Fire Island as a Manhattan day trip, possible?

[Guest Rich.]

Bangs!! I hadn't thought about that place in years. I danced there one night with Nureyev--no, we did not do Swan Lake.

 

Bangs at the Sundown, huh, Charlie? I bet you thought you were Margot?! OK, if I remember rightly, it was the corner of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street. Split level. And pics. of hunky guys splayed on a screen. I recall, my then BF once dumped me in CentrePoint's fountain. For flirting, with someone else. Yes. He actually left me to find my own way home, soaking wet. 'Those were the days, my friend' (thank you, Ms. Hopkin), when men were truly men.

 

Richard

[Rod Hagen]

Holy shit. Lots of great responses, thank you all. Sounds like the best way to daytrip it would be rent a car and then ferry/walk to pines. I don't need restaurants/activities. All I need is a warm ocean to swim in for a few hours, hopefully w/others. I'm NOT a beach person, I'm a swimmer. To me the beach is what lies between the parking lot and the Mother of us all.

 

Thanks again!

[Steven_Draker]

Rod, if you decide to rent a car, you can drive all the way to Fire Island. There are two bridges that connect to mainland and that are

used by those who stay on the Island during the winter months when the ferry service shut down. Probably the Cowboy can chime in.

[Guest Rich.]

Like all things gay…it can be magical...and tragic.

 

Just learn to squint a little…and it all looks magical. Some of my fondest memories are of waking up on Fire Island,

feeling the warm ocean breeze drifting across the bed, while lying in the arms of a beautiful naked man.

 

Nycman, you just broke my heart.

 

Richard

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

Rod, if you decide to rent a car, you can drive all the way to Fire Island. There are two bridges that connect to mainland and that are

used by those who stay on the Island during the winter months when the ferry service shut down. Probably the Cowboy can chime in.[/color]

 

That's true, but you'd wind up way out of the area you really want to be...if you want to be in the pines or cherry grove (and I assume you do) it's much more convenient to park your car and take the ferry. besides, part of the fun is checking out who's coming over on the ferry!

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

And by the way, however you decide to get to the ferry you want to get the ferry from SAYVILLE. The ferry dock is located at 41 River Road in Sayville. There are a number of ferries that go to the different little villages on Fire Island and some of the ferries leave from Bay Shore, some of them leave from Patchogue, and some of them leave from Sayville. Both the Cherry Grove and the Pines ferries leave from Sayville. Incidentally, if you have an iPhone there's an app for that (of course). Search for Fire Island App. It's free, and gives you both ferry and train schedules.

[Guest Rich.]

I honestly don't believe this shit. (Yeah, yeah, OK, I'm drunk). The bridge? That's how you used to get your luggage to The Pines for the season!

 

Rod. You're a MAN, right? Bite the bullet. Max out the Amex. Announce your impending arrival to Fire Island News. Then hop on a seaplane, see Manhattan from a different point of view, and arrive in style.

 

Some serious advice. You have to change on the aeroplane (strip off and tie your shorts up with a necktie), practice holding your dockers in your teeth by their laces (this will make sense when you disembark), and don't fuck the pilot. EVER.

 

Alternatively, use the bridge. Go ahead, drive all the way there. You'll discover a spit of sand with some ramshackle beach-huts, aging old Queens and a dream long past it's sell-by-date.

 

Oh, and who convinced you that the Atlantic is warm? I used to freeze my nuts off skinny-dipping off my lover's jetty. In the middle of August.

 

Richard

[Lookin]

Great thread, Guys! I think I would have enjoyed Fire Island in my twenties, but never got there. These stories are bringing it to life. Lots of fun stuff to fantasize about.

 

And some of the lines!

 

. . . I love eating breakfast at 9 with the queens who don't sleep in . . .

 

. . . Alice Ghostley searching through the bushes for Paul Lynde . . .

 

Now that I'm older and more pretentious . . .

 

. . . some ramshackle beach-huts, aging old Queens and a dream long past it's sell-by-date . . .

 

 

Thanks, all. http://www.maleescortreview.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/thumbsup.png Fun thread.

[Guest Rich.]

Lookin,

 

You missed the most important one.

 

Some of my fondest memories are of waking up on Fire Island,

feeling the warm ocean breeze drifting across the bed, while lying in the arms of a beautiful naked man.

 

Richard

[Lookin]

Lookin,

 

You missed the most important one.

Oh, I saw it! Didn't think your response could have been improved upon.

 

Nycman, you just broke my heart.

 

Richard

 

Nycman's recollection was indeed heartwarming. Took me back to warm summer mornings at the shore.

[Steven_Draker]

Nycman's recollection was indeed heartwarming. Took me back to warm summer mornings at the shore.

