Best beach to go to (with car)

I have been going to Riis Park quite a bit, but wonder if I am missing something better that is not too far away (because if I really wanted to drive far, I'd go to Robert Moses).

Any suggestions? I prefer something with a bathroom (minimum) and concessions (bonus).

Traveling from Windsor Terrace.

Thanks

45 minutes from Park Circle to Long Beach

Or heck, you have a car, why not Jones Beach?

take the Ferry to Sandy Point NJ.

....I know: A ferry is not a car.

no traffic,
clean, not crowded beach

Oh, good point.

jeffrey wrote: 45 minutes from Park Circle to Long Beach

Or heck, you have a car, why not Jones Beach?

I've driven to Long Beach before and it took much longer than 45 minutes. I also don't know where to park around there. Last time I ended up on one of the side streets and they charge you a day rate to walk on the beach, even though there were no bathrooms or concessions. Maybe I missed something.

I wonder how long it would take to drive to Jones? "really take"...not how long Mapquest says. Anybody know?

whynot_31 wrote: take the Ferry to Sandy Point NJ.

....I know: A ferry is not a car.

no traffic,
clean, not crowed beach

Nope. Too much travel involved. Car to ferry, ferry to beach, etc. I only stay at the beach a few hours, so I don't want to hike too far to get there

Jones from WT is probably a solid hour. You could hop on the BQE to the Belt and go that way, but in the middle of the day its probably faster to take Eastern Parkway out to Atlantic and pick up the Belt off of Atlantic so you aviod the ride around BK part.

Once you are on the belt its another 30 minutes or so. At 10:30 am on a Tuesday you could make it without much hassle and so long as you are heading back by about 2:30 or so, you shouldn't hit a ton of traffic on the reverse either.

Also Jones Beach has concerts

Flexichick wrote: [quote=whynot_31]take the Ferry to Sandy Point NJ.

....I know: A ferry is not a car.

no traffic,
clean, not crowed beach

Nope. Too much travel involved. Car to ferry, ferry to beach, etc. I only stay at the beach a few hours, so I don't want to hike too far to get there

subway to ferry.
ferry to NJ. seagulls and good views along the way.
short walk from ferry dock to beach. about $40 pp.

....to each his/her own.

^still no :-)

pls to re-read thread title and first post.

Sure there are a lot of beaches but if you've never been to Jones beach you are missing one of the spectacular parks created by Robert Moses. He was responsible for a lot of pain and grief in his role, but Jones Beach is a magnificent creation. Go early in the morning or at sunset. . . traffic is a bitch on the weekends.

There might be something in Staten Island. But the bridge toll is a bitch.

youbetcha wrote: Sure there are a lot of beaches but if you've never been to Jones beach you are missing one of the spectacular parks created by Robert Moses. He was responsible for a lot of pain and grief in his role, but Jones Beach is a magnificent creation. Go early in the morning or at sunset. . . traffic is a bitch on the weekends.

thanks. I grew up on Long Island going to jones and Tobay and Robert Moses (which is my favorie due to lack of crowds)N

Riis and Neponsit are the nicest nearest beaches. Manhattan Beach is close and not totally gross the last time I was there....which was probably over 20 years ago.


Also, don't forget Brighton for a quick trip and swim.

I don't know anything about Nesponsit. How do you get there? How much does it cost? Do they have bathrooms and concessions?

We've done South Beach in Staten Island a zillion times because it's fast, clean and great for folks with kids in a no-brainer sense. But the beach is by no means overrun with kids.

It's the 1st exit in SI and you can see beach on the left when crossing the VN bridge. It is wide enough to be not too crowded, has boardwalk with bathrooms/changing-rooms, concessions etc. It also has a kids water-fountain playground right behind the boardwalk (which is part of what makes it so great if you have small kids), but you won't be needing that. Anyhow, piece 'o cake.

It routinely used to take us about 15 minutes from Cobble Hill (straight shot down an empty BQE), and now takes an additional 5 or maybe 10 minutes on top of that from where we are now in Prospect Lefferts.

Rarely if ever over 25 minutes, if you know where you are going. NOTE: you must be in the FAR RIGHT LANE coming across the VN bridge to access the first right exit immediately after the toll (to South =Beach / Father Capodanno Blvd).

