Im walking my dog down our lonely road in Newtown when a driver pulls over to ask directions.
Is there a beach around here?
The Pup and I were just pondering how to end this column about beaches. Then this guy arrives to serve as start and finish.
The driver and I stare at each other for a moment. Hes probably wondering why this would be a difficult question. Meanwhile, Im contextualizing. Thirty miles from the nearest sand along Long Island Sound might seem like around here to someone from, say, South Dakota.
Um, sorry, I finally reply. You probably saw the lake around the corner. Theres no beach.
Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time Editorial Page Editorial John Breunig won honorable mention in the print humor category in the National Society of Newspaper Columnists annual column contest. Breunig is a repeat winner in the category and a past honoree in the general interest category.
Well loop back to that in 625 words.
Yes, Im being a tad strict with my beach definition. Having lived near a shoreline most of my life, I confess to mourning its absence since moving from Stamford a couple years ago. So does The Kid. He also misses city life, so we drive two hours with Mom to visit a friend in Queens, New York, for a one-day vacation at Americas largest urban beach.
Dont look, its a surprise, he warns before dawns early light. My eyes are still closed, so this game works for me.
But I am surprised, as he is making sandwiches for the first time in his eight years. He also crams blankets, a pop-up tent, umbrella, chairs and a bucket of beach toys into the trunk of our Honda Civic.
The Civic briefly surrenders a couple miles into the trip when the plastic undercarriage splash shield sags after popping a button. Not to be thwarted, I perform meatball surgery with zip ties.
One of the many wonders of Rockaway Beach is that it is free. The only price is the walk of shame in lugging said blankets, tent, umbrella, chairs, bucket and cooler from a space in front of a neighborhood house.
They refer to people like you as being Down for the Day, our friend says of her neighbors. She says some carry so much they resemble the Grinch tilting in his overstuffed sled.
The Kid and I further dress the part by wearing Hawaiian shirts. I make a silent pledge to don a Ramones Rockaway Beach T-shirt should we ever return to Hawaii.
Choosing a spot on the beach during the pandemic reminds me of movie-goers shuffling for the best seat in the Avons smaller theater in Stamford. A woman on the horizon settles into her spot. A family parks on her left, apparently too close for comfort. So she does the crab crawl to the right. A couple lands and traps her on the other side.
Beach policy calls for masks when not in the water, with parks staff offering them as needed. While social distancing is respected, people clearly dread bringing home a mask tan even more than COVID. As a nudge to passersby, I make masks from napkins and put them on a couple of Barbie dolls that were stowaways in the bucket of toys. It is a dud, as a pack of nearby high schoolers squeeze together for a self-declared moment-in-time selfie. If theres any age group to maintain social distancing from right now, its recently retired high schoolers.
My fellow day tripper, meanwhile, pretends to charge the waters like the Beatles running from girls at the opening of A Hard Days Night (hes been binging), poses as Mr. Narwhal rising from the Arctic waters in Elf, and rolls in the sand to do his impersonation of a cinnamon doughnut.
As always, I am able to mine curative powers from the ocean. Rather than rub salt to sting wounds, the salt water is a magical elixir of healing properties. It cures the toothache in my heel, the poison ivy in my soul and clears sinuses clogged with anxiety.
It also is a chance to consider the NOMB (Not on My Beach) issue from the other end of the periscope. The matter of New Yorkers storming beaches is a hot topic in Stamford right now, and has always sizzled in Greenwich. I get it, but have never been able to get past the elemental reasoning that the waterfront should be available to everyone.
So, here we are, Connecticut Yankees putting the flip-flop on the other foot. I learn that the Rockaway neighbors like to forego their driveways in favor of street parking to block out space invaders. Its like Shippan with street smarts.
So, 625 words and a day later, were back in Newtown trying to advise steamy travelers in search of sand. I recommend nearby hiking trails, only to read disappointment in their faces.
I can understand, I offer sympathetically. We used to live in Stamford and miss the beaches.
Oh, we came from Stamford, they reply.
I guess were all going against the tide.
John Breunig is editorial page editor of The Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time. Jbreunig@scni.com; twitter.com/johnbreunig.
