When you dream of New York, an urban sprawl of speeding taxicabs and concrete skyscrapers probably floods your mind.But you might not guess that there is a surfing mecca a short train ride from the city.
Rockaway Beach is one of the best surfing spots on the East Coast; a welcoming and ultra hip surf town that is growing in popularity as heat tempts everyone to the beach. Each year my friends take a hiatus from the city and spend the summer working from the shore and surfing between company e-mails or seasonal bartending gigs. I swear I am not jealous... but this sure beats my usual lunch break.
If you can't make the temporary move from the city to your surf pad, head out on weekends when the beaches and boardwalk are packed but the waves never discriminate. To get there, grab your board (or rent one when you arrive from the boardwalk) and take the A train out to Rockaway Beach where you will be blessed with delicious food, an amazing energy and some of the best people of anywhere I have traveled, as well as surfing that will entertain those with advanced skills and build confidence for beginners.
Start your day at with coffee at Surfside Bagels where you pay on the honor system and stop to chat to with your neighbors that congregate for morning coffee and a recap of the previous night's shenanigans. If you are well-rested take a run or attend "Yoga on the Rocks". If you cannot, then you are hungover so grab a beer, tend to your garden, and wake your housemates - and your cute pup.
Collect your board, rash guard, and head to the beach to check out the surf for the day. The beach at Rockaway is a surf beach and you will not be allowed in the water without a board - if you can't surf, grab a boogie so you can play too - or at least to have so you can get in and cool off. You don't want to be the lone guy on the shore.
Spend the day laying on the beach with a new book, toasting in the sun, and enjoy too many cocktails between surfing sessions (or in my case, falling sessions).
Stop for eats at Santa Salsa, where you will experience the perfect burger oozing in deliciousness. Located at the boardwalk at 97th, Santa Salsa is a Brooklyn food truck that relocates to the beach on summer weekends. It is served out of a Venezuelan street food cart that serves hot dogs, a grilled asparagus burger, and pepitos or steak sandwich.
The burger is cooked as ordered and well worth the wait because it comes stuffed with avocados, fried egg, onions, and cheese on a perfectly toasted bun. Plus, these guys are ridiculously cheap, it is $6 for a burger with all of the fix-ins you want. I didn't even take a picture I ruined it so fast - a surfing girl has got to eat!
To find the cart, head to the cornhole sets facing the beach, directly across from Low-Tide Bar. If you can't get out to the beach (shame on you) or start craving these burgers during the week, their food truck is at 594 Union Avenue in Brooklyn.
Rockaway was one of the hardest hit areas during Sandy which left the beach destroyed. Currently, there is a project rebuilding the beach. A ship dredges the sand from the ocean floor that was once our shoreline and redeposits it on the beach through pipes. Once the sand is dispersed in the area, the section of pipe is removed and the next section is built up. It isn't the most beautiful project, but worth it to bring back the beach.
Beachcomers and surfers alike have rallied behind the town for its waves and atmosphere. A perfect surf town is is always a place to defend.
End the day with frozen sangaritas at Caracas - a delicious concoction of sangria and margarita that sounds horrible. Trust me, its not.
Stroll back to the house to watch the sun dip below the New York skyline from the rooftop.
Rooftop hammocks are now my favorite of things.
And this skylight that you crawl through has already been added to my list of projects.
In the evenings, grill out with your housemates or walk to the corner for some of the most delicious tacos in all of the world. Rockaway Taco is located on Beach 96th but be warned that the line will start queuing at 2pm and go until close.
Yes, it really is THAT good.
If pizza is more your thing, check out Roberta's. They have a permanent post in Bushwick that draws pizza lovers from miles around. For the summer they are serving personal pies on an empty property on beach 96th out of a cargo container. It needs a paint job but the food is fresh and inventive with ingredients from sopresa to honey toppings.
After cocktails and dinner, throw on your sundresses and jean shorts and head out for the night. This town is small so you won't have too much trouble finding friends for the evening - and everyone is ready for a good time.
But there's no wrong way to spend in the Rockaways so as my grandmother says, " Give my regards to Rockaway!"
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