Rockaway Beach is going to be pretty dry this summer thanks to a city ordinance banning the sale of hard liquor. Beer and wine will still be available, but mixed drinks have been deaded. This decision has left bar and restaurant owners understandably pissed off. With the beach still working its way back after being severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy last fall, an inability to sell hard liquor doesn't bode well for some local businesses.
Lifeguards have reportedly asked the Park Department to get the booze off the beach over fear of drowning accidents. According to Gregory Craft of NYC Park Advocates, statistics have linked drownings to drinking. "Anything to help lessen the chances is positive, but especially at this time of the day when there is no lifeguard coverage," he told the New York Daily News.
For the time being, visitors will have to drown sorrows about a great portion of the beach being closed in everything except for hard liquor.
[via Gothamist and New York Daily News]
