Summertime in New York City — boozy brunches, lounging in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow, and happy hours on the rooftops of hotels. It’s my favorite season, and I wait for it all year long. While I’ve managed to schedule in a few brunches and a couple of picnics in the park, there is one other thing that no summer is complete without — trip to the beach. Well. I was commenting at brunch a couple of weeks ago at Regional how I feel robbed of a summer because I haven’t had time to make it to the beach and Fifi decided to take the initiative to plan Beach Day 2011! And I love her for it, because it was exactly what I needed. The sun, the waves — amazing. So Saturday morning I got up early and met Leighdles at Penn Station to catch the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to Jones Beach.
It’s not the Fire Island Pines, but Jones Beach is mad convenient — just a short ride on the LIRR to Freeport, where you catch the N88 bus (for which you can just use your everyday metro card) out to the beach. From Penn Station it takes about an hour until you’re lying on the sand soaking up some sun.
Fifi & Himay drove out and met us at the East Bathhouse, which is a little less crowded than the other sections of Jones Beach. Nor & Jer came with them, bringing a fully packed cooler with sandwich makings, hummus and veggies, and lots of water. There is a concessions booth out by the highway, but last year G & I found out the hard way that it really…is no good. So Leighdles and I packed some Sun Chips, strawberries and grapes (it’s become beach time tradition that some enchanting lady feeds me grapes), and Fifi & Himay brought a fabulous lunch. A little food, a little dip in the ocean and a little nap in the afternoon — truly a fantastically relaxing and fun day.
Have you made it to the beach this summer?
Tagged: Fire Island, Jones Beach, LIRR, summertime
