Reach The (Long) Beach
REACH THE (LONG) BEACH
Transportation Alternatives
May/June, 2000
by Hal Ruzal and Clarence Eckerson Jr.
Though it’s a long ride to Long Beach, in Nassau County – about 55 mi. round
trip – it’s a fun way to get in a workout and a dose of sun. The good: few
stops, few turns, few traffic lights. The bad: potential for omnipresent
headwind. Best: If you’re too tired to return, you can bail out via the Long
Island Railroad in Long Beach, if you’ve remembered to bring your bike pass, or
at the A train’s Rockaway Beach stop, only five miles away. This route,
published in the May/June 2000 issue of Transportation Alternatives, uses the
Veteran’s Memorial Bridge since the Marine Parkway Bridge was closed at the
time. However, that route also takes you on a great six-mile stretch along the
Shore Parkway bike path.
Key
| R | Right Turn | L | Left Turn |
| BR | Bear Right | BL | Bear Left |
| QR | Quick Right | QL | Quick Left |
| GF | Gaily Forward | X | Cross |
| x.x | Cumulative Mileage |
| 0.0 | R |
Start at the Grand |
| 1.6 | R | Exit at south end of park. Go halfway around traffic circle and continue on Coney Island Ave. |
| 2.1 | L | Albermarle (don’t miss it!) |
| 2.4 | R | Rugby Rd. |
| 4.0 | L | Ave. K |
| 4.6 | R | Bedford |
| 7.4 | L | Emmons |
| 8.0 | GF | Enter Shore Parkway bike path at Binham |
| 14.0 | L | Pennsylvania |
| 15.0 | R | Cozine |
| 16.2 | L | Crescent |
| 16.6 | R | Loring. Continue around dirt pile; “dead end” becomes 149th St. on the other side. (You’re in Howard Beach) |
| 17.5 | R | 84th St. |
| 17.9 | R | Shore Parkway, then L at 156th Ave., which becomes 84th again under overpass. |
| 18.9 | L | 164th Ave |
| 19.3 | R | Onto Cross Bay Blvd. bike lane. Go over Addabbo Bridge |
| 23.1 | L | At end of bike lane, make L to cross over Veteran’s Memorial Bridge |
| 24.0 | L | At end of ramp continue L (east) on Beach Channel Drive. |
| 26.7 | X | Pass under subway trestle; becomes Seagirt Blvd. |
| 28.3 | BR | Look for bike signs. Bear R on sidewalk to cross Atlantic Beach Bridge. |
| 28.8 | L | Park becomes Beech. |
| 31.6 | R | New York Ave. |
| 31.7 | You’ve reached the Beach |
For the return,
retrace your steps back to Howard Beach. After passing around the dirt pile on
Loring, continue, then pick up the following directions:
| 47.1 | L | Crescent |
| 47.4 | R | Cozine |
| 49.4 | L | 103rd St. |
| 49.5 | R | Flatlands Ave. |
| 50.0 | R | 94th St. |
| 51.0 | L | Ave A, R 92nd St., R Church, L East 95th to cross Linden Blvd. safely |
| 52.2 | L | East New York Ave. |
| 52.3 | R | Rochester, then immediate L on Crown |
| 54.0 | R | Washington Ave. |
| 54.6 | L | Eastern Parkway back to Grand Army Plaza |