Which beach for just a day of swimming and tanning from Crown Heights ?

bit of a hike. but our fave BY FAR is rockaway beach.....miles of empty clean sand....

in a pinch you can hit up coney island....but thats far less clean and quite crowded generally.

I'll second Rockaway Beach. My mother used to live there, so we made the trip from CH weekly. By car, its very easy, just take Flatbush all the way to the end, go over the Marine Pkwy Bridge (just past Kings Plaza Mall), and you're in Rockaway.

By public transit, the most direct route is the A train to the end, where you can transfer to a shttle train that takes you right to the beach at 116th St. Or, specifically from Crown Heights, take the 2 or 5 trains to the Junction (Flatbush & Nostrand - where that big, riduclous Target is) and transfer to the Q35 bus.

Only the turtles are allowed to swim in the garden.

Only the dogs and turtles are allowed to swim in the park.

whynot_31 said:

Take the ferry from Manhattan to Red Hook NJ. It isn't cheap, but it sure beats Coney Island.

You mean Red Bank?

Rockaway Beach is lovely. I did some volunteering there the last couple of years. And a cab will take you there for a metered fare.

jones beach. door to sand in exactly an hour when you catch the right train.

You could take LIRR to Long Beach, on Long Island. The beach is nice and not far from the train station.

Depending on where you are in Crown Heights a more direct route might be the Utica Avenue bus to Kings Plaza then transfer to the Q35. Just depends whether your closer to Flatbush or Utica. I'd definitely take that route over the train. The Q35 will put you off at Fort Tilden where you can get to the beach quickly. Your other option if you have a bike is to bike out, but I'd encourage you to stay to less heavily trafficed streets.

Enjoy!

If pollutants are a concern, this article in today's DN may be timely. http://m.nydailynews.com/1.1102927

Pro tip: Don't visit after a really big rain storm.

Long Island by car (especially on the return trip) is Hell on Wheels. Take the LIRR and cab from the train stop, if a cab is really needed. Much, much quicker and pleasant.

Idlewild said:

Actually, can't you take the LIRR to the Rockaways from Atlantic Avenue?

LIRR stop in Far Rockaway is far from the beach and right in the hood. Not sure it even links to the subway either. I think the subway's a much better bet, but even that is a solid 2 hours each way. If you get up early though, its worth it. If there's an express bus, that's probably the best best bet. I think the best/fastest route would be one of the express trains down to Sheepshead Bay, and then messing with the buses to get over. No matter how you slice it though, it's a hassle.

I go to Brighton over Coney Island. Less Carnies and somewhat cleaner.