Last summer everybody (i.e. the NYC media) was all Rockaways this Rockaways that. And guess what? This summer we'll be singing the same tune, because the Rockaways are still white hot. So hot that Andrew VanWyngarden, co-founder of popular psychedelic rock band MGMT, just bought a house on Beach 93rd Street for $375,000. "Rockaway Beach is the Hamptons of New York City," realtor Maureen Walsh (who was not involved in VanWyngarden's transaction) coos. more ›

Belle Harbor is a micro-neighborhood in the Rockaways not far from Riis Park, and it's making waves because of a recent Property Shark report measuring the median home price on a particular block at a whopping $2.5 million dollars—a surprise to everyone, including the local folks selling the homes. Most real estate types were expecting the Forest Hills area, in which median home prices hover around $1.3 to $1.6 million in one particular block, to take the cake in New York's largest borough in area. more ›

The Rockaways began their post-Irene cleanup efforts this week, and while some locals were psyched for the storm to hit, not everything was peachy keen at the beach. "The beach erosion is significant. So is the boardwalk damage," said City Councilman Eric Ulrich, whose district covers parts of Rockaway. more ›

While the rest of the city was busy hoarding canned food, a handful of intrepid surfers were instead chasing after Irene, hunting down the elusive big waves that only a big storm can bring. "It's our only chance as East Coast surfers to get large, powerful waves like in other places in the world," said "hurricane surfer" Shea Lopez. "It's exciting being around the hurricane. You can't help but get caught up in the drama." more ›

While the rest of the city is busy fighting tooth and nail for Duane Reade's last flashlight, a handful of radical surfing dudes are totally psyched for Irene, and the killer waves she's bringing with her. more ›

Have you heard of this place Rockaway Beach? It's a magical oceanside fairyland that hipsters just uncovered and colonized with tacos and weird artist stuff. And while it spent some time as the next Williamsburg, it's already evolving into the next Lower East Side, if hotelier Sean MacPherson has anything to do with it. more ›

Less than 48 hours after a cyclist was killed under a truck in East Williamsburg in a horrifying accident, another cyclist was fatally run down near Rockaway Beach. But this time, in an unusual twist, it looks police are trying to hold the driver accountable? more ›

Attention! Attention! The Rockaway Beach boardwalk really is the new Bedford Ave! Hipsters new and old, get in on this sweet deal, because it's not going to last. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get in on the ground level of rapid gentrification! Act now before everyone catches on to the secret, like they're doing with under-the-radar Red Hook. more ›

The 24-year-old pilot who made an emergency landing at Rockaway Beach—in spite of not getting permission for the landing—and explained that he did so because it "happens in Alaska all the time"—is not City Councilman Peter Vallone's favorite person. The Queens lawmaker wrote to the FAA, "Mr. Maloney must face the strictest punishment. A pilot who abuses the privilege of flying, at a minimum, should have his licenses revoked." The Queens DA's office is also launching a criminal probe into Maloney's antics. more ›

The Monday night emergency plane landing on Rockaway Beach may be in part thanks to a young pilot's fondness for a Discovery show about flying planes in Alaska—as well as a passenger's upset stomach. Jason Maloney, 24, also spoke in a joking, casual manner with air traffic control when asking for permission (which was repeatedly denied, because it wasn't declared emergency) to land on the beach, saying, "Just let us know if we're up in your grill," and ""Whooooa ... What if I want to hide from you?" [Listen to the weird audio below.] more ›

Last night, a small plane which had taken off from Farmingdale, Long Island, made an emergency landing on Rockaway Beach near Beach 56th Street. The pilot, James Maloney, 24, and his two passengers, Clarke Oler, 22, and Chelsea Protter, 21, were injured, but Maloney could be in trouble—it turns out he wasn't given permission to make the landing more ›

After more than a month in a coma caused by a surfing accident in the Rockaways, male model Charles DeVoe died Friday. The 28-year-old, who worked with hotshot photographers like Bruce Weber, Steven Klein and Mario Testino, had been in a coma since November 12 when he spent several minutes underwater after the ankle tether connecting him with his surfboard snagged on a pole. DeVoe had been living and working in the city since 2004 (you can see some of his work here). Though it had appeared for awhile that he might recover, his health took a turn for the worst in the past week. The Philadelphia-native's parents were with him until the end. more ›

The NYPD Internal Affairs and the Queens District Attorney's office are investigating the alleged police beating of Anna Stanczyk, a 49-year-old Polish immigrant who's lived in Rockaway Beach for almost two decades. Stanczyk was walking her beloved terrier Psotka outside her apartment on the Friday after Thanksgiving when two cops with the 100th precinct told her to clean up dog poop that she says wasn't Psotka's. When she argued with them (while also scooping up the frozen excrement), the situation escalated. more ›

