Everyone knows the world-famous Riviera in Italy and France. But did you know New York City has one, too? It's in Queens.
Rockaway Beach, known as the Queens Riviera in New York, is nothing like the Mediterannean. But it's the perfect place to escape the heat during the hot New York summer. It's far from the city, so skip the subway and take the NYC Ferry. You'll get from the pavement to the sand in 50 breezy minutes.
From the ferry, it's a five-minute walk to the boardwalk where you'll find arepas, pizza, and tacos. The promenade stretches along the beach for almost six miles, so there's plenty of space to relax.
My favorite spot is the People's Beach at Jacob Riis Park. My family has been going there since the 1930s when the impressive Art Deco bathhouse opened. Today, the complex has concessions selling burgers, cocktails, and ice cream. It's everything you need for a relaxing day at the beach.
Find your way with 301 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters
Patsy’s, famed for its 900°F coal-fired pizza, still thrives in Spanish Harlem, gritty, iconic, and sublime. Thin crust, no tables, just pure NY history.
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"The Old Print Shop" in New York is my hands-down, hands-on museum/gallery of choice. I love mid-twentieth century 'industrial' or 'city' art...
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"Sea & Sea " in NYC is a traditional-looking fish shop with wet, tiled floors, cool air, grated ice on every hand, busy with customers from near and far...
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Come to "Pikine" in NYC to eat shoulder-to-shoulder with Senegalese people!
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"Modern Bread and Bagel" in NYC has surfaced as exemplary, using criteria such as size and texture, seed and salt density. Here are some more top picks...
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"The Dublin House" in NYC has been around since Prohibition and it still is neighborhood-sized. By the end of the night, everyone speaks Irish here...
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"Pain d' Epices" is a French bakery in NYC that makes croissants so flaky & buttery, the only way to avoid the crumbs is to 'put your back to the wind...'
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"Django" in NYC is proof that the city's jazz club world is recovering. I celler/cavern is intimate enough that after performances I walk over to engage...
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"Pastrami Queen" in NYC has if not the best, among the very best pastrami sandwiches in the city. It's the kind of American excess you just can't miss...
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I stumbled across a store about which I had read but never visited—the very inviting and colourful playground of Dawn Harris-Martine), retired teacher, now famous—named Grandma’s Place.
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"Sisters Uptown Bookstore" in NYC is a hidden shop/cultural center w/ an eye-opening trove of books by African diaspora authors. A true neighborhood spot!
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Color World sets up on the corner of 116th and 2nd Avenue, rain or shine. There they serve beef, pork, goat, oxtail, and chicken for $10 a plate.
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301 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
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