After our visit to Gateway National Recreation Area (my last blog post), my husband and I drove across The Marine - Gil Hodges Bridge which connects the south east section of Brooklyn, New York to the Rockaway peninsula in Queens. On the other side of the peninsula are the beaches and the Atlantic Ocean, and if you look to the left under the bridge you can see the historic bathhouse towers of Jacob Riis Park.
We drove to Rockaway to visit a cozy little bar/restuarnat called "The Wharf," as it has a nice view of Jamaica Bay.
The Wharf deck is connected to a gang plank and most of the customers arrive by boat.....
....and yachts..
...and even kayaks!
On a weekend, or a hot day, it is a busy place.
We stopped by for some clams on the half shell...
...and fish tacos that had a tasty creamy cilantro lime dressing.
It was a cool and relaxing way to spend an afternoon during the July 4th weekend.
If you look closely in this photo, through the summer haze, on the left you can see the skyscrapers of Manhattan in the distance, and the island in the center is one of the Jamaica Bay's Wildlife Refuge areas. A birder's paradise, there are more than 330 bird species that have been sighted at the refuge over the last 25 years; that is nearly half the species in the Northeast. It is one of the most significant bird sanctuaries in the Northeastern United States and one of the best places in New York City to observe migrating species.
Watching the sailboat made me wish I was sailing on the bright blue water of the bay... and hopefully I may get my wish tomorrow, if weather permits.
I'm adding this post to Jenny Matlock's "Alphabe Thursday." The letter this week is "Y" and I hope the yacht in this post qualifies. I'm also adding it to Claudia's "Friday Finding Beauty" on her blog Dippity Road. Please visit both blogs and join in all the fun!
