There are some faraway places in New York City that many people just don’t know about, where Life is happening day in and day out. Manhattanites thankfully don’t go there with their “make me a fucking sandwich” demands. Brooklyners won’t go there because it’s Queens. And everybody else simply can’t be bothered, or they’ve found their comfort zones even in places like Coney Island (you know what to expect there). I’m talking about the Far Rockaways. A clash and collision of beach culture, low-income housing, middle and HIGH-income housing in areas, non-existent social infrastructure, and marina/boat life – you can see further examples of this from my 2008 bike trip from Far Rockaway to Breezy Point on Flickr. I think I’m always amazed by places like this though, because of the presence of the water. Growing up in a river-culture city doesn’t quite have the same effect as the ocean and bay here has on its residents, or more specifically the pace of life on the boardwalk. And like I already mentioned, you wouldn’t go there unless you had to, which while these pictures are devoid of human life don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely bustling down there:



“Would you look at the Virginia Chrome job on that boat!”:

the Rockaways largely lack an economic identity, take for instance these towering residential blocks and a fanciful home that is nearby:

or the juxtaposition of an abandoned house against a sprawling development area:

the 59 Street Marina at night:

the view of the Rockaways over your shoulder to the West as you head north over the Channel on the A train:

journeys