In New York the summer does not begin with the first sun, but with the first bath. That is why the New Yorkers now have a date well in mind: it is that of 23 May 2026, because from that day officially reopens the bathing season, which will go on until 13 September. The lifeguards will be in service every day from 10 am to 6 pm, and outside that time the bathroom remains forbidden, as when the red flags are exposed. It is a repeated rule every year, and for one reason: New York is an oceanic sea and not always easy to manage.
Rockaway Beach is the largest and most famous beach in New York City. It is located in Queens, overlooking the Atlantic, and for many New Yorkers it is the easiest way to go to the sea without leaving the five districts. It is not a seaside resort separated from the city, but its extension: you arrive by metro or by ferry, you descend with your backpack and towel, and within a short time you pass from cement to sand. This is why Rockaway has a pretty special identity, different from Coney Island and different from the most popular beaches outside the city.
A part of this identity passes from its long boardwalk, rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy, who in 2012 devaded the peninsula and changed the way New York looks at its coastal areas. The new catwalk, completed in the following years, is 5.5 miles long and has become together a protection, an infrastructure and a public space used by those running, bikes, walks the dog or simply crosses the neighborhood looking at the ocean.
Rockaway is also the only place in New York City where surfing has almost always authorized spaces. The most popular areas are Beach 67th and Beach 69th Street and Beach 87th and Beach 91st Street, where the waves are part of the neighborhood’s life. This is one of the reasons why Rockaway, over the years, has also become a small world with its own culture, made of historical residents, surfers, summer commuters, waterfront rooms and people who reach it from Brooklyn or Manhattan as soon as time permits.
Getting there is an important part of the experience, and it changes a lot depending on the chosen medium. The metro remains the most reliable option: the A line leads to Far Rockaway, while the Rockaway Park area can be changed to Broad Channel with the S shuttle. The ferry is slower but more scenic: the Rockaway route connects Wall Street/Pier 11 and Sunset Park to the peninsula, and with the summer program 2026 there are connections designed also for the increase of travellers on weekends. The single ticket of NYC Ferry costs $4.50, so not $4: small correction, but better not to take behind an old information just as you tell the beginning of the season.
L’articolo New York reopens the largest beach of all proviene da IlNewyorkese.
