Fire Island News
New York Travel - A Fire Island GetawayBy Blake Severin
Tuesday, August 8th, 2006
You’ve had your Fire Island day trip planned for a couple of weeks, and finally the day has come. It’s a beautiful Saturday, and you’re enthusiastically beach-bound. You and your significant other are hanging out at Penn Station, with backpacks full of Fire Island beach gear; towels, sun block, Fire Island maps, and cash.
8:39 – The Bay
Shore bound Long Island Railroad train rolls in to Penn Station on Track 19. You gather your belongings and hustle for seats. The bustling nexus of New York travel by crowded subway or teeming sidewalk is ingrained in your soul; it’s hard to believe in just a couple of hours you will be worlds away. You and your sweetie find seats and chill – she grabbed coffees for you both at the Hot & Crusty, along with a chocolate croissant, which you share.
The Long Island Rail Road trip is a fascinating way to see Long Island, as town by town, stops are made. At Jamaica station, you and your girl switch seats to a facing section for a little more room. Looking up, you see a poster for One Ocean View, the Fire Island ABC reality TV show that recently debuted. You wonder if it’s an accurate depiction of Fire Island.
9:42 – The Long Island Railroad train pulls into Bay Shore station
You hop off the train and get your bearings. You pull out the map you printed—looking at your watch, you decide to hop into a waiting cab for the short ride to the Fire Island ferry terminal. You pass by Touro College, and cross over Bay Shore’s Main Street. As you cruise towards the ferry terminal, you admire some truly spectacular old Bay Shore houses. You smell the sea, see ferries in the distance, and grow excited.
9:50 – You stroll into the Ocean Beach Ferry terminal
What luck! The 9:55 Ocean beach ferry is boarding as soon as you walk up. You purchase tickets, board the ferry, and take stairs up to the ferry’s upper deck. You plop down on a bench-like seat, dab some sun block on your nose, and take a deep breath. As you exhale, urban pressures dissolve. The air is sweet and fresh, the sun warms your skin, and a gentle bay zephyr swirls across the ferry’s topside. Soon you cast off, and you’re chugging across the bay, relishing the refreshing breeze, watching in fascination as the mysterious Fire Island shore grows closer and closer.
10:25 – The ferry pulls into the Ocean Beach terminal
As it maneuvers into docking position, you see smiling happy faces waiting on the dock, calling out and waving to friends. Everyone stands up, eager to disembark and begin their Fire Island beach day – but you take a moment to view the town from the Fire Island ferry’s upper deck perspective. Ocean Beach appears like something out of another time; there are quaint little shops and restaurants, and a walkway packed with beachgoers and residents – but no cars. Everything is vibrant and colorful, yet peaceful and relaxed.
10:39 – You made it
A mere two hours after boarding the Long Island Railroad train, you’re at the beach – and it is beautiful. As you reach the top of the stairs that cross the dunes, you are reminded why you’re here: crashing waves, pure, intoxicating ocean air, and warm Fire Island beach sand. It’s a little crowded, so you walk down the beach a ways until you find the perfect spot. You pitch a blanket, apply sun block, and relax as the sun melts all your cares away.
4:15 – It’s been an amazing Fire Island beach day
But having had your fill of the sun and sand, you make your way back into town to explore. You duck into a convenience store and buy a Gatorade, which you chug faster than Napoleon Dynamite. Refreshed and ready to rock, you and your girl stroll through Ocean Beach’s Main Street, pausing to window shop and browse through its boutiques. You pick up an intriguing Hawaiian shirt and your girl buys some shell jewelry.
5:15 – You’ve got a hunger inside, and it’s time to feast
You decide to dine at Matthew’s Seafood House, which a friendly beachgoer recommended earlier as a top Fire Island restaurant for nearly three decades. It doesn’t disappoint. You sit on the back deck and relax in the sublime, mild summer night – looking out over the calm bay, you see a Fire Island ferry chugging towards Ocean Bay Park next door. You dine on fresh seafood, sip wine, and feast your eyes on the magnificent view.
7:08 – Ice Cream Anyone?
Fully sated, you take a little time to explore, strolling up the Ocean Beach walkways, pausing to admire the houses and whimsical landscaping jobs. A myriad of bicyclists pass you by as you stroll, ringing their bells, nodding their heads and smiling at you. You make your way back to town and have some ice cream at an old-fashioned parlor.
8:05 – All Aboard
Along with other day-tripping beachgoers, you line up to board the ferry once more. Everyone is radiating like the sun – tired, relaxed, and ready to head home. You board the ferry and get a seat on the upper deck. Your girl nestles her head on your shoulder and you set off across the placid bay. As you look over the water, you are stunned by a sublime scene: the sun has begun its descent, and its declining rays cast golden light over the bay’s rippling surface. For the rest of the ride back to the mainland, you watch the sunset, enraptured as if it’s the first sunset you’ve ever seen.
8: 35 – Walk if off
You decide to walk off dinner and ice cream, so slinging your backpacks over your shoulders, you and your girl set off on foot to the Long Island Railroad’s Bay Shore station.
8:53 – The walk was short
Only 15 minutes, but you’re feeling exhausted by the sun at this point. You’re relieved to see the 8:53 Long Island Railroad train to Penn Station pull up. You and your girl find a good seat, slip your tickets in the ticket holder, cuddle and promptly pass out, snoozing the whole way to Penn.
9:58 – You’re back home
Groggy, tired and thoroughly relaxed. In a 14-hour span, you’ve made an amazing escape to a magical, car-free land of sand, surf and sun. You feel refreshed, but Penn Station seems strange upon returning from the unique, otherworldly feel of Fire Island. You get one more coffee for the subway ride back to your apartment, feeling a twinge of regret that your Ocean Beach day trip has concluded. When will it happen again? Maybe next weekend . . . .
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