fire island one of is one the long skinny inter-coastal barrier islands that run along the south shore of long island east of new york city and west of the hamptons. its 30+ miles long and only half a mile wide. although 820,865 people visit per year, thankfully 80% of it is open parkland. the other 20% is developed into 17 widely varied summer communities. history goes back to a 1653 whaling station and an 1825 lighthouse (the stones of which were used for the present one built in 1856). it has lots of unique beachy topography and is just a gorgeous vacation spot, we go every year. read all about it here:

 

http://www.fireisland.com/history.php

 

 

i wasn't messing with the ocean and my newer camera so i took my old pocket digital canon elph powershot sd300. also, getting there via public transit is a breeze, so keep it in mind for a quick daytrip:

http://www.mta.info/lirr/html/lirrmap.htm

 

first stop is a quick subway ride up to penn station

 

you take the lirr babylon line to babylon, then change to the montauk train for one stop to bayshore

 

 

and we're off -- under manhattan & the east river to long island city queens

 

 

 

some double-deckers, the montauk train is like one of these

 

racing the fairly new jfk airtrain into jamaica queens station

 

leaving jamaica

 

a peek at the new jamaica station

 

 

lynbrook, long island along the way

 

at bayshore you take tommys or davids vans from the lirr station to the ferry station

(fyi they have service into nyc too - call #631-665-4384)

 

waiting for our boat

 

 

 

 

several ferries getting ready to go to various points on fire island

 

here we go again -- bayshore bay houses

 

 

 

 

 

we got both rain and sun on the trip

 

here we are at the unofficial capital of fire island, ocean beach

 

 

 

the community house on the square

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lots of bamboo around

 

 

a nice slice from town pizza  :wink:

 

 

 

if you walk around at night shh! there are minature fire island white tail dune deer, they come right up to you

 

 

ok, next day

 

there are no cars allowed, so the wagons have become iconic of fire island

they are kept at the ferry docks and you take your stuff to your beach house with them

 

 

 

 

 

here are more beach houses from around ocean beach on another sunnier day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ob police station -- the only one on the island

 

our hotel is the palms, which was formerly a wreck called jerry's, it's very fancied up now

http://www.thepalmsatoceanbeach.com/

 

hanging out at the island mermaid on the ob harbor

http://www.islandmermaid.com/

 

 

 

 

 

a bench -- you will find this all over fi and of course the region :|

 

 

community house on the square again

 

side of it, it shows movies, has public bathrooms and has a historical society inside

http://www.villageofoceanbeach.org/obhist01.htm

 

inside a joint on the square called mcguires

 

 

last up is the reverse commute, leaving a few days later at the end of the trip

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

some sky!

 

a docked fire island cargo or supply ship at bayshore harbor

 

waiting on the lirr at bayshore station

 

here it is!

 

 

 

 

 

 

***two more threads coming up, a beach walk, other towns and more ***

 

aaahh thanks for the tour! I have a friend who lives in Montauk and when I lived in jersey I would go and visit her a lot. I miss that ride so much, and views you get even just from the train are spectacular!!! When did they finish the AirTrain terminal??? Last time I was there was last summer (06) and it seemed like it was really moving along..

Nice!

Now I can put visuals to the Village People song.

Beautiful! It's a legendary place, but I never knew what it actually looks like.

Now I can put visuals to the Village People song.

Beautiful! It's a legendary place, but I never knew what it actually looks like.

 

whoa hang on -- you guys are jumping the gun, you are referring to 2 of 17 fire island communities that are legendarily gay focused. we'll get to that soon! dont worry tho its a common misconception, people from outside the region that have even heard of fi think the whole place is gay, but it just ain't. in fact ob is very hetero/party hearty and family focused.

 

as its a common question, here's some info from the faq on the fi link above:

 

"Isn't Fire Island a gay community?

This is probably the most frequently asked question about Fire Island – and also the biggest misconception about Fire Island. As you've seen on the Fire Island map, there are many different communities on this wonderful island. There are two predominantly gay communities: Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines. Incidentally, these are probably Fire Island’s two most interesting and diverse communities. Furthermore, it should be noted that although these are known as “gay communities,” many families and heterosexuals live there and visit there; all are welcome. Just as Fire Island’s Cherry Grove and the Fire Island Pines are associated with gay culture, other Fire Island communities carry their own cultural associations. Ocean Beach, for example, is a hotspot for young partiers seeking exciting nightlife; Davis Park is a family-oriented Fire Island community; and Ocean Bay Park is a popular youthful community for Fire Island shares, Fire Island rentals, and hot Fire Island real estate. Ultimately, the overall Fire Island community is unique and diverse; the gay culture of Fire Island Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines is but one thread that runs through Fire Island’s vibrant, colorful tapestry."

 

so there you go. that said, i do not agree at all with the blurb up there that said, "Incidentally, these are probably Fire Island’s two most interesting and diverse communities." there is nothing "incidently" about it! besides being gay communities, they are interesting because of the utterly unique way gays developed it -- as you will see in pt 3.