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Girl Gone Travel

Girl Gone Travel

North America, Travel
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June 1, 2010

A Few Favorite Beaches Via the Long Island Rail Road

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As the weather gets warmer, and the city streets get hotter, my family and I love to go on little beach getaways outside of Manhattan. Our beach destination of choice: Long Island.

Even though we have a car, we often find that not driving is not only greener, but easier, especially in the Summer months when traffic into and out of Manhattan is at its absolute worse.

We have found that despite the comfort in being able to throw everything in the car, the hassle of driving there and back, the traffic, the cost in gas, and parking has made commuting to the beach a much better option.

If only going for the day, we pack our lunch, a few books and activities, leave early in the morning to avoid the mad rush, and enjoy the ride out. The LIRR is our transportation option out there, and I enjoy the big seats, quiet rides, and air conditioned cars.

Long Beach

The trip requires a subway ride to Penn Station, a LIRR railroad connection, and then a short bus connection to the beach. It might sound awful, but I assure you, it is still a faster commute to the beach then taking the crowded highway roads there and the time spent really connecting and talking as a family is faster achieved when not stressed out because of the miles of cars in front of you.

Here are three of our favorites:

Robert Moses State Park

This is one of our favorite beaches to take the family to because we have found it to be less crowded and less noisy. It’s a bit of a longer distance than say Jones Beach, but it certainly is worth the trip. Field 5 is the closest to the Fire Island lighthouse, but it’s a bit of a walk to get to (not easy to do with little kids) and it can be very crowded on weekends in the Summer. It is also the location of the clothing optional beach, one frequented by a diverse group of people, whether they be single, couples, or families, and one of my favorite for topless sunbathing back in the day. The beach itself is beautiful. The water is great for boogie boarding and surfing (Field 2) and overall it’s relaxing and quiet. There is food accessible, but we always bring our own.

LIRR tickets for weekend beach service are $19.00 from New York and Brooklyn, and $15.00 from Jamaica. The connecting S47 bus service, provided by Suffolk Transit, from Babylon Station to Robert Moses operates approximately every half-hour on weekends; hourly on weekdays. The last bus departs Robert Moses at 6:30 PM. Daily service begins June 22 and continues through September 7.

Fire Island, Ocean Beach

This is the ultimate “local” getaway for us.I loved visiting as a single girl, I love it even more as a mom. It is a place where my kids have spent hours playing in the sand, splashing in the water, and being rolled around in a red wagon or two. There’s tons to do, and not as crowded as Kismet, another family-friendly part of Fire Island.

No cars on the island make for wonderful times hiking, exploring, or bike riding and discovering new spots. The people are lovely, the beach is gorgeous, and the sunsets are absolutely breathtaking.

Fire Island has several destinations that cater to every single lifestyle, which is why we love it so much. You can read more about Fire Island and its various beaches here:

Whether camping or renting a house or hotel room, a getaway to Fire Island with the family is truly a treat, and getting there is half the fun. Accessing the island by ferry is incredibly fun. The ride is short and the kids love it.

Some times, if finding lodging on the island itself is hard, we look on the mainland and then just take the ferry back and forth.

Long Beach

This is our option if we want to reduce the number of commute transfers and we just want to get to the beach. Long Beach has an awesome boardwalk. We love the small community. You can walk to local pizza places, and mingle with the friendly locals. It’s quiet and clean, and if you get there early enough in the day, it’s just stunning.

A short walk from the LIRR’s Long Beach Station, it’s also on our list of favorites.

LIRR tickets for weekend beach service are $19.00 from New York or Brooklyn, and $16.00 from Jamaica. Hourly service is available from Penn Station, Brooklyn and Jamaica; with direct weekend service from Penn Station. Weekday service begins June 22 and continues through September 7. The LIRR also offers discounted rail and beach admission passes.

For more information on the wonderful discounts and great beach getaway destinations offered through the LIRR please visit their website.

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Carol Cain

Brooklyn native Carol is happiest when on an adventure, whether close to home or farther away. She is a small business owner and travel writer. In addition to creating Girl Gone Travel, she is the Founder and Principal of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. She's mom to three wonderful sons and wife to a handsome Irish/Scot. She lives, works, and plays in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of NY.

