Day 17: A Day At The Rockaways, New York

Day 17: A Day At The Rockaways, New York

It is the first day in New York, after two weeks of traveling from Plymouth in the UK to Medellín and Cartagena in Colombia. After a busy travel day at several airports as the one in Cartagena and then Panama City due to a stopover, I finally made it to New York; Long Island to be more specific. And I kicked off this last part of my journey at the Rockaway Peninsula, Queens, NY.

*There is a pretty good chance that this post contains affiliate links. With clicking one of them, we may receive a small commission (for which we are deeply grateful) at no extra cost to you. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

I had two options to spend this. The first one would be to get into the City and spend the day there. I still have a couple of things I would like to do, for instance, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, seeing Central Park in its fall foliage, and more. I had a layover in Spring for a day, but that wasn’t enough to visit everything on my bucket list.

The second option was to start by exploring Long Island right now. Given the busy Cartagena, I did not feel ready to spend the day in bustling New York City, so I decided to take option two: discover the nearby surroundings and the beginning of Long Island.

Calming Down At The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

When I think of New York City* I never considered a beach or any nature recreation areas besides Central Park. I know that there is more than that, but I was never aware of any other. But when I looked for anything to do today, which does not include going into the city, I was quite surprised that there are a lot of possibilities to get out of town and be one with nature.

The closest opportunity to escape city life is the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

 

I thought this would be the right start after the past week in Cartagena. Just me, nature, and hopefully not too many people! Not that I don’t like being with people, but I feel I need a little peace and silence! And this is exactly what I want for the next few days, which is why I planned to spend the last days of my vacation in Montauk. I need a little bit more time being with myself and nature, hearing the ocean, and being at sea. That is a place where I can calm down the best. And it makes me happy! Whenever I hear the sound of the waves and smell the salt in the air, it puts a smile on my face. Even if I am not in a good mood, as soon as an ocean is near, I have to smile!

So if you want me smiling, all you have to do is bring me to the ocean. A river or lake might be helpful as well.

The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is a super calm and relaxed area. I went around the whole round of the West Pond. I wondered about the bird nests, the bat boxes, the ocean, and the skyline of NYC, and enjoyed the silence here. There is nothing else than the sound of the birds and the waves of the sea. Half an hour of this and I feel more relaxed than after the past week in Cartagena. One more time I realized that busy, loud and crowded places exhaust me more than I can enjoy it.

Things To Do In The Rockaways

Walking On The Beach

After my mini hike at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, I headed to the Rockaway Peninsula. I stopped at the parking lot at Fort Tilden and went straight to the Beach. I was starving to see and smell it! 

First, I went up and down the beach, watched the waves, listened to the sound of the water and the seabirds, and took a lot of pictures. Although it is always the ocean and the beach, each moment is different, and I tried to keep it. I could go crazy taking pictures of the sea!

Explore Fort Tilden

Soon, I left the beach itself and went through the dunes; I tried to find some pieces of evidence of the existence of Fort Tilden. 

Fort Tilden is an old military base for the defense of the US in the Second World War. Today, it is run by the National Park Service and is used for different things, like a sports field for soccer or baseball, as an art gallery, and more. 

While exploring the area, I met Ed, an archeologist, who knew a lot about Fort Tilden and its history. He was on a discovery hike this day. We ended up with a mini-tour where he explained what is behind the fences, the history, and the surrounding buildings. He told me what they were used to in the past and today! It was quite interesting, and I was grateful to have the opportunity to learn more about the details and history. And I believe he was quite happy to share his knowledge as well!

Eat In Rockaway

After we finished our little Fort Tilden tour, he also gave me a few recommendations for places to eat. As I did not have breakfast that morning, I was hungry already. Ed told me I should go to Rockaway and 116th Street! There I should find a few spots where I could eat; including the place, which is called “Pickles & Pies” where you can have that famous Godfather Sandwich.

However, I decided to go to Claudette´s and have an Avocado toast and the Pink Smoothie. Sounds healthy? I guess it was! At least, it was delicious! I took my toast and the smoothie to the beach, having a picnic and taking the opportunity to stay before I had to leave for my evening event. 

One More Wrestling Show – Evolution

The next stop for that day was the Nassau Veterans Coliseum in Uniondale. I wanted to attend one more Wrestling show, which is the reason why I stayed at the Rockaways today and not go straight to Montauk. Otherwise, I would have gone all the way back, and I did not want to waste too much time in my car.

Wrestling is another passion of mine, and whenever I have the opportunity to visit a show, I take it! The show was incredible, and although it was a women´s only PPV, it was more than worth it. I think women´s wrestling is still quite underestimated in the business, and it is more than overdue to show the respect these women deserve!

Montauk, here I come!

When the show was over, it was time for me to drive to Montauk! Eventually, I would go back to my all-time favorite accommodation, the Sunrise Guesthouse*! I arrived shortly after midnight, and I was so dead that I fell into my bed immediately. But not before taking a few pictures of my home for the next week!

 

I love this place!!! Have I mentioned that it has a direct view of the ocean? I could not wait until the following day, when I could watch it while having breakfast!