95 degrees today in the city.   The heat comes off the pavement in waves, and the subway platforms become exercises in surviving a sauna while fully clothed.

But we were oblivious to all that, because at 9:30am we boarded a nice cool subway train after only seconds on the platform and just over 50 minutes later we were at Brighton Beach.    We went there with our friends Kim and Kaitlyn, and had one of the best days I can remember.    The ocean was very calm in the morning, and then in the afternoon, when temperatures were at their highest, a breeze kicked in bringing cool air off the water.   So much so that by 3pm Kim and I wrapped ourselves in towels while standing at the water’s edge watching the kids jump around in the waves.    Looking south from Brighton you can see the new Luna Park at Coney Island, but today was not the day for amusement park rides – they sit on pavement and attract the heat – much better to be in or near the water.

At the beach you have fun and you watch the tide and find shells and uncover sand crabs and examine seaweed and ride the waves.    It is such an amazing thing to live two blocks from Central Park, where it is very easy to forget that you are on an island, and then hop on a train and be looking out at the ocean from a wide sandy beach less than an hour later.    Days like these are times the kids will never forget.   They’ll remember the smells and the feel of the sand and the games they played.    And what can be better than that?

Looking south toward Coney Island

Kaitlyn & Maya

Ben & his 'mudball'

The morning water - no waves!

Burying himself in the sand...

Warming up - the water was still VERY cold