30 to Midnight

Bungalow Bar, Rockaway Beach

Sunday, 6pm

Bungalow Restaurant & Bar
327 Beach 92nd St., Far Rockaway, Queens

First night (for us) of the season (summer, we mean) at Bungalow Bar so we're reposting for 2010. A bit windy for the loverly deck, and the enclosed outdoor area was a bit smokey, but the main bar was hopping, and baseball was on the tv's. If that's not summer we don't know what is. We can't wait to get back to the beach.

From 2009 but still true: Sundays are the night to hit Bungalow, another Jamaica Bay-side restaurant and bar (think: music, drinking, sunned AA's). But if you're looking for a post-beach beverage, or want to watch a sunset, any afternoon-evening here will do, and you'll be among peers, wondering how to get yourself a bungalow in this New York City beach 'hood. Bungalow Bar, btw, is not just a summer location. In the winter, Sunday Funday (their name) is all about football. And $2 drafts. And music.

More about the Rockaways.

Rockaway Ferry

Sunday, 11:45am

Rockaway Ferry
Pier 11 (Manhattan), Brooklyn Army Terminal (Sunset Park), Riis Landing (Queens)

Always looking for a new way to get out to the beach, we were excited to take the ferry from Pier 11 (just south of Wall Street) to the Rockaways. We expected the Rockaway Ferry to be something like the one that goes to Mets games (large, air conditioned, decent outdoor space). We did not expect the Rockaway Ferry to be a miserable, overcrowded, hot, slow boat to China (read that statement as both a cliche and a pun referring to Sunset Park's Chinatown, a stop on the route). Why must this trip be so difficult?

Further, the last Manhattan-returning ferry is 5pm. That makes no sense. The lifeguards work until 6pm, it's still light out, and there's no time to hit Bungalow Bar's Sunday events. That said, the ferry is so dang far from the bar it's really  impossible for us to connect the two. To be true to our mission we should tell you that the patrons of the Rockaway Ferry, not including two hipsters with a seemingly unlimited supply of street hot dogs), appear to be AA, which means old enough to have experienced and learned to hate the A-train option. Again we ask, why must this trip be so difficult?

Note: We're talking about the Weekend ferry, not the Weekday commuter trip, though we believe the boat is the same.

Visiting Rockaway Beach

Many readers have asked about bars and beaches in the Rockaways so here's a reminder link to our Rockaway Beach coverage which includes Connolly's, Bungalow Bar, The Wharf, and Irish Circle. You've inspired me to make another trip...maybe tomorrow...

We highly recommend checking MTA Service Advisories before you travel. And, remember that driving east is generally easier than driving back.

Connolly’s, Rockaway Beach

Saturday, 9:45pm

Connolly’s
187 Beach 93rd St., Rockaway Beach, Queens

This "Summer Saloon" is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day and is best known for its lifeguard clientele, and $5 Frozens (pina colada every day; second flavor varies; both drawn from a soft serve machine, pictured). Connolly's has a friendly ghost who helps replenish straws and prevent heads from hitting the surfboard suspended from the ceiling, and they have a Bikini Contest too (first Wednesday in August since as long as anyone can remember).

Bartender Kris tells us the late night crowd is early 20's, but most of the day (after 12pm) you'll find people of all ages, like the guy at the end of the bar who told us a story that started with, "When I was a lifeguard in '61..."
No bar in the Rockaways is closer to the ocean.

MTA Paper Transfer Slips; Another Age ID

Remember when you last saw one of these?

Sara, another 36, a 39, and a 44 thought back to those days after Sara received this slip (pictured) transferring from train to bus (because of construction) when venturing out to the Rockaways.

The four agreed that the paper bus-to-bus transfer slip is certainly an Age Appropriate memory, not to mention a sign of who isn't new here. Much more discreet to verify age by asking, "When did you last see a paper transfer?" rather than, "Show me your birth certificate." Not that 35saturdays hesitates much.
You could also ask who remembers the blue metrocards (1993-1997), but that's recent history, relatively speaking. Don't even get us on tokens and two-fare zones.  

 

Irish Circle Tavern, Rockaway Beach

Saturday, 8pm

The Irish Circle
10119 Rockaway Beach Blvd, Rockaway Beach, Queens

Thanks to one of our Rockaways-Local Researchers, we were here the rainy Sunday of Memorial Day weekend (totally Age Appropriate, plus a band), and again Saturday night. Given the Irish Circle's back deck, and their proximity to beach and train and bus, it's not surprising that it's a popular spot. And the food's good (totally pubby, plus Italian Ice sold out a side window). The crowd skews younger by midnight, bartender says, but it's not completely overrun. One more thing: it's open year-round for those of us who like to walk the beach and/or boardwalk in the offseason (or live nearby). 

The Wharf, Rockaway Beach

Saturday, 6pm

The Wharf
416 Beach 116th St, Far Rockaway, Queens

It's finally really summer. The weekend sun had us out at the beach, all for your benefit, of course. And we're not talking Jersey Shore or Hamptons. Nuh-uh. We like to take the subway to the sand: Rockaway Beach. In case you're sort of new around here, catch a Far Rockaway A-train (not Lefferts Blvd), and switch to the Shuttle at Broad Channel. Even if you don't like the beach you should take this trip at least once for the cool ride over Jamaica Bay (see photo). It's Age Appropriate, we promise.

Also Age Appropriate, at least pre-midnight, are various Rockaways bars. We're reporting on a few that are convenient to beach and public transportation.

Actually on Jamaica Bay (not Rockaway Beach) and behind a gas station, The Wharf is best known for its afternoon-to-sunset view of the Manhattan skyline (it's almost confusing to know you're looking over Brooklyn). Here you'll find the slightly sunburnt crowd to be mostly AA. Important note: We do not recommend this bar after dark, and AI is the least of our concerns. That said, The Wharf is a few blocks from the Beach-116th Street station (where the Rockaway Park Shuttle ends, and where most beachgoers go) which makes it easy for heading home, as easy as MTA-possible of course. We highly recommend checking MTA Service Advisories before your Rockaways trip begins.