Not exactly the Hamptons, but the Rockaway beach is fairly easy and cheap to get to.  It is also cleaner than Coney Island.  

We left Manhattan at 9:40am and arrived at Beach 105 street in an hour.  You can take the Cross Bay Bridge ($2.10 toll on EZ pass) to save some time or take the local road via Rockaway Blvd.

Parking is pure luck here! We arrived before 11am but was only able to find a spot on Rockaway Beach Blvd.  Our friends arrived after us and found spots right on Short Front Parkway (entrance to the beach).

Given this was our first time visiting Far Rockaway, we opted to stay closer to the subway stations to provide others with arrival options via public transportation.  A friend took the A train from Chelsea and arrived in 75 mins.  The walk is 5 mins to Beach 105 street.  Alternatively, you can take the NYC ferry from Wall St. (Pier 11) or Sunset Park for $2.75 with 57 mins travel.  The walk from the ferry terminal to the beach is about 7-10 mins.  You can also take Rockaway Weekend Shuttle Buses from the ferry terminal to various beach stops along the way.  

Surprisingly, the beach was getting packed at 10:45am!  We found a nice area by Beach 105 street.  The sun was beaming and we started the party by sharing some home-made drinks.  The boys played some frisbee and volleyball before justifying for a big lunch at Caracas Arepa Bar.  

The boardwalk was recently repaired in May 2017 after it was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.  The new boardwalk is concrete with bike lanes.  When you look towards the ocean, it almost feels like you are in Miami or Venice Beach!

After some more sunbathing and Truly, we decided to cool down in the water.  Although we were at the end of Summer, the ocean temperature reminded us that we were not in Miami.  But this did not stop many others from enjoying the water!  What we did not expect was the constant whistle from the lifeguards.  It seems like everyone was in violation of the beach rules!

After 6 hours of beach time, it was time to join the traffic back to Manhattan.  With a city beach that is now relatively easy to get to even without a car, wouldn't you make this your summer destination?