Fire Island

Nick and I decided to take a day trip to Fire Island. It's a 32 mile stretch of land that is only accessible by taking a ferry. I had heard a lot about it from other people and patients - I think it's well known too because parts of the island is very gay friendly.

We decided to go to the main area... sort of the capital of the island, Ocean Beach. It was a kind of trains, planes, and automobiles day to get there. It wasn't hard by any means but a few transportation switches.

First there was a subway ride to Penn Station. Then we caught the Long Island Railroad to Jamaica where we had to switch to another train. This train took us to Bay Shore where we then caught a taxi service to the ferry. And lastly the 20 minute ferry ride to Fire Island... it was quite the trip! Fire Island has no cars - you walk or ride your bike. Also there is no eating or drinking on the beach (except water)... it keeps the beach areas clean and pristine.







The ferry was extremely crowded!



Ocean Beach is this cute, quaint beach town. The main square area had the typical restaurants, beach stores, etc. It really was very nice. We had a about a 5-10 minute walk to the beach. We passed a lot of small houses with a very topical feel to them. Nick and I talked about looking into renting a house and getting a group of friends to go.



The Atlantic!

The beach was crowded but not overly crowded. We found a nice spot and proceeded to relax. It was hot but we didn't have the humidity we had been experiencing the last few days. And there was a nice breeze coming off the Atlantic. As we lay there I tried to remember the last time we were at the beach... I couldn't. It's been a long time. I missed it... the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. Priceless.





We ate lunch at a little cafe in town for a break from the sun. And of course we had to get some ice cream for dessert. We stayed at the beach for another hour or so but then decided we had enough. I'm not one for just laying out in the sun and Nick's skin can't take too much either. Next time we will bring an umbrella so we can have some shade.


Those people were smart - umbrella!


Our first beach day!

So began our transportation journey back to the city. It didn't take too long to get back to the city. Fire Island is a great day trip. It's definitely something we will be doing again!