Easy Beach Trips from NYC

Summer Weekends

I’ve been lucky to always have a large group of friends in NYC, it’s one reason I really love living here! But for the first time in all of my years living in New York City, and still amidst a pandemic, barely any of my friends are here on the weekends. Several friends have sadly made the move out of NYC after all these strange months! Some are just temporarily living with their parents or renting a summer home with friends. And others like me are just trying to put space between themselves and the small apartment they are in during 90% of the work week.

So my solution to this? Weekend beach trips!

It’s always nice to have something to look forward to. With big travel plans on hold, I thought maybe this summer would feel boring. But I’ve actually really enjoyed the past few months and re-focusing on what I love most: creating memories with family and friends in the places we love most. Plus, there are so many great beach towns nearby, that have long been vacation destinations in our area! If a weekend isn’t in the cards, any of these can become day trips if you don’t have a place to stay. They are all a short trip from the city! I’m so grateful for all my generous and welcoming friends who opened their homes to me this summer! Party on my porch this Fall :)

Here are some of my favorite local beach trips so far!

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Mantoloking, New Jersey

 

This beach has always been special to me, its full of so many great memories! My best friend Tonia’s family owns a beautiful beachfront condo there, where I’ve spent many weekends with my favorite gals. First as kids, and now she graciously lets us use it for Girls Weekend once a summer!

Mantoloking is about 1 hour and 30 minutes from Westchester or NYC. It’s a thin strip of island between Bay Head and Lavalette, so it’s an easy walk from the beach on one side of Ocean Avenue, to the Bay on the other. It’s a much more quiet and residential beach town than the other neighborhoods around it, which I really love about it, but it has so many beautiful homes. Gorgeous sunrises over the beach, and stunning sunsets over the bay.

Here are some things to do in the area!

Food:

• Marlin’s Cafe (top row) - Goes without saying but this is my FAVORITE restaurant and bar in the area! Located across the street from the beach on Ocean Avenue in Point Pleasant - Ryan’s family has owned this business for over 20 years! Marlin’s has a great outdoor porch, a large bar, delicious food and drinks, and a fun atmosphere! Like any McKenna party, there are always bands performing and lots of dancing! I couldn’t recommend this more. Unfortunately they have been closed for months due to Covid but we can’t wait for the day it can reopen :) When it does get the burrito and buffalo calamari, LIFE CHANGING.

• Charlie’s of Bayhead (row 2+3) - cute waterfront spot, with a nice atmosphere for drinks and seafood

• Charlie’s Cafe in Mantoloking (row 4) - recommend for breakfast or lunch! It’s a very cute cafe to stop by on a morning beach walk. It has a grocery store and deli with an outdoor patio.

• Dairy Queen - it’s just a staple, so I’m throwing it in here in case you want some good clean fun

Shopping in Lavalette

• There are tons of cute stores to check out like Island Gypsy, House of Lucky, and Salt House (row 4+5)

High quality gals

Low quality photo

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Bradley Beach, New Jersey

 

I spent my 4th of July weekend in Bradley this year, and it was so idyllic. Hot and sunny beach day, bike rides through the neighborhood, and a night at the beach bar with friends! It was a perfect holiday weekend.

Bradley Beach is like one of the pretty older sisters of Belmar and Asbury - the beach wasn’t quite as crowded but still social, and the water was a gorgeous clear blue. Ryan’s friends did summer houses in Belmar for a few years, and we’ve done weekend rentals in Manasquan and Point Pleasant, so we know this area pretty well! Our friend Kristine’s family lives in Bradley and she’s invited us to stay over a few times now, and it’s always one of my favorite beach days! She’s the best host - I’m talking rosé on the porch at sunset, outdoor shower, and then at the end of the night Ryan, Tine and I always fall asleep on the couch with a movie on. That’s friendship!

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Breezy Point Beach, Queens

 

Ohhhhhh Breezy. Where to begin! I didn’t know this private beach community of NYC existed until about 7 years ago, and now I’ve spent one weekend here every summer for years. Randomly, not one but TWO of our favorite friends live here! HIIIII Foorch and Lo!!