Read the original post:
John Breunig: Flip-flop is on the other foot when visiting beaches in New York - CT Insider
- Seabean Symposium-Live Blogging - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Alvaro Jaramillo Talks Gulls at 2010 Space Coast Birding Festival - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Fall Sunset on Anna Maria - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Fort Myers Beach Photos Revisited - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Reinier Munguia Keynote at Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Wilderness Matters - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Raptor Project Brings Winged Predators to Space Coast Birding Festival - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Sandscupting Festival on Fort Myers Beach - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- David Allen Sibley to Deliver Keynote at Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival 2010 - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Kevin Mims & Paddle Florida on the Suwannee River - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Zipolite Beach, Oaxaca, Mexico, Central America - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Port Charlotte Beach Park, Port Charlotte, Florida - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Kent in South Beach, Miami – Budget Beach Hotel in Florida - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Key West, Florida Dog Beach – Where Pooches Can Play - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Startling White Sand of Hyams Beach, New South Wales, Australia - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Palm Island Beach, Cape Haze, Florida - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- A Surfer’s Paradise at Punta Morena Beach, Cozumel - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Sand the Color of Olives: Papakolea Beach, Hawaii - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Destin, Florida - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Visiting Indialantic Beach? Check out the Crowne Plaza Melbourne Beach - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Say Good-bye to Manatee County Public Beach Pier - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Eco-tourism Field Trips at the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Birding at Sea: Pelagic Birding Aboard the Pastime Princess - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Video Clip - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Gulfster’s Surf Trip to Puerto Rico - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Holiday Candlelight Tour of Homes, St. Petersburg, FL - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Kevin Mims: An Outdoorsman to Follow - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- How Big is This Wave? - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Birders: Making a List and Checking it Forever - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Hunting Island State Park – Dog Friendly Beach in Beaufort, SC - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Beach Hotels in Ocean Park, Washington - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- San Diego, CA – Ocean Beach Dog Beach - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Best Beaches for Collecting Sea Glass - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Swimwear in 2010 combines key trends - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- S-Turns Beach in Rodanthe, Outer Banks of North Carolina, Wiped Out By Nor’easter - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- In Awe at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Summertime in the Outer Banks, North Carolina - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Panama City Beach May Not Welcome Spring Breakers in 2010 - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Bahia Honda Beach near Key West, Florida - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- U.S. Supreme Court Hears Case Regarding Florida Beach Ownership - December 14th, 2009 [December 14th, 2009]
- Historic Sites of Canaveral National Seashore - December 19th, 2009 [December 19th, 2009]
- Myrtle Beach Building Boardwak Along Beachfront, Adding Amenities - December 19th, 2009 [December 19th, 2009]
- Barrier Island Center Upcoming Events 2010 – Melbourne Beach, Florida - December 19th, 2009 [December 19th, 2009]
- Florida Wildflowers & Plants – Space Coast Birding Festival Field Trip - December 20th, 2009 [December 20th, 2009]
- Jellyfish in Long Beach Aquarium - December 20th, 2009 [December 20th, 2009]
- Heron Island in Great Barrier Reef under new management - December 21st, 2009 [December 21st, 2009]
- Sunset on Longboat Key - December 23rd, 2009 [December 23rd, 2009]
- Pishing With Pete at the Space Coast Birding Festival - December 23rd, 2009 [December 23rd, 2009]
- Summer is Over, but it Lives on My Hard Drive - December 25th, 2009 [December 25th, 2009]
- 800 Pound Beachball to Drop Over Panama City Beach, Florida on New Year’s Eve - December 27th, 2009 [December 27th, 2009]
- Birding by Ear and Habitat with Paddy Cunningham-Pascatore - December 27th, 2009 [December 27th, 2009]
- Prevention of Overfishing of Coral Reefs Reduces Occurrence of Coral Diseases - December 28th, 2009 [December 28th, 2009]
- Florida Screech Owls Encouraged by Nest Boxes - December 28th, 2009 [December 28th, 2009]
- Cayo Costa Photo Memories - December 28th, 2009 [December 28th, 2009]
- Family Activities at the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival - December 31st, 2009 [December 31st, 2009]
- BeachHunter’s Top 10 Beach Photos in 2009 - January 2nd, 2010 [January 2nd, 2010]
- Viera Wetlands is a Premier Birding Destination in Brevard County - January 2nd, 2010 [January 2nd, 2010]
- Here are a Few More Florida Summer Beach Memories. - January 3rd, 2010 [January 3rd, 2010]
- Lake Morat Puts the Beach in Swiss Beaches - January 6th, 2010 [January 6th, 2010]
- Smoking Banned at Beaches Around the Country - January 6th, 2010 [January 6th, 2010]
- Identifying Gulls – A Field Trip to Brevard County Landfill - January 6th, 2010 [January 6th, 2010]
- Victoria and Albert Museum in London Sponsors World Beach Project - January 7th, 2010 [January 7th, 2010]
- Does It Snow in Florida? - January 9th, 2010 [January 9th, 2010]
- Sun, sand and history found in Bodrum, Turkey - January 9th, 2010 [January 9th, 2010]
- Winter swimming rules at Den Haag’s beaches. - January 9th, 2010 [January 9th, 2010]
- Boats, Kayaks and Birds - January 10th, 2010 [January 10th, 2010]
- Snorkeling with Sea Turtles in Akumal, Mexico - January 11th, 2010 [January 11th, 2010]
- A Hidden Gem – San Agustinillo, Oaxaca, Mexico - January 12th, 2010 [January 12th, 2010]
- Penguins on the Beach at Betty’s Bay - January 12th, 2010 [January 12th, 2010]
- Robert Amoruso Photography Workshops at Space Coast Birding Festival - January 12th, 2010 [January 12th, 2010]
- Scuba Diving with Bull Sharks in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico - January 13th, 2010 [January 13th, 2010]
- California Beach Tradition Threatened - January 13th, 2010 [January 13th, 2010]
- Who’s Going to the 13th Annual Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival? - January 15th, 2010 [January 15th, 2010]
- Getting Away From It All in the Dry Tortugas - January 16th, 2010 [January 16th, 2010]
- History of the Bikini - January 19th, 2010 [January 19th, 2010]
- Conservation and the Economics of Birding - January 20th, 2010 [January 20th, 2010]
- Landlocked Swiss Hit the Beach at Lake Zurich - January 21st, 2010 [January 21st, 2010]
- Northern Ireland’s Blue Flag Beaches - January 22nd, 2010 [January 22nd, 2010]
- A beach of sorts in old Dun Laoghaire. - January 22nd, 2010 [January 22nd, 2010]
- Beach Sunrise Memories - January 22nd, 2010 [January 22nd, 2010]