Ann Stanczyk, 49, was walking her terrier Psotka (Polish for prankster) near her home in Rockaway Beach on the Friday after Thanksgiving when two NYPD officers took a special interest in her dog's business. She claims that two cops approached her and ordered her to scoop poop that wasn't Psotka's, and after she begrudgingly complied, they violently arrested her for talking back. "They saw my dog and they said I didn't clean up," Stanczyk, a Polish immigrant, tells the Daily News. "I said, 'No, she only pee.' They, of course, not agree with me and I say, 'Show me. Where is it?' " more ›

While Hurricane Igor is headed way east, a high surf advisory was in effect through this morning (waves of 6 to 10 feet were expected). Even though one surfer in North Carolina died on Sunday, our local surfers have been enjoying the opportunity. Above are photos from Long Beach and below is a video from Rockaway Beach: more ›

It looks like those sharks spotted a few weeks ago off Rockaway Beach have decided to stick around for the rest of the summer. One swimmer told the Post, "I was so far out and I heard the lifeguards blowing their whistles. They started yelling, 'Shark! Shark! Shark!'" However, the Parks Department says they believe there were just stingrays. Unless stingrays figured out how to glue large fins to their backs, we're guessing that statement is an attempt at a cover-up. more ›

Yesterday, Rockaway Beach was cleared when some people enjoying the water noticed sharks. Or maybe just one shark. One surfer told City Room, "It swam right under my buddy’s board as he was paddling out, and some surfers paddled away around the jetty," while another later said, "I got here when it was happening, and I think it was three baby great-whites." However, the best account comes from NY1. more ›

Remember last summer when lifeguards became the new target for water-logged watchdogs? Well, it's gettin' hot out there, and a reader sent in the following account after visiting Rockaway Beach this weekend—signaling another summer of lazy lifeguarding!:

I was at Rockaway Beach on Saturday, June 26th at the 125th Street entrance and there was a blond female lifeguard on duty. She brought the whole family along and sat in the lifeguard tower with her baby in her lap for a good 45 minutes. I hardly see how you can jump off the lifeguard tower and save a life with a baby in your damn lap. She was the only lifeguard up on the lifeguard tower at the time, and seemed to be the only lifeguard on duty for that area, as the other lifeguard was having a photoshoot with his girlfriend. Haven't there been a lot of drownings lately? Shouldn't our lifeguards be paying attention to the ocean?

A swimmer is missing and presumed dead off of Long Beach. WCBS 2 reports, "a 19-year-old Brooklyn man was wading about knee-deep in the water with three friends, but the strong current off the jetty soon sucked all four of them out to sea." Only the three friends could swim, and officials were unable to find Baruch College student Emanuel Tiburcio. Long Beach City Manager Charles Theofan said, "Unfortunately, not even the best swimmer could survive in water that rough and that cold." more ›

A day after a Bronx teenager drowned after getting caught in a Rockaway riptide, the Parks Department is suspending a lifeguard who was photographed wearing his iPod headphones while working at a nearby beach. Mayor Bloomberg was quick to lash out at the unnamed city employee, telling reporters, "He certainly wasn't doing what he was supposed to be doing." The mayor also urged anyone on the beaches who spots something similar to call 311. Beachgoers in Rockaway told the Post headphones on the lifeguards who start out making $13.50 an hour are just the tip of the iceberg—one resident said, "Half the time, they're chatting with people. They're listening to music. They're on their cellphones. They're texting with people." The lifeguard in the photo could be fired if he has been on the job for less than a year; it'll at least be a consideration after a hearing if he's been around longer. A Parks Department spokesman said, "This is an unacceptable violation of our regulations, which is not representative of the dedication and diligence displayed by the vast majority of our over 1,300 lifeguards." more ›

A 19-year-old man from The Bronx drowned in Far Rockaway yesterday where he and his girlfriend had been enjoying a day at the beach. 19-year-old Daniel O'Neil swam outside the designated area near the East Rockaway Inlet near Beach 25th Street around 3 p.m. Lifeguards eventually pulled O'Neil out and and FDNY EMTs took him to St. John's Episcopal Hospital, where he was pronounced dead an hour later. O'Neil had just graduated from Mount St. Michael High School and volunteered in the rectory of Sacred Heart Church in Mount Vernon. He was set to attend John Jay College in the fall and hoped to one day be a lawyer. His aunt told the News, "He was a young kid who wanted to prove to himself that he was a young man. He was full of life, full of youth." Lifeguards say that there has been a strong riptide over the last two weekends, forcing an unusually high number of swimmers to be pulled out of the water. The National Weather Service has tips here on what to do if you are caught in rip currents. more ›

