NYC Weekend Escape: Fire Island

An easy trip from Manhattan, Fire Island is a great beach getaway in late summer. The 32 mile long barrier island off the southern coast of Long Island has more than a dozen small communities to explore. My crew and I spent Labor Day Weekend in the Village of Ocean Beach. 

GETTING THERE

If you're like most New Yorkers, you don't have a car. And honestly, even with a car, you'll pay a good amount for parking at the ferry terminal so I still recommend traveling by train. Here's how:

  • Take the Long Island Rail Road [LIRR] from Penn Station in Manhattan or Jamaica Station in Queens—whichever is easier for you to get to. Take the LIRR train to the Bay Shore station. Then, hop a bus ("David Brothers Taxi," included in your LIRR ticket price in the summer, about a 5 minute ride) to the Fire Island Ferry terminal. From there, make sure you hop the right ferry to the right village on Fire Island.
FireIsland_2017-463.JPG

ACCOMODATIONS

There's no shortage of amazing little bungalows + homes for rent on Fire Island. That said, book early because they go quickly! Also consider how long you want to stay. Many rentals are for the full season or for a full week. It's tougher to find weekend rentals, unless you're subletting. Per usual, Airbnb is a great resource for finding weekend rentals. Other rental companies you can work with include Fire Island Living, Fire Island Homes, and Fire Island Sales & Rentals.

FireIsland-bungalo.png

EXPLORING OCEAN BEACH ON FIRE ISLAND

Since Fire Island is packed with numerous little communities I believe the best way to explore Fire Island is to simply stroll the streets. I went on a run one morning where I spotted lots of wildlife, ran through streets and sand, spotted locals going about their morning routines, saw adorable bungalows, and experienced different vibes throughout a few different island communities.

Ocean Beach has many great bars, restaurants and shops. In fact, this community has the highest concentration of bars, restaurants and shops on the island. Here's some that we explored:

  • Houser's Bar: A lively bar that became our go-to. They had live music every night, was always packed, had a great outdoor deck and served up a strong signature cocktail [the Zippy Cooler—proceed with caution]. This joint was established in 1921 and is the longest running, continuously operated hotel and dining establishment on Fire Island.
  • Island Mermaid: Waterfront dining during the day, fun bar with room for dancing at night. This bar never felt too packed and the DJ keeps energy high.
  • Castaway Bar & Grill: Happy hour starts at 4pm, and it gets jam packed. On this island you can't beat a good deal, and Castaway has them, so take advantage. 
  • Town Pizza: A little pizza shack perfect for a cheap(ish) lunch or late-night nom. Located on Bay Walk in the center of the community. Regardless of the time of day, this place always seems to be packed. The pizza is good—probably the best in the community of Ocean Beach—and the chicken fingers are hot and greasy (which I'm into).
  • Rachel's Bakery: If you have a sweet tooth and you're in Ocean Beach, Rachel's Bakery is a must. Tons of fresh baked goods. 
  • The Pantry: If you need groceries in a pinch [aka the ones you didn't preorder] The Pantry is a solid bet. The prices are high, because, Ocean Beach. But The Pantry features a great deli counter for tasty and filling sandwiches, as well as hot and iced coffee available every morning. 
  • The Beach. Literally, I'm talking about the beach. It happened to be a bit cold and rainy when we went, but we still made our way to the beach every day and enjoyed the view. The sand is soft and once the rain passed, the skies were blue. The sunsets on Fire Island were amazing. While you're there, definitely bring beach games. Our games of choice were football, paddle ball and Spikeball. 
  • Fire Island Lighthouse. We didn't personally make it to the lighthouse, but it is a sight that seems worth seeing. If you make it out there, let me know how it was! It's on my list for my next go-round to Fire Island. 

ODDS + ENDS

Preorder grocery delivery. As mentioned above, when I wrote about The Pantry, groceries, booze, and dinners out are EXPENSIVE on Fire Island [even by NYC standards]. Save yourself some dinero by preordering essentials [think lunch meats, veggies, fresh fruit, bread, milk, beer, etc;] before you get to the island. We cooked together and ate family style for most of our meals. It really added to the community feel and also saved us lots of $$$. 

Rule followers welcome. Fire Island, and specifically Ocean Beach, is well known as "The Land of No." There's strict ordinances against eating and drinking on the beach, bicycling on sidewalks during restricted times, and eating on the streets outside of the downtown area. Just be aware of the rules and respect the spaces you're in.

Cash rules everything around me. Before heading to Fire Island, be sure to hit up the ATM because cash continues to be king on the barrier islands. 

Respect the wildlife and clean up. Animals on Fire Island have no fear. Specifically, the deer, who are accustomed to human visitors and will walk right next to you as you stroll to the beach. Those same deer are also eager to dig through your trash cans, so it's really important you properly seal trash bins

Lauren NolanComment