The beach retreat

Brighton Beach

Fri
Forget the Hamptons: New York City has 14 miles of beaches, and the glory of our local sand is only a subway ride away. Start after work: Hop on a D, F, N or Q train and before you can say “Nathan’s Famous,” you’re in Coney Island. The city doesn’t allow swimming after 6pm, when the lifeguards go off duty, but you can improve your stroke by working on your swing at the Coney Island Batting Range (3049 Stillwell Ave near the boardwalk; 718-449-1200, coneyislandbattingrange.com) or holding your breath riding the 79-year-old Cyclone. Fireworks erupt over the beach at 9:30 every -Friday night through Labor Day.

Sat
Time to hit Rockaway—just an A train away. (Grab the shuttle from Broad Channel. The last stop, Beach 116th St–Rockaway Park, lets you off a couple blocks from the water.) When sunburn starts to set in, head up the peninsula and indoors to the Rockaway Artists Alliance galleries (Fort Tilden, Beach 169th St at Rockaway Blvd; 718-474-0861, rockawayartistsalliance.org). A different kind of culture awaits at Connolly’s (155 Beach 95th St between Rockaway Beach Blvd and Shorefront Pkwy, 718-474-2374), a lifeguard hangout open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, where the motto “Pray for lightning” is an ode to the storms that let the lifeguards leave the beach and hit the bar. Connolly’s has a Strokes and Libertines-stocked jukebox that would seem more at home in the East Village, and its signature $5 frozen cocktails are a gentle path to intoxication.

The Rockaway Park Hotel (158 Beach 116th St between Ocean Promenade and Rockaway Beach Blvd, 718-643-0469) is steps from the beach and offers rooms for as low as $70 a night. But the shared bathrooms (call ahead for a room with private facilities) and SRO chic could send you back to your own bed.

Sun
Orchard Beach, the Bronx Riviera, beckons. You can findthe secluded crescent within the 2,700-acre Pelham Bay Park, the largest in the city. The 6 train gets you most of the way there; after that, it’s just a short ride on the Bx12. The beach staff (718-885-2275, nycgovparks.org) will even tell you which of the snack bars serves the best burgers, burritos and, of course, knishes.—Justin Rocket Silverman