Long Walks on the Beach
Good date or bad date, a day’s always better at the beach. We think Rockaway makes for an ideal date, but see this story for other great beaches that are easily accessible from NYC without a car.
1. Ride the rails a little over an hour to travel-worthy waves and eats at Rockaway Beach. Consider taking a surf or SUP lesson if you’re both new to the sport.
2. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, get in line at Tacoway Beach.
3. Wash down a Mexican dish of locally-sourced seafood with a cup of Italian ice from John DiCosmo’s neighboring stall. DiCosmo’s rotating flavors, handmade with real fruit and fruit juices, include World Famous Lemon, Orange-Pineapple, Guava and Gooseberry.
4. Enjoy your Italian ice (or something stronger at Conolly’s Bar) ’til the sun goes down and the stars come out.
Read our full guide to Rockaway Beach here.
How to get there: Take the A to Broad Channel, transfer to the S to Rockaway Park-Beach 98th St.
Photo: Brett Renfer.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram