Grimaldo's Chair, Brighton Beach, NY
I had such a good time helping out with the Grimaldo's Mile event earlier back in July, and that reminded me that I'd meant to renew my membership in the Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers.
Took me a while to actually do that, but I finally did on Sunday afternoon, then headed for the beach, where I was greeted with a cheerful shout of "Here's our newest member". They'd been a little surprised to see somebody until they saw it was just me finally getting around to renewing - I get so busy with the paddling in the summertime nobody's surprised that it takes me a while to remember that summers need swimming, too.
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I'd been puttering around at home and ended up getting out there pretty late. There were thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon, but I got there in time to squeeze in a good half-mile swim. Felt great. Here is me heading home in a very good mood. More beach hair, still don't care!
And also in the "better late than never" category, I finally signed up for after-work lap swimming this week. In summers past, I've always done evening swimming at the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center on Carmine Street; it's a few minutes closer to work, and the staff there was really nice, and the pool area features this wonderful Keith Haring mural with merfolk and sea monsters and dolphins, oh my - but it's a small pool, and the laps are laid out width-wise to allow more swimmers to fit, so a lap is really, really short. I found out about the Hamilton Fish pool through another Tony Dapolito swimmer on FB - she's somewhere where it's considerably easier for her to get to the Carmine Street center, but I think I mentioned I was coming from near Broadway and she mentioned that the Olympic-sizedat the Hamilton Fish Park Pool might be something I should check out. I did, on Wednesday night, and had a great 3/4 mile swim under enormous puffy peach sunset clouds. Fine first visit, and there's time for a couple more good swims before the outdoor city pools shut down for the season.
Sorry no photos of the sunset clouds, they were gorgeous but I didn't have a camera, but here are a few more photos from the beach, plus fog coming in at the Brighton Beach subway station and storm clouds at Newkirk Plaza. Click the first photo for a slideshow view. Ah, summer.
5 comments:
You can enjoy that beach for both of us. I'm landlocked. Usually go to my sister's house on Cape Cod in the summer but this summer was just too crazy. I can't tell you how much I long for the beach. Looks like I'll have to wait for my winter vacation.
Aww, sorry you didn't make it for your usual summer getaway. I've only been to the Cape Cod area once but it was lovely.
Hope you can manage a winter break somewhere warm!
Love your beach pictures. Enjoy your swims.
I haven't been down to the beach at all this summer, and I really miss it.
I had to live vicariously through my daughter, who hangs out on Fire Island, and who spent a day in your neck of the woods -- she thought the aquarium was "small but fun" and she really liked the Cyclone.
I'm no impressed by how much you swim and paddle. I live inland from the beach in LA but sad to say I haven't made it there this summer.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed this one!
The aquarium is still not entirely back up to speed after Sandy. The new shark exhibit is spectacular but I'm still looking forward to the interior of the Sea Cliffs and the Alien Stingers exhibit reopening.
I've been really happy with how much water time I've been getting in this year. Can't remember what was going on last year but I feel like I wasn't out there nearly as much as I wanted to be.
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