 

Too bad he edited out the part where he fucked that guy on F.I. That was hot !

[+ Italiano]

RodThere are two bridges that connect to mainland and that are

used by those who stay on the Island during the winter months when the ferry service shut down. .[/color]

 

Never been to FI either, and very curious to spend 1 or 2 days but during the week, as I am a bit allergic to huge masses of screaming and dancing Chelsea boys, and to queues. I LOVE nature and beautiful beaches, and of course don't mind eye candies, but would mostly like to walk (or bike? Is the island bikeable?...) and enjoy the best part of the island.

I see on the map that one of the 2 bridges is called Robert Moses, and I guess it leads to FI to a parking lot, and this is not so close to either Pines or Cherry Grove. Do I assume that from the parking lot is possible to rent a bike or it's only walking to the best part of FI? If so, how much walking aprox?...

 

Thanks!

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

It will take you FIVE WEEKS to walk from the bridge to the Pines. It takes an hour to walk from Cherry Grove to the Pines, and they're right next to each other. The bridges are miles and miles away. Forget the bridges, people. It's not an option. You might as well SWIM from Manhattan. And you don't want to bike there, either. The walkways and baths are REALLY rustic; it's not like these are well manicured trails maintained to encourage cycling. The wooden walkways are often in disrepair and stop and start at random, the dirt paths and sandy trails are filled with roots and poison ivy. When in Rome, do as the Romans do...when on Fire Island, take the ferry to the town you want to go to and walk.

[Guest Rich.]

Forget the bridges, people. It's not an option. You might as well SWIM from Manhattan.

 

LMFAO, RC.

 

I've just remembered a night, sometime in the late seventies, when a fashion designer helicoptered himself in from the Hamptons. He had to flee a lynch-mob of residents. At the time I thought it was because it was noisy. It wasn't. The properties are so flimsy that the owners were all up ladders the next morning inspecting their roofs. I believe helicopters are now banned from landing on the island.

 

 

The walkways and baths are REALLY rustic

 

I also remember the wickedly lousy plumbing.

 

Richard

[JT Brooklyn]

"Rustic" That's one way Gay Interior Designers would describe it! IF your looking for Relaxation DONOT show up with the "Masses" Fri to Sun!

 

The weekdays have always been the best for just that!

[Steven_Draker]

When in Rome, do as the Romans do...when on Fire Island, take the ferry ... and walk.

 

You're right, Cowboy. I just heard from a friend who lives all year long on Fire Island and he suggested the same thing: park the car in the terminal and take the ferry.

 

Xafnndapp, just FYI Robert Moses State Park has several parking lots (not sure about leaving your vehicle overnight). Bikes aren't available for rent and there are no public roads on the Island. F.I. is approximately 35 miles long (and only 2 to 3 blocks wide), and Cherry Grove and the Pines are about in the middle. So it is a long walk. This map can give you an idea of the distance.

 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/Fire-island-map.jpg

(left click on the map to zoom in)

[+ LIguy]

I've been to Fire Island many times as I only live a 20 minute drive to the ferries.Be aware that there are water taxis that will take you from one community to the other.There's no reason to walk between Cherry Grove and The Pines.

[Guest Rich.]

There's no reason to walk between Cherry Grove and The Pines.

 

They took down the bushes?

 

Richard

[Steven_Draker]

There's no reason to walk between Cherry Grove and The Pines.

 

There's no reason, unless you wanna get adventurous and 'get lost' in the Meat Rack.

[Rod Hagen]

And this FAMOUS meat Rack is where exactly?

[+ Charlie]

In the "forest" between the Pines and the Grove (there is no boardwalk between the two settlements).

[Guest Rich.]

And this FAMOUS meat Rack is where exactly?

 

In the "forest" between the Pines and the Grove (there is no boardwalk between the two settlements).

 

I'm doing the Dead Ant thing. :o I doubt any other Member of the Board will find this funny, but thank you Gentlemen. You just reminded me of a conversation I overhead, my first or second season. Two Grand Old Dames were discussing the walk between Cherry and Pine: "The problem is, they can't see the wood for the trees". "That's not the problem, dear, they're too busy examining twigs to believe in trees."

 

Richard

[Rod Hagen]

Was fantastic. Thank you all.

[+ Charlie]

You're not going to tell us whether you walked between the Pines and the Grove in the moonlight?

[Rod Hagen]

daytime and there was NO action, but I was more focused on swimming the warm water, which is pretty rough--I didn't mind, but with no lifeguards people must drown all the time?

 

I was really surprised how true the cliche differences between pines and grove were. both pretty cool in there own way.