This summer was sadly put on pause due to quarantining and staying home even when quarantine was lifted due to coronavirus. The one thing that I felt comfortable doing once July rolled around was going to the beach. I was starting to see a plan of how I could go to the beach and still be safe.
In hindsight maybe it’s not the best idea due to large crowds. However, I found ways to keep my distance and be safe. My favorite part of the summer is being able to relax at the beach or a pool, a beach that I frequented was Robert Moses on Fire Island. I love that the sand of the beach is much smaller in comparison to the popularly known Jones beach. Soon all beaches only took 50% capacity due to the pandemic but there were still hefty crowds.
Some of my beach day essentials after my first few trips I realized were:
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Beach chair
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Umbrella
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A bag cooler
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A large sheet for sitting on
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Three towels (One for when I’m wet, one for laying on the sand, and one for the car ride home!)
It sounds a little overboard with the towels and the sheets but there was a method to my madness. I love having a fresh towel to clean off on once I’m about to make the drive home. With the pandemic the bathrooms are open however I would only go if I really needed to, so that being said changing in the shower into comfortable clothes and not being sandy wasn’t really able to happen. They had the little shower poles outside so that you could rinse off which is great, but I love to sit on a towel that’s not Sandy so that I can be comfortable! Also, I like to bring extra sheets or towels even if I don’t end up using them that way I can spread them out around me so people don’t feel like they can wedge themselves in between me and the next person.
My first trip this summer I realized that I needed to bring more things so that people would understand this is not the time to be remotely close to each other. The signs and papers that they hand you when you come into the parking area tell you to stay 10 feet apart and let me tell you nobody follows that rule. When getting into the water I was a little concerned with being close to people but it’s really easy when there’s nobody around. My biggest thing was wanting to keep a distance so that I could enjoy myself and no I wasn’t putting myself at any more risk being in public. I wish I could go back already, the beach is one of my favorite and least favorite places at the same time.