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  • Ongoing Summer Events at El Museo Del Barrio | NYCity Mama
    June 19, 2010

    […] So many, many things to see and do here in NYC. No matter how hot the day, if you’re not at favorite NY beach, you will definitely find a way to keep […]

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Hi! I'm Carol! I am an award-winning travel blogger, a keynote speaker, and the Principal and owner of Brave World Media, a social media marketing, communications, and branding agency. I a wife to a handsome Irish/Scot and a mom to 3 sons. Welcome to my blog where I share stories of my travels and professional public relations insights and advice. Thank you for reading and for your support!

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A message about yesterday’s event: Happy Monday A message about yesterday’s event:

Happy Monday, y’all. Woke up in time to enjoy the soft glow of sunlight that shines its way around our house in the morning, and sipped on a cafecito without being rushed for anything. So already today is a win. 

Yesterday we worked our longest day yet for our little coffee cart that could (7 hours!!!) at the Heritage Fiesta in Ithaca, NY. 

Though we were ready for a crowd, the reception was also unexpected because there was a popular coffee shop just steps away. 

But we had Cómodo Fam stop by, family (who also fed us 🙏🏾), and soooo many members of the Latinx and BIPOC community who were just excited to see a small business like ours representing. 

I want to share that we were ALL worried about potential harassment and assault by 🧊and fliers were handed out to prepare us. And you would think that it would’ve intimidated the community enough to not come out…BUT WE DID. In numbers. 

And for hours that little parking lot next to Press Bay Alley was packed with all sorts of Latinx and non-Latinx community members, eating, laughing, dancing, singing, and drinking all the cafecitos and refreshers we had to offer. Literally. We went home cleaned out!

All this to say that we are all aware of the threats but we also understand the power and importance of coming together as a community and a people. By no means are we all the same, and Lord knows a lot of Latinos have a lot of self-reflecting to do based on the choices they made, but yesterday was a testament to the best of us, and I thank @yenospina and @lcatompkins for putting together such a wonderful event, for inviting @cafecomodony to be a part of it, and to all the friends, old and new, who came out to support us and la cultura. 

#fingerlakes #newyork #cafecomodo #coffeelover
Finally taking a break to enjoy one of my favorite Finally taking a break to enjoy one of my favorite lazy day pastimes of the season: market shopping for fall goodies - which in the Finger Lakes is especially bountiful. 

📍Joseph’s Wayside Markey, Naples, NY

#fingerlakes #newyork #octobermood #fallday
Our neighbors are harvesting the grapes. The proce Our neighbors are harvesting the grapes. The process is busy and noisy but also exciting and fun to watch. 

This cloudy morning seems to have calmed things down a bit, but not for long I am sure. These families work hard!

Bonus: they set up roadside stands so we can purchase and taste them 🍇 I highly recommend picking some up if you see some in your drive. 

#fingerlakes #lifeinthecountry #newyork
The rain has been so good. More, please. ❤️ The rain has been so good. More, please. ❤️
I want to take moment to send out love to my fello I want to take moment to send out love to my fellow Latinx and immigrant community. 

To send strength to my community of glorious misfits who are out in the world making good trouble and emboldening us to not give up hope on our dreams, our livelihoods, our future, our country, our people. 

The country our parents worked so hard to get to so that we could fly. A country they helped build and bring to prosper. A country our communities help to feed and house and care for. 

I am my immigrant parents dream come true, and my children are a continuation of that dream. 

I just want to remind all of us who represent the targeted, of our worth. Of the value of our contributions. In our languages, our culture, our insights, our work ethic and skills and knowledge. Of the things we bring to the table.

I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, or to us. But, as someone whose family lived through a dictatorship, I have an idea of how this story will end. And all I can advise is that we remain on the right side of it, our convictions unaltered, our core values untethered. Our spirits unbroken. In these stories, the monsters might scare us, and even harm some of us, but they never, ever win in the end. 

I am living proof of that. ❤️ And every time you succeed and feel joy, you are too. Pa’lante, mi gente.
Signs of autumn 🍂 in the Finger Lakes. Signs of autumn 🍂 in the Finger Lakes.

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