Long Beach

Understand

Long Beach is an urban community set on a barrier island in the Atlantic Ocean (not surprisingly, called Long Beach Barrier Island), across from Long Island. It can be visited as a day trip from New York City, which is about 50 minutes away via the Long Island Rail Road; for those who prefer to stay longer, there are hotels and housing developments near the beach. There are plenty of restaurants and bars in town, but for visitors, it's mostly really about the long sand beaches.

This small city was founded in the 1880s and started out as a vacation community where visitors crowded for some sea and surf. Through the 1940s, Long Beach was a glamorous resort town that attracted celebrities and other wealthy visitors, but a decline that began with the advent of affordable air travel led to the city developing a reputation for crime and decay by the 1970s, and gang culture took the most indigent areas around the 80s. In the 21st century, however, Long Beach is once again a desirable destination. Long Island residents returned first, followed by Manhattanites looking for a quick, easy and affordable beach getaway, and now, for the first time in decades, hotels have begun to operate within the city limits. There are still notable places of poverty and crime in Long Beach, but they are easily avoidable.

In 2012 the area was devastated by Hurricane Sandy, with many homes and businesses flooded and the city's beloved boardwalk destroyed. Long Beach proved to have both the will and the resources to rebuild, and the city emerged even better than before the storm. In October 2013, just a year after Sandy, workers laid the last plank on the reconstructed boardwalk. Today homes are being repaired and rebuilt and shops, restaurants and bars continue to reopen; many new businesses, often catering to a younger, more-cosmopolitan clientele, are replacing those that unfortunately could not return.

Get in

By plane

• Twenty minutes from John F. Kennedy International Airport

By train

MTA operates frequent LIRR trains from Penn station in Manhattan via Atlantcíc Terminal in Brooklyn. The beach is a short walk from the station.

By car

• Take the Long Island Expressway from the Meadowbrook Parkway South to Exit M-10 (Lido-Long Beach Loop Parkway), OR take the Belt Parkway East to Nassau Expressway towards Long Beach.

By bus

• There is a local bus service and a county MSBA line (Schedules here .)

Get around

On foot

Long Beach is a supplementary walking city around Park Avenue and Beech Street; there are tons of restaurants and shops within walking distance of the beach and boardwalk. Walking, however is not suggested in the North Park area of Long Beach due to it being a crime spot.

By car

You can drive through Long Beach and there are various parking lots and parking meters located throughout town. Note: parking tends to be packed during the weekends and especially during the summertime so go early for a prime spot.

By bicycle

A great way to get around town. There are tons of bike shops where you can rent bikes hourly or for the day.

• Local Cycles, 307 W Park Ave, Long Beach, +1 516-390-7085
• Long Beach Bicycle, 755 East Park Ave, +1 516-432-9632
• Social Bikes Long Beach, sobilongbeach.com

By bus

Nassau Inter-county Express's Route 33 (+1 516-336-6600) runs between Far Rockaway and Long Beach LIRR stations via Beech Street and West Park Avenue.

Stay safe

Overview

Long Beach, overall, is a very safe city – although crime does happen like in any other American city of its size and character (see "Crime" section). The City of Long Beach Police Department regularly patrols the city and will assist you in any way necessary should an issue arise.

You can contact emergency services by dialing 911.

Crime

You will not experience any issues if you use basic common sense. Like any city, Long Beach has good areas and bad ones. Overall, the only area of Long Beach which can be considered "bad" by some metrics is the area immediately west of the Long Island Rail Road tracks, behind City Hall. This area contains a housing project – the Channel Park Homes – and is one of the more impoverished areas of the city. Crime does take place here and there is a known gang presence in this area – along with drug trafficking operations. Drugs which have been problematic in this area include cocaine, crack, and MDMA – and gangs which are present include the Latin Kings, P Block Demons, and the MS-13-affiliated Long Beach Lokotes. However, the crimes which take place here are rarely (if ever) targeted at tourists, and are instead between rival gang members, drug-related, or otherwise between people who know each other. There is also nothing of interest for the average tourist in this area of the city, and the Long Beach Police Department's headquarters right in front of this section of the city (at City Hall). The LBPD is well aware of the issue – and as is stated above, it prides itself in keeping the city a great, safe place. Furthermore, despite being located adjacent to this area, the Long Beach LIRR station & Bus Terminal (an intermodal complex which sees 24/7 train and bus service) is safe, well-lit, and well-patrolled by law enforcement; the bus terminal is south of City Hall & the rough area, and the train station is only accessible south of City Hall (thus not from the area of concern).

Other than the small, aforementioned area, the rest of the city is very safe.

When Mother Nature strikes

Like other towns on barrier islands, Long Beach is very susceptible to flooding from high surf and wind. During Hurricane Sandy, ocean waves rolled over Long Beach Island into the channel beyond, on their way to hitting Long Island, leaving severe damage in their wake. If there is a warning of a severe storm, reconsider visiting, and if the area has recently been hit hard by a storm, check conditions before coming.

Go next

• Long Island Rail Road station — at W. Park Ave. and Park Pl. 1 Park Ave, Long Beach
• Car- Via Long Island Expressway.
• Bus- There is a local bus service and a county MSBA line (Schedules )
• Plane- Twenty minutes from John F. Kennedy International Airport