Best Urban Beach (2016)

Clean and powdery soft, this beautiful stretch of San Juan sand is so unbelievably clean it’s hard to believe it’s urban at all. Beach umbrellas and chairs are available for sunbathing, lounging with a book or people-watching; the less staid visitors are welcome to rent a jet ski instead and patrol the cool, green swells. Frequented by both tourists and locals, Isla Verde can be lively but is seldom if ever crowded.
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock

Welcome to a wide, pretty urban beach so quintessentially New York, the Ramones wrote a song about it. Rock-Rock-Rockaway Beach isn’t just catchy hook, though, it’s a seaside destination that’s been a part of Queens culture for ages and, in the wake of the Hurricane Sandy, a real symbol of its community’s ability to come together and bounce back. This is New York City’s only sanctioned surfing beach. Bring your board.
Photo courtesy of NYC & Company / Marley White

Granted, “beach” is probably not the first word that comes to mind when you think “Wisconsin,” which is why Bradford Beach is a surprising oasis in the Badger State – the city’s most popular for swimming and catching rays. Sand volleyball courts host league play all summer long and concessions keep visitors sated with food and drink. In fact, some folks love Bradford so much, they show up in wintertime for its annual Polar Bear Plunge.
Photo courtesy of Visit Milwaukee

The Venice Beach Boardwalk is rife with kitschy souvenirs and circus-sideshow like street performers to be sure, but walk west of the surf shops and t-shirt stands, the tattoo parlors and medical marijuana dispensaries and the reward comes in the form of the breathtaking Pacific Ocean and the manicured sands that buffer its waves, whether windblown or gentle. Bring cash for the fire eaters, jugglers and break dancers and come ready to gawk.
Photo courtesy of Michele & Tom Grimm

Chicago loves its extreme weather. Jack Frost may be its unofficial mayor in wintertime, but with summer temps that can easily soar past 100 degrees, its various and sundry Lake Michigan oases provide residents with sorely needed relief. Oak Street Beach hosts pro and amateur volleyball tourneys in the warm season and offers visitors both bike and chair rentals and concessions – along with some of the most spectacular Chicago skyline views available.
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock

Lincoln Park is among Chicago’s most iconic attractions and North Ave. Beach is its signature strand, as popular with locals as visitors. Its photogenic beach house, with an ocean liner-inspired design, makes for fun photo-ops, whether of the building itself or the phenomenal views its decks and portholes supply. Retail shops and beach-related rentals such as kayaks are in high supply and refreshments – adult and otherwise – are readily available, as is beach yoga.
Photo courtesy of City of Chicago

Historic Coney Island’s three miles of deep Atlantic beach boast amusements near the water’s edge and away from it, as well, in the form of basketball, handball and volleyball (in fact the AVP pro-volleyball tournament is an annual summer event). Looking for something more thrilling? Try its Boardwalk amusements and immerse yourself in Brooklyn history. Don’t forget your camera. Few urban beaches are as rife for photo-ops as one replete with games, rides and the towering iconic Wonder Wheel.
Photo courtesy of NYC & Company / JULIENNE SCHAER

It’s only three miles long but what this L.A.-adjacent paradise lacks in size it makes up for with stature. The Santa Monica Pier and its myriad amusements have provided a backdrop for so many film and television vehicles it may be California’s most iconic locations. Beautiful rolling sands, sparkling waves and winding paths for cyclists and pedestrians beckon, world-class food and shopping abound. And at Muscle Beach, gym rats pump iron while tourists post pics and status updates.
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock

The towering beach resorts along this signature stretch of Oahu can crowd the hotels’ little slices of beachfront but those willing to walk a bit, will find room to stretch out and enjoy the astonishing blue of the ocean, whether on a surfboard or from beneath the shade of on an umbrella with a cool beverage in hand. Even so, this pretty stretch of Pacific is tourist ground zero and therefore not a go-to for a sampling of secluded island life.
Photo courtesy of Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Dana Edmunds

Got sunsets? This San Diego strand does them as good as any west coast beach; the sky meets the ocean nightly in a watercolor light show that leaves even jaded locals breathless and Instagrammers using the #nofiler hashtag with abandon. Of course, this is sunny SoCal, so daytime visits are a must, as well. The vintage surf town charm isn’t fabricated here; this is where that particular brand of beach vibe was born.
Photo courtesy of kellinahandbasket / Flickr