Filmmaker and photographer Thomas Brookins’ visual guide to Long Beach

Filmmaker, photographer, Long Island local, and surfer Thomas Brookins recently snapped some pics of the awesome Long Beach community, and we wanted to share them with you.  Some we’ve incorporated into posts featuring our Quiksilver Pro NY partners, and others you can check out right here!

Long Beach perspective.

The Cabana

1024 W. Beech Street, Long Beach

516.889.1345

 

Quiksilver Pro NY partner unsOund

359 E. Park Avenue, Long Beach

516.889.1112

 

Get your groceries on at Waldbaum’s

85 E. Park Avenue, Long Beach

 

Much respect to the shark for representing (at Quiksilver Pro NY partner Whale’s Tale)

 

Just a few blocks from the beach and the contest (Quiksilver Pro NY partner LIRR)

 

Long Beach Surf 

70 W. Park Avenue, Long Beach

516.431.5431

 

For more of Thomas’s work, check out our Quiksilver Pro NY partners posts.

Surf & Skate Spots: brought to you by Indoek

Our new friends Matt and Drew over at Indoek put together their own awesome guide to the Quiksilver Pro NY called Bro In The City.  They were cool enough to share their picks for surf and skate spots in Manhattan, Jersey, and Long Island.  Read on…

SURF

Rockaway 90th St. (Queens)

Only a 45 minute subway ride on the A train from the city.

 

Lido Beach (Long Island/Long Beach)

Just a little further east of the main event.

 

Gilgo Beach (Long Island)

Just east of Jones Beach, gilgo is a beautiful little state park with some nice peaks rolling in.

 

Montauk (East Long Island)

If you’ve got a full day or weekend to kill, arguably some of the best waves in New York are about a 3 hour train ride away to the end of Long Island.

 

Sandy Hook (New Jersey)

Big SE swell?  No car?  Grab a 30 minute ferry from Manhattan and hope for NW/W winds.

 

Fort Tilden Beach (NY)

Rent a bike and escape the city.  Just over 30 minutes from Brooklyn and it’s a state park so the beach is nice(ish).

 

SKATE

Pier 62 Skate Park (Chelsea, Manhattan)

Skatepark on the westside at the piers.

 

House of Vans (Greenpoint, Brooklyn)

Vans state-of-the-art skate warehouse facility.

 

You can check out Matt and Drew’s other recommendations, including their awesome shop section, at Bro In The City.  Make sure to visit Inodek, a surf-centric blog celebrating an independent flavor of waveriding culture mixed with all things creative and inspiring.

UPDATE! Quiksilver Pro NY schedule as of 8/31

It’s finally here – this Friday kicks off the Quiksilver Pro NY!  Here’s the schedule as of 8/31:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2: 

2pm – Quiksilver presents the Tony Hawk Vert Jam, taking place at Hudson River Park, Pier 54, New York City.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4:

The Quiksilver Pro New York ASP World Tour Trials, presented by UnSound Surf and supported by vitamin water, will hit the waves to determine the final wildcard to the event.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5:

7am – Quiksilver Pro New York opening ceremony.

Possible start to the main event Quiksilver Pro New York.

As always, we’ll continue to keep you posted on the latest schedule throughout the event.  See you on Friday!

BREAKING 8/30 – QUIKSILVER PRO NEW YORK SURF CONTEST WILL RUN: Update from Long Beach

An important update from Long Beach – Quiksilver is working closely with the City of Long Beach to preserve the heart of the professional surf contest scheduled to start on Sunday, September 4 in light of the impact of Hurricane Irene and concerns for the Long Beach community, which suffered significant damage from the storm. The Quiksilver Pro is scheduled to start its 11-day “holding period” on Monday, September 5. The Quiksilver Pro Trials presented by Unsound Surf will run on Sunday, September 4.

The situation has been changing daily, and we recognize that City resources are focused on hurricane restoration and clean up as first priority.  In that context, we have been informed by the City that the festival and music components of the event are no longer achievable.

The Quiksilver Pro NY is first and foremost about the surf contest and Long Beach has an incredible surfing tradition and spirit.  We are committed to holding the ASP tour event at Long Beach so that together we can promote the sport by bringing together the best surfers in the world to this terrific community.

For updates throughout the competition, visit: www.quiksilverpro.com.

Dining in Long Beach: Bob’s Natural Foods

Feeling a little rundown, and the Quiksilver Pro hasn’t even started yet?  Too many nights at Mother’s Ruin effectively ruining YOU?  A SoCal’er missing Erewhon or Mother’s Market?  Then do what the locals do: go to Bob’s Natural Foods.  Owners Bob and Allison have owned and operated the store since 1975, making them Long Island’s oldest independent natural food store.  In addition to their cafe that carries smoothies, vegan and gluten-free specials, organic fruit juices, wraps and sammies, Bob and Allison also have a huge assortment of vitamins – key for those B12 mornings – as well as an entire all-natural grocery store.  Even better, Bob’s is just around the corner from the Allegria and the contest site.

