Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk

It’s a long breezy walk, with ample views of the ocean and plenty of space to lie down on the beach. However, I wasn’t wowed by the experience. There’s basically just one spot with just a handful of food stands serving overpriced options. It doesn’t compare with Coney Island.

Okay, I’m not a beach person… or at least I wasn’t until I moved to the Rockaways.
I think this is a very underrated area in general and I could go on about it but I’ll keep the review strictly about the boardwalk.
I wasn’t here before Sandy so I can’t compare it to that, but I’ve been to many boardwalks around the east coast and by far this is the prettiest and the best constructed one I’ve seen.
The parking situation sucks, mostly side parking and tiny little lots but that’s just New York in general. Luckily, I can walk to the beach so not an issue for me.
Foodwise, there is quite the assortment in the summer months, some local restaurants set-​up shop here as well as live music and of course drinks too.
Amenities wise, there are bathrooms littered about the boardwalk in this nuevo-​deco looking trailer pods, as well as first aid stations. There are freaking charging cables for your phone. Some telescopes to scrutinize the scenic ocean. Lots of trash cans and recycling bins too. They added many tiny playgrounds for the kids as well.
I also like the addition of the skate park, and my favorite are the palms tree!
The whole feel is very eclectic beach bum, with the new clean structures and then bright pastel colors of the buildings on the boardwalk and the art on the pedestrian rails, it makes for a very relaxing evening in the summertime.
In the winter, this place is definitely a ghost town with the occasionally joggers running the boardwalk, which is rumored to be 5.5 miles! I ran it today I got about 1.25 one way but completion day is scheduled anywhere between May 2016 and possibly running into 2017.
Overall? A very cool, clean and relaxing place to be. If you want a cleaner beach and some decent food and drinks than go here. The further up the beach you go the more clean and less congested it gets.

My home away from home. A true gem just outside of the city hosting some of the friendliest and coolest surfers in the country. Yes, I wrote it. Try it for yourself. And don’t forget to try the local food too. There’ s a small taco stand near 90^th beach street (I believe it’s called Tacoway Taco now). You have to try the tacos there after a surf/​dip in the beach and then tell me how it all went… Awesome, right? You wanna find a bungalow getaway with a few friends now, right? …yeah. Me too.
Great place and great memories.

Very nice boardwalk can’t wait to see it when it’s finished NYC parks website claims it will be completed by 2017
Open ocean beach very clean

This is the best of the ocean beaches in New York City. I still prefer Orchard Beach for it’s seclusion (especially on weekdays), but if you want the ocean and waves, this is your best bet in NYC. It’s extremely far away, however. It takes forever to get there unless you’re lucky. Even driving from Manhattan is very long. (I live in Manhattan. It takes 20 minutes to Orchard Beach and about 100 minutes to Rockaway, so I rarely have the patience to do this trip.)
It’s less crowded and cleaner than Coney Island and Brighton. Avoid those ones!

We went over labor day weekend to Beach-​98, which I liked better than the offerings at Beach-​116, as there was a boardwalk-​esque area with food and drink options! Most of these places are cash only, so be prepared, but if you forget cash, there is an ATM.
Lots of lifeguards were around and will yell at you if you go too far out in the water. there are really strong rip currents and it can be dangerous (we saw lots of rescues on a previous visit).
Bring sunscreen, an umbrella if you like to avoid sun, and if you are taking the train be prepared for it to take 45 – 1.5 hours each way from Manhattan, on a good day.. longer with train delays and construction.

I really, really enjoyed my time here. Went last Friday since my office does summer half day Fridays, bless them. The boardwalk was recently renovated, and the beach itself is clean and there are plenty of spots where you can get nice views of the water. There were some annoying people who were feeding the seagulls right next to me so there were like 25 seagulls and I had to move, but that’s not the beach’s fault. There are also lifeguards everywhere so if you decide to go swimming (I didn’t) you better have that on lockdown.
Lots of great food nearby, but bring cash because very few places take card (although found a great pizza place called Elegante Pizzeria, see other review about that) There are also apparently chargers/​plugs on the boardwalk but I didn’t see any.

