City Beach-Going is Down

The Parks Department says beach attendance fell to 9 million this year. This is way down from the 20 million that went to city beaches in 2006--and in 2007, 8.6 million went to Coney Island alone! This year, only 4.5 million went to Coney, and businesses noticed. One pizzeria employee told NY1, "We had maybe three, four busy days through the whole summer." Hmm, does that means staycations mean staying really close to home? Or could it have been the unseasonably cooler weather this August? At any rate, today is the last day of city beaches and pools till next year, so if you want to have one last chance, head out soon!

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By Jen Chung in News on September 1, 2008 10:46 AM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

Coney Island was ever clean? It's an urban beach! The best thing to do is have volunteers clean the beaches daily and make sure waste receptacles get emptied out continuously. Overflowing garbages just encourages people to leave their trash anywhere.

Brooklynbobby

Have you noticed how difficult it is to get in and out of South Brooklyn on a weekend? I've been here 14 years and it never fails that on a weekend, the trains are so screwed up that I don't even bother trying to leave.

Jen S

Huh, couldn't be because the beaches are fucking nasty. I'm surprised more people don't get herpes from touching the sand.

Shinobi Shaw

And that is the gist of it #5, the beaches are dirty, overcrowded, and disgusting.

MacMuttonchops

Coney Island's low attendance could probably relate to how disgusting it is. I was just there last night...while the majority of the trash probably floated in from the ocean, there was still a lot of garbage well away from the shoreline.

drewo

Ft. Tilden Park out in the Rockaways is relatively clean, and relatively uncrowded. In part because it is difficult to access. You can drive there, but there's no nearby subways. We bike out there via the bike path that follows part of the Belt Parkway and then past Floyd Bennett Field. The view from the Marine Parkway Bridge is gorgeous. But that's a long bike ride from Manhattan - plan to spend the better part of a day.

The beaches on Staten Island are worth a visit. Also by bike from the ferry - a little less strenuous a journey. The boardwalk there is nice and new-ish, and they add more beach each year. Then you can end your day at one of the Staten Island pizza joints.

Spirit of 76

I wrote the same just yesterday. On a pleasant, sunny Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago with temps around 80, I found the Coney Island beach mostly empty. It was freaky.

Novanglus

No, this summer was VERY cool compared to the very hot and humid ones we tend to have.

Just looking up at the sky, I saw so much blue, which in July and August is usually hazed out.

Incredibly mild summer. 90 degrees is not that much, and also is not an indication of uncomfortable humidity.

eyekantspel

not sure if the summer was unseasonably cool- i thought we had a record number of over 90 days in a row? Anyway, there were a lot of rainy Saturdays this year, maybe that played a role.

Or maybe people just realized how much our overcrowded nasty beaches and cold ocean suck and/or decided the painful commute to get there wasn't worth it.