Bob’s Natural Foods

104 W. Park Ave., Long Beach

516-889-8955

 

Amenities in NYC/Long Beach: Shipping

Looking for a ubiquitous Fed Ex Office store, UPS Store, or DHL shipping services in the Manhattan or Long Beach area?  Here, let me Google that for you.

Nah, just kidding!  Here are a couple convenient locations so you don’t have to stress out your smart phone:

Manhattan:

Fed Ex Office Ship Center – your standard Fed Ex store with worldwide shipping services

70 Spring St., between Lafayette St. and Cleveland Pl., Soho

212-941-6340

 

United Shipping & Packaging – with DHL services

200 E. 10th St., East Village

212-475-2214

 

Long Beach:

UPS Store – keep in mind that with UPS stores, you’ll be paying a little bit more for certain services, but their UPS prices are standard.

218 E. Park Ave., Long Beach

516-208-7200

Amenities in NYC/Long Beach: Laundry

Dude – a mini bottle of shampoo and a hotel sink do not a washing machine make.  If you’re posting up in the city for a few weeks, you’ll probably be in need of a good laundromat or dry cleaner at least once…we hope.

Here are a few suggestions in the downtown Manhattan area as well as in the Long Beach area, so you can avoid those $10.00-per-shirt costs at your hotel.  TIP: every single laundromat and dry cleaner in Manhattan has pick up and delivery service, but self-service, coin-operated laundromats are far and few between.

 

Manhattan (downtown only):

Next Cleaners – eco-friendly, green cleaning

179 Lafayette St., between Grand St. and Broome St., Soho

212-334-6398

 

Lin Laundromat

194 1st Ave., between 11th St. and 12th St., East Village

212-253-0763

 

Quick Coin – the white buffalo of laundry in NYC – a coin-operated, self-serve laundromat!

46 Ave. B, between 3rd St. and 4th St., East Village

212-982-1575

 

Tribeca Green Cleaners – eco-friendly, green cleaning

200 Church St., between Duane and Thomas, Tribeca

212-566-8389

 

Long Beach

Go Green Dry Cleaners – eco-friendly and green cleaning services

176 W. Park Ave. Long Beach

516-431-6461

 

Ujamaa Cleaners

152 E. Fulton St., Long Beach

516-208-3242

 

Michael’s Tailoring – Ripped something? Need an alteration right away?  This is your spot.

48 E. Park Ave., Long Beach

516-889-9047

We love our Quiksilver Pro partners: Swingbelly’s BBQ

BBQ-lovers, you are in luck with Swingbellys.  Not only is their food delicious, but they have the following specials that you need to pay close attention to:

Mondays – all-you-can-eat Monster wings for $9.99, and $10 pitchers

Tuesday – Fried chicken night, with 5 pieces, a side, and cornbread for $12.95

Thursdays – $1 rib night.  Yes, you heard us – each rib is only ONE DOLLAR.  Seriously?

Plus, they have a live surf cam.

(images courtesy Thomas Brookins)

Swingbelly’s BBQ

909 West Beech Street, Long Beach

516-431-3464

We love our Quiksilver Pro partners: Jimmy Hays Steak House

People claim that Jimmy Hays is the best steakhouse on Long Island, and who are we to argue with the people?  If you love cheese or garlic bread, order the infamous Gorgonzola Garlic Bread appetizer.  And since it IS a steakhouse, you’re pretty much obligated to order beef, like the Brontosaurus-sized porterhouse for two or the ribeye.  Tip: Jimmy Hays is one of the few places on our Long Island list that you can’t roll into right off the beach; shorts, sand, and flip-flops won’t fly at this spot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jimmy Hays Steak House

4310 Austin Blvd, Island Park NY

516-432-5155

We love our Quiksilver Pro partners: Air and Speed Surf Shop and Camp

When they started, Air and Speed’s goal was to provide the growing surf culture in the Montauk community with quality surf boards and apparel. Coming up on their 15th year in business, they’re now not only popular with locals, but also with all the visitors to Montauk during the warm summer months.

Air and Speed also runs a surf camp every year from July through the second week in August, open to motivated shredders ages 7-15.  Start planning for 2012 now!  Air and Speed owner Stu Foley leads the camp, with additional instruction from his sons Michael, Jay and Max and NY lifeguard Bob Miller.  A typical day at surf camp includes step by step instructions on surfing, water safety tips, inspirational speeches and story-talk by the experienced instructors, water time to practice what they have learned, snacks and drinks, and sometimes a fun game on the beach. They make sure every camper, regardless of experience, gets one-on-one attention and is trained on how to read the surf, paddle out, and catch a wave.

For more info on the 2012 surf camp, call the store…or just stop by!

Air & Speed Surf Camp

795 Montauk Highway, Montauk NY

631-668-0356