Hi all,

Since I am new in New York, I would like to know where Newyorkers go for beach. I am looking for something not too crowded, accessible by public transport and within a reasonable distance from Manhattan for a day trip, but I know that sometimes I need to choose two from three

Thanks in advance.
Kathy

Lots of good options.

Within the city, I go a few times each summer to walk on the beach at Rockaway. From Beach 116th Street all the way up to Beach 165th Street there's a long stretch of broad sand, and it's even on the subway.

I also really like Fire Island. It's a very long barrier island off Long Island with a bunch of beach communities on it. LIRR sells day trips - you take a train to a ferry, it's about 2 hours each way from the city.

Some of my friends go to the Jersey Shore, too - places like Manasquan and Bay Head. More of a party atmosphere there.

Thanks Red. How does Rockaway compare with Coney Island? Less crowded? And how is Brighton Beach? (apart from the Russian stores, cafes etc)

Rockaway is much more peaceful, and the beach is broader. Coney Island is about the entertainment - the boardwalk, the rides, the guy walking around carrying a giant snake. The beach at Coney Island is also intensely crowded on summer weekends. And I'm still suspicious of the water there, can't say why. Ditto for Brighton Beach; they're the same stretch of sand, just at opposite ends. Rockaway is much more for people who really want sand and surf rather than a party.

Thanks again!

Montauk the water is gorgpus. Ditch Plains beach! Great surfing too. About a 3 hour train ride. But then need to take a taxi to the beach. Short ride but not as easy as the other postings.

Fire Island gets my vote. It is a bit of a hassle to get there, but if you leave early in the morning you can get there and have a full day in the sun, on a quiet nice beach.

It's amazing that people are prepared to travel for so long to get to a beach.

You are lucky to live so close to one Marea.

I grew up a half hour bus ride or less via car to the beach. I used to cut classes often to go to the beach with my friends. My Aunt and Uncle have lived near the beach for as long as I can remember. All my brothers and sisters moved closer to the mountains than the water.

Now that I am land bound, it kills me if I can't get a fix. I have this huge need to stick my toes in the Pacific, look out at the horizon, SMELL the water, and wriggle my toes. Of course I have to look for treasure too. The last time I was only given 10 minutes before we made a road trip back to Colorado, but it was worth it!

So I understand 100% how far they will go! I hope to look across the Atlantic while I am there. I wonder if they smell the same.

I grew up 200 miles inland from the nearest beach and only got to visit during school holidays as it was a 5 hour drive over mountains. I now live 5 minutes walk from one and 10 minutes walk from another and only go rarely. I must admit that I love to see the water when walking or driving around the neighbourhood or looking out from my balcony, the ocean is such a wonderful blue here. I went to the Jersey shore while my daughter was visiting us in New York, it took 2 hours to get there and then it had a boardwalk with tons of shops and food outlets, the water was grey, there were no waves and worst of all you had to pay to get on the beach, we didn't bother. We went to a bar that was built on a pier over the sand out to the water, there was a band playing and we had a great time.

Best (Uninterrupted) Walking Route to Manhattan Beach - Down Ocean Avenue
A few springs ago, two friends and I walked (nonstop) down Ocean Avenue (starting at the D train's Parkside stop) to Manhattan Beach. This urban trek will take you through the largely Caribbean neighborhood of Flatbush to the Midwood section (home of Young Israel of Midwood at Avenue L, the "First Congregation of Russian Jews," as well as many stately old apartment buildings with names like Coolidge Arms and Harding Court), and ends at Sheepshead Bay (where, according to a Brooklyn guidebook, "[In the late 1800s] wealthy Manhattanites frequented the many fancy Manhattan Beach hotels. . . . "). At Emmons Avenue (where fishing boats line the pier across from several eateries), you take the footbridge across Sheepshead Bay; walk east to Ocean Avenue and, voilà, you're three blocks from the surf. -Wista Jeanne Johnson

[www.nycgovparks.org]