F.I.B is still alive but moving kind of slow in this heatwave. I cooled off at Fort Tilden the other day. Amazing how it is located within New York City (on the Rockaway Peninsula, Queens) limits yet so ghostly, peaceful and natural. If it were not for the distant hazy skyline of Manhattan in the background, I would of thought I was on Fire Island or Cape Cod or something. 
Fire Island does not have structures like this, which were built to protect New York Harbor from foreign invaders. The appearance of it amongst the greenery reminded me of that scene in "Planet of the Apes" when Charlton Heston comes across the bombed out Statue of Liberty on the beach. Although not as dramatic (not many can top Charlton in that department) Fort Tilden has that kind of vibe.
The insides of these structures have been bombed with some of the best graffiti I have seen around. 
Everything looked fresh.
You quickly forget about those last vestiges of urbanness once you get past the remains of Fort Tilden and you are left with a peaceful, natural beach. On the the late afternoon I was there, there were hardly any other humans to be found. And the few that were there were au natural. 
To learn more about Fort Tilden click here.
F.I.B stayed till the sun set and found upon leaving the beach that the buildings on the grounds of Fort Tilden were no longer ghostly and had come to life. There was a lot going on! On Thursday nights the Rockaway Artists Alliance has a free open mike starting at 8pm and there seemed to be some punk rock bands getting ready to go.
And! Upon seeing some men wearing skirts it was learned that the final dress rehearsal going on for "A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum" by the Rockaway Theatre company. It's playing for the next couple of weeks. Click for the schedule here. I am sorry I missed their production of one of my favorite movies, Cactus Flower! The Odd Couple is coming up next!
Hope you are all keeping cool! You don't need to be rich to go to the beach, all you need is $4.50 or a bike to get you to Coney, Brighton, Riis Park, Fort Tilden and Rockaway Beach! While the beaches at Coney and Brighton are great for people watching and eating food and drink from the various vendors (both legal and illegal), the beaches in the Rockaways offer a more calming natural experience. Also!The pools are free! F.I.B has been swimming laps at the Double-D pool in Gowanus. Click here for a full list of NYC pools.
Between the beaches, the pools, the free outdoor concerts and movies, you have no excuse to complain that you are "stuck in the city this summer!"
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3 comments:
Fort Tilden is hands down one of my favorite spots in all 5 boroughs. It's part of the National Seashore, and as such under Federal jurisdiction. The Hoosier in me feels American again when crossing that border from NY into Federal territory. Love the surf and the dunes. Thank God.
Shh! You're letting the secret out... just kidding. Note that the Rockaway peninsula looks like Cape Cod and Fire Island because it's part of the same terminal moraine/outwash plain, glacial leftovers sculpted for 10,000 years by the sea.
Matthew...i did think twice about letting the secret out...but it's n secret and i didn't put the directions :)
I hate to say it, but i figure most people are lazy and won't see it for themselves anyway! You have to take a train AND a bus...
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