Article: Coney Island awaits its fate after developer devours land

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Like a faded tattoo on thick skin, Ruby's Bar & Grill has been an imprint of Coney Island since 1948. It is the last vintage tavern on the boardwalk.

The old jukebox plays Tito Puente mambos and raunchy Ronnie Hawkins. The back bar is a circus of kitsch with tickets to the Stauch Baths and a photograph of Bob Hope and Jackie Gleason in blond wigs and drag. The comics' walk on the wild side was a surprise birthday present to owner Ruby Jacobs, who adored Marilyn Monroe.

They're all gone now, Ruby, Marilyn, Bob and Jackie.

The bar may be next.

Thor Equities, which owns the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, has plans for a $1 billion project that would include a year-round ...

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