Breezy Point Beach is very easy to get to from Manhattan, and can be a day trip. The past few summers we would take the Q train from the city to Sheepshead Bay and then an Uber from there to Breezy. We’d spend a glorious day in the sunshine at the beach, playing games and cooling off in the water. Then we’ll end the day grilling at our friend Foorch’s house and either go out to a beach bar in the Rockaway’s at the end of the night or head home when we got tired!

This summer our friend Lo invited us to stay with her for a whole weekend, and we had the best time. We took the Rockaway ferry there on a Friday afternoon, and Lo cooked us up a family dinner as the guys grilled. We sat out back under an awning, drinking wine and listening to music as some thunderstorms rolled through. Saturday and Sunday we beached it all afternoon! More of our friends came in from the city and joined us, and we eventually made it to happy hour at the local beach bar, the Sugar Bowl! Breezy beach is quieter and cleaner than the Rockaways, and since it’s a private neighborhood, it’s very regulated to stay that way. My friends laugh at me because I say this all the time, but it’s one of my favorite weekends of the year and a favorite beach town!

Fire Island, Long Island

 

I finally explored Fire Island.

Now the background here is that I’ve spent my whole life predominantly going to Jones Beach, which is only 18 miles away from Fire Island. But the two beaches are pretty different. Jones Beach State Park can be easily accessed by car off the parkway, has tons of parking at each field, and bath houses with restrooms, showers and food options. It’s a 45 minute drive from Westchester, and cheap since all you have to do is pay $10 for parking.

Fire Island is much less accessible, but that’s part of the appeal. It truly feels like an island! Since you can only access by boat, and there aren’t main roads, there are barely any cars on the island! Everyone either bikes or walks.

It’s made up of several tiny towns (18 communities in total) each a tightly knit residential area. Though the island is only 2-3 blocks wide, it’s 31 miles long, and all accessible by a network of small paths and walkways from the bay to the homes to the beach.

Getting There

The first time I went was last summer with my friend Jenna! We drove out to the island and accessed it by parking at Robert Moses. This was super cheap and easy to get to! But it required walking from the end of field 5 through the Fire Island lighthouse preserve into Kismet which is about 25 minutes or 1.5 miles. The walk is actually really beautiful on the pathway, and you can return on the beach around sunset! We stayed in mostly Kismet for the afternoon, and I realized how cute and special it was!

The second visit was just this past weekend with my friend Veronica! We drove to Bay Shore and parked at the Fire Island Ferry port. You can also take a train or shuttle there from Manhattan. We took the ferry to the first stop in Kismet, which is about 20 minutes. But the Bay Shore ferry goes on to other towns like Saltaire, Fair Harbor Atlantique and Ocean Beach!

Also I haven’t been yet but my friends RAVE about how much fun they have in the Pines!! This LBGTQ can be accessed by the Ferry from Sayville, and it definitely looks to have the best real estate on the island!

Getting Around

Bikes! There are a few places to rent bikes for the day, but Vee had used someone named Greg at Kismet Bike Rentals the weekend before, so we called him first! $20 for a bike for the day, rusty and used, but it’s a beach town! It worked out well, and I suggest giving him a call if you’re in need of a bike!

Eating on Fire Island

Even on just a day trip, I got a lot of beach vibes from the eateries in FI. I always have heard its expensive, which makes sense in supply and demand but isn’t ideal. For a beach day though, that wasn’t the case for us! First we stopped by Fire Island Tap for some iced coffee and pastries.

Then we enjoyed a really great casual meal at the beach bar at The Shack in Atlantique, just a crispy chicken wrap and a mudslide - but executed to perfection!

In Kismet there are 2 fun places to go, the Inn or the Out! Kismet Inn + Surfs Out.

Ocean Beach has a bunch of spots too, like Island Mermaid for food and Maguire’s or Flynn’s for going out! The other towns are relatively quiet on the one side of the sunken forest.

Staying on The Island

I’ve never had luck finding a rental on Fire Island for just a weekend, as there seems to be more available for week stays or more. There are some hotels, but I think a home rental would be much more preferable.

