• Glen Island Casino New Rochelle New York Restaurants

The original Glen Island resort was owned by John Starin and opened in 1880. Within 2 years, there were one half million visitors yearly. It was known as the “World’s Pleasure Grounds.” The beach and bath houses could accommodate 2000, and trolleys from the New Rochelle Train station took the visitors to the Island. Long Island Sound in New Rochelle, NY 1.9 km; Downtown New Rochelle 2.3 km; Echo Bay 2.8 km; Pelham Bay Park 3.3 km; Larchmont Manor 4.7 km; Town of Mamaroneck, New York 6.6 km; The Bronx 6.7 km; Nassau County, New York 21 km; Long Island Sound 59 km. Glen island casino new rochelle ny Tradewinds casino boat johns pass Bclc casinos, sports betting, lottery games online skip to page content bclc logo grand forks man pulls the winning 5 million numbers from a hat grand forks play casino games online play poker. Glen Island Casino New Rochelle New York, poker tricks online, top mobile online casino uk players, 888 austria poker on ice. The Glenn Miller band got the big break they had been hoping for when they were selected to open the Glen Island Casino's 1939 summer season in May of that y.

Last post, I wrote about finding the history of Starin’s Glen Island. The stories Glen Island keeps hidden though go far beyond the theme park. On the foundation of the resort’s old Grand Café rose the Glen Island Casino and dining hall. In 1930, with prohibition having survived a decade, the Glen Island Casino was a well-known speakeasy. However, the music that played throughout the Casino was what drew people in. Star musicians, such as “Ozzie” Nelson, Les Brown, and Glenn Miller, all got their starts at the Glen Island Casino. My own grandmother describes going out to the Glen Island Casino as a great affair—people dressed to the nines to come here. And the place had its fair share of drama, such as with the story of the Dorsey Brothers. Like many of the big bands of the 1930s, they got their start performing a gig at Glen Island. However, their orchestra also ended here, after the two brothers got into a huge fight about the tempo for a song during a performance.

An image of the Glen Island Casino at its peak. (Credit: https://goo.gl/images/U6hSTv)

The Casino closed in 1978 but reopened a few years later as a Restaurant.

Unlike Starin’s park, the Casino has been better preserved. The restaurant that once took its place has come and gone, now being replaced by a catering hall. Apparently, the second floor has preserved the space where the big bands of the 1930s and 1940s once performed.

The Casino, now known as the Glen Island Harbour Club

Unfortunately, you can only enter what is now called the Glen Island Harbour Club if they are there for an event. From afar, the place now has a very 80s-feel to it. It was hard to believe that this was the site of a music boom in the 1940s.

Luckily, the music that once echoed throughout the building has been preserved! The Glenn Miller Orchestra, one of the most famous groups that performed here, recorded an album in 1939 entitled “Live at Glen Island Casino,” which you can listen to here.

Glen Island had two stories waiting to be heard. This small island now simply used for family picnics is where the theme park was born. It was where music careers were started. It was where Westchester County became an attraction. The signs of this still stand in the castles and stone structures, in the stage at the restaurant, in the statues that seem slightly out of place. It just needs to be uncovered. So here is my uncovering of Glen Island—go visit and uncover it for yourself.

The Glen Island Harbour Club, located upon the old Grand Café

New Rochelle's waters demonstrate many of the issues common to suburban New York waters. Here history, nature and the demands of a large population collide. Access to the water is sparse and difficult or impossible for non-residents. Even residents must pay fees and obtain permits. Once on the water, places to land and rest are also few and far between.

PUT-IN: Glen Island Park has an excellent ramp for putting-in boats, however it is NOT FREE and is not available to non-residents of Westchester County. A Westchester County Park Pass (ie a RESIDENT'S PERMIT) is required to access the Park during most times of the year (I do not live in Westchester County, but I sometimes luck out in April or October). There is also a fee of four dollars to launch your boat and another four dollars to park. Click here for a map.

Created in 1879, this historic park was once home to a zoo and the famous big-band era 'Glen Island Casino,' where Glenn Miller played. Today it's the second-most used park in the Westchester County system (apart from Playland).

ROUTES:

New Rochelle has several islands in the Sound. They are interesting to paddle around, but you may not land on any of them. David's Island, the largest of the group, is an old military base. Access is restricted and police actively supervise the area. The smaller islands in the New Rochelle area waters include Huckleberry Island (owned by the New York Athletic Club, which has a large facility on the shore near here), Pea Island (owned by the Huguenot Yacht Club), and many smaller rocks and islands. Huckleberry Island is the largest. It is undeveloped at present, though plans by the New York Athletic Club are in the works, and is considered a key habitat for herons, egrets and other birds. To the southeast, the large island in the distance is Hart Island, home to New York City's Potter's Field. The final resting place for 600,000 souls. You may not land there. It is closed to the public.

Orchard Beach and City Island lie along the shore further to the south-east toward New York, but watch the current carefully if you venture further than City Island lest you be caught in the currents at Hell's Gate at the mouth of the Sound. To the east, you reach the Larchmont shore points. The Sound itself is getting narrow by New Rochelle. The currents tend to be slow here, so crossing to Sand's Point Long Island on a calm day is possible for experienced boaters. The crossing from David's Island to Sand's Point is a little over two miles of open water. You cross a major shipping channel on the other side of Execution Rocks, but by far the greatest danger is the pleasure boats that fill the Sound on any given summer day. I prefer to go in the morning when things are quieter on the water.

Glen Island Casino New Rochelle New York Restaurants

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