56 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • MAY 2018
DESTINATIONS
LONG BEACH:
THE CITY BY THE SEA
By BRENDAN MANLEY
The City of Long Beach,
appropriately nicknamed “The
City by the Sea,” has beckoned to
ocean-goers for centuries, from the
generations of Long Island baymen
who’ve plied their trade nearby,
to beach-loving vacationers from
Victorian times through today.
Shoehorned within Long Island’s
westernmost South Shore barrier
island, the city has grown
consistently over time, and Long
Beach now packs an incredibly
diverse range of offerings in a tight
geographic space.
“The City by the Sea has always been
an oasis for visitors from all over,”
says Ian Danby of the Long Beach
Chamber of Commerce. “With
three-and-a-half miles of beautiful
white sand beaches and more than
two miles of boardwalk overlooking
the Atlantic Ocean, you will fall in
love the minute you arrive.”
English colonists purchased Long
Beach from the Rockaway Indians
in 1643, but the narrow island
didn’t see year-round residents
until centuries years later. Much
had changed though by 1880,
when Brooklynite builder Austin
Corbin partnered with the Long
Island Rail Road to lay track from
Lynbrook to Long Beach. Corbin
built the Long Beach Hotel the
same year — the first resort on
Long Beach — and some 300,000
visitors arrived by train for the
first season. Development on the
island continued steadily from
there, and Long Beach became a
city in 1922.
Here are some of the many reasons
to visit Long Beach this summer.
THE SALT LIFE
As its name implies, the heart of
Long Beach is its waterfront, so
don’t miss Ocean Beach Park
The City of Long Beach is among Long Island’s most popular oceanfronts come summer.
(300 W. Broadway, 516-431-1021,
longbeachny.gov), an idyllic stretch
of sand with 2.2 miles of recently
rebuilt boardwalk. Parking may
be a bit tricky during peak times,
so you may want to consider
Pacific Boulevard Beach (Pacific
Boulevard and Shore Road) as an
alternate. But if you do forge ahead
to the boardwalk, a rewarding
excursion awaits: There are myriad
ways to spend an afternoon there,
whether your inclination is dining,
shopping, water sports, people
watching, or just enjoying a seaside
stroll.
“Our shining City by the Sea
has something for everyone,”
says Long Beach City Council
President Anthony Eramo. “After
you are done surfing, swimming,
or taking a bike ride, you can visit
our popular food truck market,
dubbed ‘The Shoregasboard,’ or try
one of the great concessions along
the boardwalk. After an amazing
meal you can visit one of our unique
shops or live music venues.”
Many of those pursuits are active,
whether it be on water, land, ice or
in the air. For example, one of the
more unique attractions to pop
up near the boardwalk is I.FLY
Trapeze (Riverside Blvd., 516-640-
1579, iflytrapeze.com), run by the LI
flying trapeze and circus arts school
of the same name. Would-be flyers
ages 4 to adult, as well as all skill
levels, can sign up for a session with
one of I.FLY’s skilled trainers. Call
ahead for reservations.
Or, test your balance on a longboard,
windsurfer or paddleboard provided
by Skudin Surf (1 Long Beach Ave.
/ tents on the beach, 516-318-3993,
skudinsurf.com). The company
offers board rentals, private surf
lessons, adult camps, summer surf
camps for kids and more, staffed
by professional surfers and certified
lifeguards. You can also rent and
learn on a stand-up paddleboard,
and even store your own gear at
Skudin’s Hurley Surf Club facility.
Another established beachfront
instructor is Surf2Live (830 Shore
Rd., 516-432-9211, surf2live.com),
which runs weekly surf camps
from June through August for
both adults and kids, as well as surf
parties and private lessons. And if
you need gear, look no further than
Moku Surf NY (879 W. Beech St.,
516-442-6900, mokusurf.com), a
virtual cornucopia of surfing swag,
with a collection of vintage boards
available.
Perhaps all that sun and surf has
you feeling a little balmy. Or you
prefer your water frozen. Whatever
the case, Long Beach also has one of
the premier Long Island ice skating
rinks — City of Long Beach Ice
Arena (150 W. Bay Dr., 516-705-
7385, longbeachny.gov/icearena) —
which is open year-round and offers