Airbnb is a good place to look first. Here is another site I came across, which can help you find a place to stay:

FI Real Estate

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The Hamptons, Long Island

 

Probably one of the most well known beach areas in the Tri-state, and the beaches are beautiful! It’s a hike from NYC if you are only going for the day, but if you can swing a weekend, it’s worth it! I love exploring every different town in the Hamptons - whether its Sag Harbor, Water Mill, East Hampton, South Hampton etc.

There is so much to do and see - so it’s hard to do it all. But a day trip is possible! A few years ago Ryan and I decided to make the most of a Saturday where we took the Jitney out early, and a late train home. We spent a few hour shopping around East Hampton and getting coffee. Then we had lunch in Sag Harbor at Baron’s Cove overlooking the bay. We wrapped up our day by spending about 4 hours and 2 bottles of wine at Wolffer Estate Vineyards, which turned Ryan into a huge fan of Summer In A Bottle - forever making history.

I’ve made my way around the Hamptons for years and still haven’t even touched the surface. I’ve done weekends in East Hampton sharing a house with friends, grilling and swimming in the pool and eating raspberry pies from Round Swamp Farm. I’ve spent beach days in West Hampton with happy hour at Dockers on Dune Road. I’ve shopped in South Hampton, partied in Montauk, dined in Bridgehampton and wined in Sagaponack. And like I said, I haven’t made a dent.

It’s a great area for a fun summer weekend.

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Long Branch, New Jersey

 

The coast of Monmouth County is very close to the city, which makes it an easy day trip from Manhattan! You can take NJ transit and get there within 1 hour and 15 minutes. There are lots of great beach towns in the area, but Long branch has a boardwalk with some nice restaurants, and a shopping center with plenty of cafe’s, coffee shops, and retail stores. That’s why my family and I gravitated there.

Dining & Hotels

If you are looking for places to eat, we love the turning Point for a big breakfast, or Playa Bowls for something light! For lunch, grab something casual at the Tiki Bar at Ocean Place which always has live music and a good cocktails. For dinner, we’ve tried a bunch of the restaurants and have really yet to be disappointed!

• Rooney’s

• McLoone’s Pier House

• Sirena

My family has gone to Long Branch once a summer for the past few years, to have a little staycation weekend at Ocean Place Resort. It’s a pretty large hotel with a pool and restaurants, but more importantly a private beach area where you can order drinks and food to your chairs! We loved Long Branch beach, and the area itself is up and coming. But the prices continue to go up at Ocean Place each year, and for the cost of staying a night there really isn’t worth it. We’re looking for new options down the shore as we speak!

Another hotel in the area that you can try is this new beachside option called The Wave Resort. Its more upscale than Ocean Place and has some good restaurant and rooftop pool area overlooking the beach.

Tiki Bar at Ocean Place

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Long Beach Island, New Jersey

 

I’ve been to Long Beach several times over the years, and I really love it there. What I’ve learned is that if you are a fan of LBI you spend your whole life going back. Especially families who owned or rented on the island!

There is so much to do and see, but make sure to enjoy the gorgeous beach. Renting a house for a few nights is the best way in my opinion! It’s just far enough down the shore that you would

There are a few different towns like Harvey Cedars, Surf City and Beach Haven. I’ve spent the most time in the latter. You can go shopping in Bay Village, pick up some lunch at Surf Taco, or check out the long list of restaurants and bars! There’s Parker’s Garage & Oyster Saloon.

And if you want to enjoy a perfect meal for your hangover the next day, Ryan always rants about the CHEG (Chicken or the Egg). I’ve yet to try it myself but plan to on the next trip!

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I think one of the greatest parts of living in this area, is all the coast we have so close to home! I love the beach, and my family loves the beach, so proximity to the shore is something we try and take advantage of often in the warmer months. There are so many options, and these are just.a few of the trips that either I’ve done recently or frequent most. But the list really goes on and on.

It seems like so many people have very strong opinions when it comes to where they beach and why they prefer their favorite! So what’s your favorite local beach trip?

Xx Gab

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