I usually go to Brighton or Coney Island but when my friends protest, I oblige. After all, it’s hard for me to pass up the beach!
It’s a hike from Manhattan, but the train ride is full of other beach goers so that says something.
The crowd here is a bit younger and as the sun sets, there is live music and a block party every night. It’s a great way to wind the day down. Food opions are decent.
The police here are pretty strict about open containers. Especially glass bottles. I saw a lot of people getting citations :/​Know how to hide your booze!

Still be renovated after the damage Sandy caused but well on it’s way to coming back better than before. The board walk is done from about 86^th Street to 104^th Street? There is food by the 96^th Street and 88^th Street entrances to the boardwalk. There’s also a bar at both places. There was a store as well on the 96^th St entrance where you could rent bikes and beach chairs.
The new boardwalk is nice and it is very wide. Accommodating to the walkers and bikers.
Bathrooms and wash stations for the sand are also by these entrances.
Parking was the downside here. Took a little bit of driving around before I could find a spot. There is a pretty sized parking area right on 96^th St but that is usually the first to fill up.
The A train is also only a few blocks away.
Hopefully the boardwalk keeps going further up and down the beach.

Nice local beach — much nicer than Coney Island. I traveled here via the Q53, which drops you off at 116^th Street beach, which is near bathroom facilities and a busy street filled with delis and places that sell beach chairs, umbrellas, etc.
I’ve also traveled here via car, which I would not necessarily recommend. Traffic was OK but finding parking is challenging. There’s a free parking lot around 95^th and 96^th Street, but it’s difficult to find spots. I would recommend traveling via subway/​bus.
The sand is fairly clean. After the devastation that Sandy brought, the City has really revitalized the area. I have enjoyed coming here this summer. The beach doesn’t attract as many unruly, loud, obnoxious visitors as Coney Island does and I hope it stays that way.

After brunch, my friend drove us to Rockaway Beach. Holy moly its mad far and too many freaking traffic lights. We saw people hitchhiking a ride to the beach or bus stops with too many bystanders. Its pretty insane as we never experience that going to Jones Beach.
Parking at the beach is a bitch like seriously all the blocks are just filled with cars… SMH! Luckily I spotted a parking lot that you pay 20 bucks for 5 hours which is such a rip off located on B92nd St and DeSota Rd.
Walking over to the boardwalk is a pretty short walk unless if you are lugging too many things like a gigantic surf board. We didn’t want to walk too far away from the bathrooms so we stay at B86th St which was pretty packed no matter which way you turn your head. The ocean was filled with too many seaweeds floating around and I always feel like something is touching me so not a great feeling.
Overall its a nice beach for the people that live around there! But I am going to stick with my beloved Jones Beach hehe

NYC beaches can be questionable – they’re either overly crowded, dirty, or swarmed with tourists. Rockaway Beach is an exception to that. It was truly a charming experience. From the moment you walk up to the boardwalk, you feel transformed like you’re so far away from the city, and all the hustle and bustle has gone to sleep.
Rockaway Beach is clean, pleasant, and everyone looked happy. They have several stands selling clothing and jewelry on the boardwalk. They aren’t inexpensive, but it’s nice to look at quality made products. With all the restaurant stands, you have several options of what to eat and for the high quality of the food, I don’t think the prices are unreasonable. You can order anything from Arepas, to Lobster Rolls, to Smoothies. They play really good music from the restaurants and often have events here at night like concerts. There is something here for everyone. It’s a great place to fly kites, and an all around beautiful beach. I am looking forward to coming back here again. The train that takes you from Rockaway Beach to the main route arrives approximately every 30 minutes so plan your return trip around that.

Take the A train all the way down to the Far Rockaway station. Takes around an hour to get there and an hour to get back. Definitely recommend going this beach if you want to go to a beach in NYC, the sand and water were both much cleaner than I expected, and it is only a short walk from the subway station. When we arrived I thought — we can’t still be in NYC. Talk about a weekend get away.

I love Rockaway Beach! This summer I’ve been here so many times– solo, with a friend, with a group of friends– and each time has been just what I needed. The beach is clean, the water is cool and depending on what you’re looking for, you can check up the upper beaches for quiet or the lower beaches for more activity. I don’t usually buy food or drink, as I bring my own, but there are a few options that I’ve tried at Beach 97 and Beach 106, nothing memorable though. This is the perfect place to get some sun, people watch, sip a nutcracker (from Jabari) and enjoy the summer.
If you’re hungry after a day at the beach, check out the lady selling $ 1 empanadas on the way to the Beach 98 subway station. They’re delicious and she makes her own hot sauce that goes nicely with it.

