When you think of New York, scenes of rushed people, yellow cabs, high rises, and bright lights come to mind... not really sand, sun, and waves huh?
One of my friends wanted to hit up her bucket list in taking a long board/surf lesson, and so we ventured to Rockaway Beach. To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect, I hear a lot about Long Island Beach, but less about Rockaway, so this whole beach scene was a new experience in itself.

Commute wise, it was rather easy to get to by subway (approximately an hour ride), except because it's farther away from Manhattan, there are less trains, and on the weekend, even less, so plan your itinerary right to not waste any waiting around time. Also, there are no cabs at the destination itself, so be prepared to do lots of walking, or take the bus (which is pretty straight forward as there isn't a lot of options).

The beach itself was mediocre, it seemed like a beach for retired local people living in the area looking for an "affordable" view to look at and sand to lie on everyday. I use quotations, because affordable to them is probably a extremely ridiculous amount for me, but probably better priced than say the Hamptons where all the celebs reside with a gorgeous scenic view. Anyways, that's besides the point, but there isn't a whole lot to offer in terms of tourist-esque attractions here-little to no boardwalk shops, souvenir places, or fun things to do other than lie on the beach, like we did.

I'm making Rockaway sound really boring, but realistically speaking, there isn't a whole lot you can do on a beach, be it Miami or New York. So even though we would've wanted to check out more places, it was nice to just take it easy baking our backs with the sun's rays and squishing sand in between our toes.

I guess for you Edmontonians reading this, it can be compared to Sylvan Lake, but minus all the shops/hotel/food joints in the background, yes this beach was as simplest as can be.  

 HOLD UP THOUGH.

THY BEST PART HAS TO GO TO... ROCKAWAY TACOS. I don't care if the line looks long and not worth the wait, because it is SO WORTH THE WAIT. As I'm writing this, all I can remember is the amazing fish tacos I had here. Everything was made fresh to order and even though the line was long, your order comes pretty quick, so savour every bite!