You take that immediate right side exit ramp, curl under the expressway, go up a hill and when you come down the other side the road curves along the shore and the boardwalk etc. is right there on the left. Pass the initial (tiny) parking lot and proceed to the next set of much larger, free parking lots that are right up against the boardwalk.

Only drawbacks about this place:

1) the toll (but hey, no big deal, really)

2) it is not an unobstructed ocean beach...you do face the southern end of Coney Island and container ships etc. in addition to some open water. No real waves to speak of.

3) Because of ^ that, the water does occasionally have some issues with debris and garbage. But it is pretty clear that great effort is made to keep the beach and boardwalk as clean and sparkling as possibie.

The sand is really nice though, as is the boardwalk.

Am I the last die hard Coney fan here? OK - no bathrooms fit for human use but the trip to Nathans convinces me it is a worthwhile trade-off. If you go all the way down to Seagate it is relatively quiet.

Have friends in Long Beach and unless I can park on their driveway it is a total hassle. Favorite beach EVER: Cupsogue - just east of Center Moriches, just west of Westhampton. A schlepp of almost 2 hours but we stay the day and have dinner out there.

Jeffrey - do they charge you to park? is there street parking or a lot?

Parking is totally free right at the beach in those huge lots right up against the boardwalk (2nd and 3rd lots, not the first small one at the flagpole circle).

^thanks

whynot_31 wrote: subway to ferry.
ferry to NJ. seagulls and good views along the way.
short walk from ferry dock to beach. about $40 pp.

....to each his/her own.

some people prefer the risk of sitting in traffic and the scenic views from our lovely interstate highways.

Boygabriel wrote: [quote=whynot_31]subway to ferry.
ferry to NJ. seagulls and good views along the way.
short walk from ferry dock to beach. about $40 pp.

....to each his/her own.

some people prefer the risk of sitting in traffic and the scenic views from our lovely interstate highways.


the cost and travel time make other beaches a more desirable option. I try to go to the beach once a week, so $40 v. $10 or so = big difference. So does 40 minutes to Riis Park v. however long it would take me to subway + ferry out to NJ.

[quote= big difference. So does 40 minutes to Riis Park v. however long it would take me to subway + ferry out to NJ.

You're not taking into account the cost of upkeep of a car, or ever getting stuck in traffic.

I'm not trying to give you a hard time - just sayin', I have a car and I try to use it as little as possible. I hate getting stuck in traffic. If public transportation (or bikes) go somewhere, that's how I'll probably go.

^ I rarely use my car - less than 3,000 miles a year. I do the majority of my errands on foot because I like the exercise and it's better for the environment. However, since I only go to the beach a dozen or less times a year and I only go for a few hours at a time, driving is the best option for me. I don't want to spend 2 hours traveling each way to be at the beach for 3-4 hours.

Neponsit is next to Riis, but never mind. It doesn't have the facilities you're looking for and you really can't park there. I used to take the bus when I was younger.

For a day trip, it's really not worth going to Long Beach or Jones if you don't leave super early. Riis is my favorite near the city since the parking lot is ginormous! Take the shortcut path towards bay 1/2 (after you park) and it'll save a lot of walking time. Just make a right when you enter parking lot.

do the ghetto beach plum beach in brooklyn. its fun to walk it unless there are serial fornicators. i hate those people, don't they have homes for that!!

You could always go to Kennedy's in Breezy Point. Put your car in their lot, buy an obligatory drink or two, then saunter off to the Atlantic side beach. Just leave your pass in the windshield.

AW - where is Plum Beach? Never heard of it.

Idlewild - how do I get to Kennedy's? Do they serve decent food too?


I was at Riis Park for a few hours yesterday. I really have no complaints about Riis Park (well, concessions are not open during the week yet - I don't have much of a need for overcooked burgers, but sometimes grabbing an ice cream or water if I run out is convenient), but was wondering if I was missing anything

Flexichick wrote: AW - where is Plum Beach? Never heard of it.

Ah yes, the Belt of Cashmere, lol.

jeffrey wrote: [quote=Flexichick]AW - where is Plum Beach? Never heard of it.

Ah yes, the Belt of Cashmere, lol.

We definately should dispatch lnelson to write a review of Plum Beach.

Her impressions upon "discovering" the Veil of Cashmere for the first time were classic. http://brooklynian.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=676008&sid=42a93626709367b0cb18968a50fe89f7

She is clearly the most qualified person I know to write about such urban nature environments.

wow. It would be pretty if it wasn't so trashy!