I have no idea how I got here but i know it’s a beautiful beach. Very clean and it’s not crowded. The sand felt amazing between my toes. Great place to have a Bbq and hang out with friends. Lots of parking nearby. You could never tell that area was destroyed, they did an excellent job rebuilding the community.

The sand and water at Rockaway beach are clean — that is, until the gulls raid the wastebaskets and pull out all the food garbage. We like the Beach 95^th Street area for the parking availability/​train stations, the tidy and well-​stocked restrooms, and the boardwalk spray showers. The vibe is chill and fun and family-​oriented, not at all rowdy, and not too crowded. I can’t report on the concession stands since we bring our own picnic.
The ocean can get rather rough, and the lifeguards are amazingly vigilant. They alert people in the water to stay out of danger areas and to group up where they can respond quickly to potential problems. They swim out and deal individually with people who ignore the warnings. So my family feels very safe and thankful that they’re doing such a good job.

Nice clean beach with plenty of food options near by.
Way better than Coney Island beach — so come here for your summer weekends!

Lovely, clean beach… It’s a great place for a walk, run, jog you name it. Room to play and enjoy the summer fun. There’s a kids park, picnic area, skating area as well. You’ll catch a sick sunset here too. Doesn’t get too crowded. The temperature here is definitely lower than the city so at night bring a cardigan or hoodie.

If I think of going to the beach, I think of Rockaway Beach. It is conveniently 40 mins away from the first stop of the Q53 at 61^st Woodside. There is a lot of nice places to rest and lay out in the sun. I usually prefer 116^th. One because it is the last stop on the Q53 and two because it has a lot of eateries and shops. The beach is lined with lifeguards and the beach is expansive. I went a few days ago to 119^th and it was very tranquil and relaxing. I had a great time. Great place to suntan and relax.

This beach is very convenient to get to from train and bus about 45 minutes from city. Each part of beach has concession stands with delicious food ranging from smoothies, lobster rolls to tacos. There are also restaurants off the beach you can walk to. Bathrooms are clean.
Not too touristy, water and sand very clean.
From Astoria: take R train to grand ave, then get on q53. Bus takes you straight to beach about 35 minutes.

Beach 98 has food and drink options according to Unilocalers.
Of course, we have to go to Beach at 98 street!
The beach was clean, the weather was soothing.
This summer day was Sunny, not too hot. I am thankful to spend some time in the salty ocean and sun.
I loved seeing my girlfriends on this summery day. The wind kicked up the surf.
We spontaneously opted to rent a surfboard. I was so happy to finally try surfing!
My first time surfing was hilarious and a little rough. After a couple rough starts (some bruised knees and slipped swimsuits), I finally made it out to a couple waves.
Then a male lifeguard called us in. He told us to go the surfing side (far left or far right of our section).
Ok. Surfing was a little difficult for us beginners. So my friend and I opted to try boogie boarding. The rough waves made it hard for my friends to get out, but I managed to paddle out further. I heard in the distance a female lifeguard blowing her whistle. Some elderly gentleman was swimming behind me, so I figured she was signalling to him.
After a few minutes of her whistling, I realized she was signalling to me. I slowly rode one wave in, then another.
She jumped in and began swimming toward me. ‘Don’t you hear me whistling at you?!‘
I replied, ‘I thought you were whistling to the man behind me. When I realized you were whistling at me, I came in’
She told me ‘You couldn’t come in so I had to come in to get you. I don’t trust your swimming abilities. You aren’t allowed to go past this line.’ She points to a tiny sign.
Ok.
So I waited a bit, and went in with the boogie board again. Obviously, I disagreed with her analysis of the situation but she looked young and scared. (And Rockaway is notorious for drownings).
Giving her the benefit of the doubt, I obeyed her strange rules. My friend and I remained within the boundaries.
Then a large wave hit and my friend lost control of her board.
Tweeeeeeeeeee Tweeeeeeeeee!!!
I winced and looked towards the female lifeguard. She threw her hands up next to her head, giving us a incredulous look.
A female outfitted in green (who worked for the park) told my friend that the lifeguard no longer is allowing us to use our boogie boards.
That was the end of our fun in the surf.