Soaking up the ‘wall to wall sunshine'

Life’s a beach at Sunny Atlantic Beach Club on Ocean Boulevard in Atlantic Beach. Aug. 23 was a clear 80°day, and after a month marred by thunderstorms and clouds, members were taking full advantage of the facilities in the summer’s waning days. Dozens of bright orange umbrellas littered the shores, members of all ages were relaxing in and next to the pool and employees were running to and fro providing patrons with whatever they may need.

A staple of the Atlantic Beach shoreline since 1981, Sunny Atlantic was established when co-owner Howard Taub’s step grandfather purchased the Westbury Atlantic Beach Club.

Talk to any of the members and they’ll be likely to explain why it so many of them return year after year. Woodmere resident Susan Nelson first came to Sunny Atlantic’s predecessor with her father 52 years ago, now she brings her grandchildren. “This is the best place to spend the summer,” she said eagerly.

The club has cabins and cabanas catered to all different sized families and budgets, Joan Rothlein of Lynbrook was relaxing alongside her friend Eilen Dicker of White Plains in front of their beachfront cabanas. Away from the water, the two women were far away from the crowd that gathered near the shoreline. “I can’t say enough about the beachfront cabanas,” said Rothlein, adding that she and Dicker jokingly call their space their front yard. “There’s just so much more space.”

Keeping the club running like a well-oiled machine is no easy task. “[My step grandfather] would come up from Florida in May and work till September and go back down,” Taub said. “So, when I bought it he told me I would work six to eight months and have four months off. He was totally wrong! We work 50 weeks a year in making Sunny Atlantic the best on the strip.”

Every member who was asked praised the not just Sunny Atlantic’s facilities, but the people as well, both their fellow members and the staff. Many employees are students on break from either high school or college, and most said couldn’t think of a better summer job. Bernie Maslin has been a lifeguard at the pool for two years. “Everything is the best part of the job,” he said.

Some employees cite the fact that they get to work outside on the beach during the summer, while others claim their favorite part is meeting all the different people. Brett Fowler, a cabana boy from Oceanside, said that he’s spoken with several members who are teachers about his plans to attend SUNY Cortland and become a teacher.

Bellmore resident Austin Brill, another cabana boy, recalled all the cleaning they must do at the beginning of the season to get everything ready before the club opens on Memorial Day weekend. “It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s so worth it,” he said.

Not all of the employees are students. Maury Rosenblum, one of the lifeguards at the pool, is a retired dentist, whose practice was in Woodmere. The Oceanside resident’s daughter, Ali Rosenblum, a manager at Sunny Atlantic, encouraged him to work at the club. Rosenblum said that he was a swimmer when he was young, but never a lifeguard, he took the class over the winter and passed the test in May. “On the first day someone asked when I passed my test and I responded by saying about six hours ago,” he said with a laugh.

It takes a collaborative effort to ensure that Sunny Atlantic remainsthe place that members rave about, but the work is more than worth it for Taub. “It was one of the best decisions ever, including marring my wife Dana,” he said. “What is not to like? We have great members, I enjoy seeing people happy and we continue to strive to do that … It is wall to wall sunshine”