Best beach to go to (with car)

take the Ferry to Sandy Point NJ.

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

no traffic,
clean, not crowded beach

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?

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

^still no :-)

pls to re-read thread title and first post.

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

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.

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.

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

^thanks

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.

^ 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.

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.

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.

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

Ah yes, the Belt of Cashmere, lol.

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