A former 78-year-old firehouse in Rockaway is getting an environmentally-friendly makeover (greenincarnation?). The Real Deal reports that "the New York City Economic Development Corporation has selected the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance to redevelop the former Rockaway Beach Boulevard Firehouse at 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard in Queens," which will permanently house the Rockaway Institute for Sustainable Environment. The environmental advocacy organization also serves as an educational outlet, and has been working out of local schools and community spaces. They're aiming for LEED certification, and around $2 million is expected to go into the project, which will ultimately be a 7,200-square-foot hall housing green-collar job training courses, classrooms, events, catering facilities, an organic cafe and more. [via Queens Crap] more ›

Hey surfers and swimmers, this just in from the newswire: POSSIBLE SHARK SIGHTING*| ROCKAWAY BEACH| CLOSING SWIM AREAS AFTER REPORT FROM FISHERMAN FOR A SHARK SIGHTING. You've been warned, Queens. Though most sharks in the area turn out to be tiny, in 2005 Rockaway got a slightly larger creature. For those keeping track, the unofficial start to shark season this year was in July, when a 5-footer was spotted at Jones Beach. If this new shark has any run-ins with a banana boat, we'll update. more ›

After searching for hours, emergency crews were unable to find a 16-year-old missing in the waters off Rockaway Beach. Witnesses say a "big wave" knocked down two teens in the water around 3:30 p.m.; rescuers were able to rescue 16-year-old Carla Armaza, but could not find 16-year-old Tiara Coaxum. The search was suspended around 6:45 p.m., because police and Coast Guard dive teams, per the Post, "were losing light, but planned to resume the search this morning." Rockaway Park residents spoke of the dangers in the waters, "There are drop offs. The undertow is extremely severe. The rip tides are extremely severe." more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a train derailment at 86th St. and 20th Ave. in Brooklyn, an overturned crane at 100th St. and Rockaway Beach Blvd. in Queens, and an amputation on Hylan Blvd. on Staten Island.
• A guy who jumps off buildings for fun says that security guards caused him "severe emotional distress" when they prevented him from leaping off the Empire State Building, so he's suing the ESB's owners for $30 million.
• When an unknown food critic stupidly leaves notes at a restaurant, a gossip column is sure to notice it, except for the fact that the notes might be from the food critic of the same newspaper.

This summer, when Jeremy Blake walked into the Rockaway Beach surf, he left many with a lot of questions...and he left his life's work behind. His films, C-prints, drawings and paintings are now hanging in homage at his memorial exhibit at Kinz, Tillou, & Feigen. Opening last week and running through January 5th, the show will even include the incomplete piece he was still working on at the time of his death:His sixth solo exhibition... more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a child was found at 115th St. and Nicholas Ave. in Manhattan, an unusual incident at Columbus Circle in Manhattan with a man atop the globe in front of the Trump International, and a double shooting on Hegeman Ave. in Brooklyn.
• A worker fired from her job at the substance-abuse outreach organization Odyssey House said that her former supervisor would talk of his sexual exploits constantly. One of the weirder boasts: he would have sex in front of his cats, which would really turn the pets on.
• The New York Post looks at the most international pick-up spot in town: the Delegates Lounge at the U.N. The view is great, the drinks are strong, and many are looking to practice their international language skills.
• The second thresher shark in a week washed up on Rockaway Beach yesterday. A park manager and police gently pushed the three- to six-foot shark back into the water and it swam away.
• Alain Mariduena, or the graffiti artist known as Ket, pleaded guilty last Monday to painting a subway train in Brooklyn. He received probation, but his deal stipulated that he owes the city one mural to be commissioned by the DA's office, as long as it does not "condemn graffiti as an art form."
• The Gowanus Lounge helpfully points out why it's never a good idea to loan your shoes to the random guy who's already had his shoes, phone, and watch stolen, or let him crash on your couch because he has no idea where he lives. You probably won't get your shoes back.
• World leaders will be descending on midtown Manhattan this week as the 62nd U.N. General Assembly begins Tuesday, and Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be a featured speaker. Prepare for heightened security measures and nightmarish traffic situations.
• 21-year-old New Yorker and Mets fan Matt Murphy auctioned off the record-setting 756th home run ball, hit by Barry Bonds and that Murphy caught, for more than $750,000.