me, at the beach in Rockaway
Some people will do anything to stay young.
I am not satisfied with staying young at heart. I want to be young.
Let me be clear. It is not my youth that I am chasing. It is the childlike wonder and simple fearlessness that I want. That is why I surf.
And of course, in order to be good at it, I run every morning and I take hot yoga classes for strength, balance and focus. Somehow, the stars and the surf are in alignment here in the Rockaways and it is now reinventing itself as the coolest beach with the skyline of Manhattan just over the bay. There are yoga classes on the beach during the week, beach tennis, a skateboard park and the big deal of the day is the food vendors along the boardwalk now have a liquor license!
How to Rock the Rockaways
You want to know how to do this?
- Listen, get up early, get out here around 7:30 am on a Saturday. At this time you can probably find a parking spot off 96th street in the big lot across from the library. The A train stop is 96th Street.
- Walk over to 108 street and set up your yoga mat by the water. The class is free, usually taught by my friend Helen who is fabulous, and begins at 8:00 am for one hour. There is no better way to start off your weekend.
- Afterwards, you can rent a bicycle for the day and cruise up and down the boardwalk. Check out the surfers at 91 street, I’ll be there. You can grab a bite at Rippers – great veggie burgers and juice bar. My fave is the Dreamcatcher.
- Find yourself a piece of sandy heaven and relax.
- Rinse and repeat.
Hey, this is a lot of work but it is so worth it.
Sky and his new surfboard
I am lucky to have a friend to go running with every morning.
I am blessed to have a son I can go surfing with every summer. He is the reason I paddle out to catch waves and try to hang ten.
Today, I saw him surfing with his friends up around 143 street in Neponsit. It was a whole scene – lean, tan boys laughing in the tumbling waves out past the first set of breakers, giggling girls in bikinis waving at them. Getting called in by reluctant lifeguards under the stern gaze of their supervisor and whispering conspiratorially,
“Hey guys, I know you guys can swim out there. My boss is here so I have to call you guys in. You know I won’t bother you when he’s not around. We’re surfers too.”
Sky grabbed his board and his eyes barely flickered a hello as he dashed by me with his crew. Does that bother me? I suppose it could but, I surf too.
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Hoong Yee
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hanging out at Beach 91st Street in Rockaway Beach
I am in love.
This weekend, I took my first surfing lesson and I am in love with surfing. On Saturday morning, Seth and I met Fernando, my surfing teacher, at the edge of the jetty just off Beach 91st Street. We walked back to his house which kind of looks like a tiki hut or a typical surfer’s shack tucked behind a tall beach house just a few blocks off the beach. I could feel time slip into another pace, the day became one big sunny moment. Seth settled into his beach chair next to a group of very nice people who decided to be my cheering squad. They clapped every time I tried to stand up.
“It’s all about finding your balance and controlling your board with your body. When you feel the wave take your board, jump up and ride.”
That simple directive, so beautiful to watch, is not as easy as it sounds.
“It’s about your arms, your shoulders, your center of gravity.”
Listen, Fernando, its about that and a bunch of other muscles I didn’t know I had. I was on a vintage 60′s long board and wondering how the hell I was going to maneuver it in the water. I know, lots of arm and shoulder and that pesky center of gravity. Somewhere in the back of my mind I can see my mom, the evolved Buddhist from Bayside, nodding approvingly. She likes to remind me about being centered and balanced. ”In all things in life. Even on a surfboard.”
Fernando and me
I love sitting on the board waiting for a wave.
Fernando pushed me out and shouted, “Now!” I waited until I felt the wave move the board. I actually stood up for a few shaky seconds before tumbling happily into the surf.
Seth brought me a veggie burger from the food stand on the boardwalk when I stumbled on to the sand after my lesson. You have to dodge skateboarders carrying surfboards and zig zag your way through surfboards and boogy boards to get something to eat but, boy oh boy, is it worth it! This is the summer of great boardwalk food in the Rockaways.
And the summer I learn how to hang ten.
Get more Wow!
If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:
Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good
Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit
Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day
– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested
– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)
– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update
Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.
Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?
Me and Seth after jumping in the water
Every time I get in the water after Labor Day I am thrilled.
There were surfers everywhere on this beautiful October weekend and I am very tempted to take surfing lessons next year so that I can ride waves into Indian summer too. I appreciate living so close to the beach and want to share a recent post by Beth Kanter about the great work being done to protect our beaches and oceans by the Surfrider Foundation. I didn’t realize that it was because of their advocacy efforts that Rockaway now has dedicated surfing beaches. They also have a very cool game. Here’s an excerpt:
Surfrider is a global network of surfers who want to protect the world’s beaches and oceans. Their use of social media to support and leverage their network is filled with great examples of best practices. They recently launched an Iphone app called “Trash-Tetris.” The goal is the same as in regular Tetris, except you play with trash. It is a virtual beach clean up game. It’s on itunes here (free).
Get more Wow!
If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:
Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good
Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit
Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day
– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested
– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)
– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update
Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.
Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?
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