” Blatman
said. “Weddings, bridal showers and every
fi rst Saturday in March we do a few communion
parties.”
For more information about the Silver
Gull Beach Club and the Breezy Point
Surf Club, call 718-634-2500.
The Silver Gull Beach Club and the Breezy Point Surf Club make for perfect summer staycations this year.
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