A Far Rockaway of the Q53 Bus

We finally caved in this morning when the 10 am temperature had surpassed 90, and set up the air conditioner. While my broke side hates the idea of giving Con Edison another cent on top of our already exorbitant bill, my newly married side likes to think it might be cool enough in our house someday to have a sex life again. Our whirring Samsung box o' magic in the window promises to deliver. My husband is looking better and better already.


Yesterday, though, we weren't quite ready to commit to electrically-generated bliss, and set off for a Bored and Broke Outdoor Adventure...to the beach! I tend to forget how close NYC actually is to real, honest to God OCEAN. When we tell friends that our expedition took us all the way to Rockaway Park, their universal response so far has been: "Whoa. That's a haul." And yes, they're not wrong, but it was worth it.



At the tip of the Rockaway Peninsula, just south of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge (didn't know Queens had wildlife other than late night Ouzo-induced Greek dancing in Astoria, did you?), Rockaway Beach is technically part of the five boroughs, but it feels like it could be one of the less ritzy towns on Cape Cod. The beach is blessedly unglamorous - plenty of overweight ten year olds and leathery grandmas to balance out a smattering of bikini-clad teenagers posing for one another. The sand is soft, and because the beach is technically part of the NYC Parks & Rec Dept, it's not a total shithole. And Italian Ice vendors circulate constantly, much to the frustration of the many parents trying to rein in their hyperactive preteens.


We packed chopped up watermelon to help deter ourselves from buying junk food on the boardwalk - the easiest way in the world to save money is to BRING YOUR OWN FOOD. But if you're not that organized, visit the 11 day old Rockaway Taco on 96th Street and Rockaway Beach Blvd, next door to a fledgling organic produce stand that offers just-harvested carrots, small sweet potatoes, and beautiful strawberries. The menu is simple and cheap, and you can grab an iced coffee next door afterward at Jack's Coffee, which also opened at the end of May.

And as it turns out, seems as though we're not the only ones who have sun and waves on the brain this weekend. When our next Con Ed bill comes in, we're shutting off the A/C and heading back to the beach. An awesome cheap day.

To get there: Take A train to Broad Channel (one stop past JFK airport). Wait on the same platform for S shuttle train and take that two stops to 98th street. The beach is a 2 minute walk from there. Another option: we took the R train to the Q53 bus from Astoria, which is a nice ride through the Jamaica Bay marshes. (It's nice to be above ground for your transit every now and again, isn't it? Makes you feel less rodent-like.)

**Update, 6/30/10: that produce stand that I mentioned is getting some attention! It's apparently called Veggie Island, and is described in yesterday's Times.