By: Emma Greenberg
Robin Scott and Jamie Wiseman are not new to the New York scene. They are, however, new to the beach. Scott, originally from London, and Wiseman, an Oklahoma transplant, are the savvy business minds behind the development of the Brooklyn club Output, and they are bringing their knowhow to the shore with their new project, the Playland Motel, which opened earlier this month on Rockaway Beach.
“We believe that New Yorkers need the opportunity to get to the beach and be able to be able to enjoy fresh, quality food and great drinks conveniently an hour away, without having to go through the commitment and stress of the whole Montauk and Hamptons scene,” says Scott. Just a stone’s throw away from the depths of the concrete jungle, the Playland Motel features twelve artist-designed rooms along with two restaurants, deck bar, boutique retail store, house DJ, and a clothing line called Weeeah.
Though the concept of a beachy, boozy, beat-fueled hangout may sound reminiscent of existing hotels, including Montauk’s always-packed Surf Lodge, Scott stresses that the motel is instead inspired by what Playland was from the early-nineteenth century through the Sixties: the duo wanted to bring back the “vibrant energy” of the original saloons, bungalows, and amusement park that lined the sand.
“We revitalized what was kind of an old man’s bar with its slum housing upstairs,” says Scott. “The way we went about the rooms—with different artists coming in with their own creative energy—made it an outlet for their creative juice.” Both local and international artists (including Pat Conlon, Ben Pundole, John Rawlins, and Athena Calderone) were tasked with designing each room with their own theme. According to the motel’s website, the rooms range from a “hot-and-heavy girlhood frolic with glitter sunburns, ponies, and wet swimsuits” to “iconic, pop detailing with a contemporary beach feel.” Scott and Wiseman expect the clientele to be just as varied: “We don’t like to go to the Hamptons and just hang out with rich people,” explains Scott, adding that he expects “locals, a sprinkling of hipsters, Europeans, South Americans,” and others to frequent the motel.
At the diner-like restaurant, Brooklynites will recognize cuisine from Williamsburg’s El Almacen and Rosarito Fish Shack thanks to Argentinean restaurateurs and cofounders Diego Galarza and Eduardo Suarez. The motel will also feature a pizzeria, as well as authentic Italian ice cream.
With Scott and Wiseman’s club background, it’s no wonder that music will also play a big role at their new space. “Music is an important part of life,” explains Scott. Liv Spencer, Playland’s appointed music director, will bring live music to the motel, as well as “curate a beachy sound,” according to Scott. Breezy surf rock and chilled-out EDM alike will ooze from a serious sound system designed by acclaimed club sound designer Jim Toth (who has designed systems for Santos Party House, Mudd Club, and Danceteria). The motel’s music will also have a “strong presence” on Soundcloud, so even if you can’t get to the Rockaways this summer, you can groove to the summer sounds. But if you do live in the New York area, it’s worth remembering the words of Queens locals the Ramones, who once reminded us, “It’s not hard, not far to reach. We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach.” This summer, the trip is more enticing than ever.
Playland Motel is now open at 97-20 Rockaway Beach Blvd, Rockaway Beach.
By Jenny Miller
Rocktauk? Monkaway? We’re brainstorming new names for Far Rockaway, since the scruffy little beach enclave – despite devastating hurricane damage to its famous boardwalk – is fast becoming less down-at-the-heel. The latest upswing is the Playland Motel, which opened a few weeks ago not far from the beach, and is already jammed with in-the-know Brooklynites at its weekend patio parties.
The aesthetic is something like Surf Lodge-meets-Ruschmeyer’s, all weathered or whitewashed boards, and a sprawling back deck strung with lights and outfitted with sandy areas for lounging, wading in an inflatable pool, or playing ping-pong or cornhole. (The games are appropriate since the motel is named for the Playland Amusement Park, which was razed in the 80s.) Each of the rooms upstairs – there are just 12 – has been decorated by a different artist. We heard rumors of astroturf, an ersatz murder scene, and a teepee.
This past Sunday, a DJ spun late into the evening, while defectors from the too-crowded Tiki Disco party on the boardwalk, and others who simply preferred the new place, danced, drank concoctions like a strawberry-prosecco cooler and dug into upscale diner fare from the El Almacen and Rosarito Fish Shack folks. A pizzeria should open next week: we’re told the crew is “still seasoning the oven” for the Neapolitan pies.
Should you decide to take the A-train east this weekend, more dance parties are planned: No Ordinary Monkey starts Saturday afternoon at 4 PM, and Mexicoco begins Sunday at 3 PM.
You could reserve a room for the night, or spring for the Rock-a-bus, which is making special return trips both nights at 7 PM, 10 PM and 1 AM for $10 one-way.
by Patrick Heij
The Rockaways are already home to a colony of raffish surfers, young artists piled into bungalows and Bushwick-types who have made it their urban beach resort. Now it has a designer motel with a hopping bar scene populated by the sort of young, well-coiffed life-forms that might otherwise go to Montauk. Opened last month, the Playland Motel is run by the owners of the Output dance club and Rosarito Fish Shack in Williamsburg. “It feels like Berlin or Ibiza,” David Terranova, a music video producer from Brooklyn, said last weekend at a crowded dance party.
Playland took over a corner in a roughneck section of the Rockaways that once housed the Tap and Grill clam bar, a block inland from the beach. Inside, filament bulbs and artfully weathered wood assure patrons that they are in the right place, while a stuffed marlin and plastic palm trees conjure Beachtown, U.S.A. The real draw is the huge backyard, where sandy gravel, colorful beach umbrellas and campy deck chairs surround a large wooden deck that doubles as a dance floor. Out of sight are the 12 snug motel rooms ($150 to $225 a night, depending on demand), individually designed by artists.
Blithe, fashionable and flirty, the cool crowd seems to be rapidly approaching or reluctantly departing the age of 30. Last Saturday night, guys in cuffed Hawaiian shirts and mesh snapbacks got friendly with girls in denim jumpers and Zubaz-like pants in tropical prints. Representing the local contingent, a woman in a sleeveless soccer jersey bounced around the dance floor on an invisible jackhammer.
No cover. Anything goes for attire, but “bikinis are encouraged,” said Jamie Wiseman, an owner, half-joking.
With Olivier Spencer of DFA Records as music director, expect a curated mix of classic house, jubilant disco and high-profile D.J.’s.
Summery cocktails like Pimm’s Cups and caipirinhas are humanely priced at $10. Pair a Narragansett tall boy ($5) with a fluke ceviche ($12) or a lobster roll ($18).
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Designed and Developed by : Michael Zoppo & Cynthia Bacall.