Next Year, Ft. Tilden, NY
A few years ago I went to Jacob Riis Park with my Aunt, and when I came out from playing in the surf, she said to me, “I just realized, you didn’t grow up with the water.” This struck me as absurd, as I grew up in Westchester, and I grew up with most things. But she’s right that until recently, I didn’t think of the ocean at all, and I had let many summers go by without visiting the beach. But last summer, the manager of my running store would ask all the children who came in if they had swum in the ocean yet, and I realized that being in the water was a pleasure that, like seeing fireworks or riding a rollercoaster, must be taken in each year.
What I like about being at the beach is what I like about hiking: there’s no cell phone service and ultimately, it’s about hanging out outside with friends. But there’s something about the ocean—maybe the power of the waves or the mystery of what lurks beneath the water—that the mountains just can’t replace. And while I love the view from Denver, I’ll miss those days at Ft. Tilden.