Summer’s not over till….

My dear friend always says “Summer’s not over till I say it’s over!”   I like that philosophy.   I like it even more now that I can say “Summer’s not over till I can’t drive any further south!”

When people ask me what I miss most about New York, my answer is always “good Chinese food, and the beach!”   The latter usually gets a double-take.  Many people don’t realize that New York beaches are frequently voted “World’s Most Beautiful,” especially those out on Fire Island.  So one of my favorite summertime escapes was to board the LIRR at Penn Station bound for Long Island with my muffin and iced cappuccino, then hike over for the 45 minute ferry ride to my favorite summer spot, Watch Hill on Fire island, with my beach chair slung over my shoulder.

I love the double decker LIRR trains!

New Yorkers have a very structured approach to summer.  Come Labor Day, shorts and flip flops are mandatorily put away like “Navy whites,” to be regimentally replaced by close-toed shoes (black or brown only) long pants, dark colors, and sober faces to match.  It doesn’t matter how warm it remains, how bright the sun.  It happens automatically with the flip of the August calendar page.

New Yorker’s September beach attire…

Given that the temps have been near perfect, low 80 degree days, I decided to adapt my friend’s adage, “Summer’s not over till I say it’s over,” and head to the beach for a glorious September day.   Thanks to a hard drive failure on my work laptop, I had a couple of “bonus” days off while waiting for repair.  So I took off heading through downtown Manhattan during the early morning commute, wearing my tie-dyed tee shirt and flip flops, carrying a brightly colored beach bag among the mourning morning commuters, feeling like the lone Fruit Loop in a giant bowl of a hundred thousand Grapenuts.

The day is quintessential Indian Summer, yet there is hardly anyone around.   Why is it that a deserted beach in July can seem like such a gift, but come September, the emptiness feels a little lonely?

The air was dry and clear, the breeze just strong enough to keep away the biting horse flies.  And the water temperature I would call “bracing.”  Borderline cold enough to make me turn at ankle’s depth, but instead, take a deep breath and plunge on in.   After all, Summer’s almost over….almost!

6 thoughts on “Summer’s not over till….

    • Thanks, Mark. It is rewarding knowing someone is reading, even if it is only you and Mom. 😉 But I do enjoy writing, and as Simon & Garfunkel said, “Preserve your memories…they’re all that’s left you.”

    • Thanks, Kim! They really are beautiful, starting with Long Beach that is only an hour outside of Manhattan, all the way out to the Hamptons, just miles and miles of beautiful white sand…

      I love your blog too, and looking forward to your “Fall 2013 Tour!”

  1. Oh, gosh I am so sorry now I missed my beach day invitation by sitting with my leg propped up and my stately toe blister all wrapped up in a bandage. Such is the price to pay with an unseasoned walker to NYC! My loss! It looks just fabulous!

    Otherwise, it’s funny what one can realize after reading other people’s journals but I had to really stop and think to attempt to recall what the people around me were wearing during my recent vacation time there. Maybe it is a guy thing or a “where am I” old age thing but the only thing that comes to mind now are the oddest things. I recall the tattered attire of 3 (only 3 mind you) homeless people I saw sleeping under an awning. I remember several hair dyed styles of half blond, half black and several mufti-colored hair styles that looked even more flamboyant than bozo the clown, but attire-wise I realize now that I dressed solely each day for the temperature scale and paid no attention to what anyone else was wearing (what else is new, my friends would say LOL). Just how ironic is it then that one seemingly immune to fashion becomes mesmerized by such a fashion capital? Regardless, I’ll have to join forces and try to find a used I Heart NY tee at my local re-threads shop, he, he.

    But what some of the New Yorkers were NOT wearing …. well, that’s a different story 😉

    • Some like to stand out, some like to blend. Some like to pole dance in the subway, some prefer to stare at their feet. It’s all in how each individual finds comfort in a city of 8 million inhabitants. 😉

      I was sorry you missed the beach too, but hopefully we will both get another shot at it one day!

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