The Rockaways is a peninsula located at the southern end of Queens, and is rather isolated from the rest of the city. It also happens to be pretty well-known as a summer getaway within NYC, along with the likes of Coney Island and Brighton Beach. Now, with all that in mind…
WHAT THE HELL DOES ANYTHING ABOUT A BEACH GETAWAY DESTINATION HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING I WRITE ABOUT HERE?! Well, I’ll tell you what: there’s a wholeass subway (ex-LIRR) line here! And, with that, here’s the first of several (on this blog, chronologically as of me writing this) entries: Beach 25th St.-Wavecrest.
So, Beach 25th. It’s an elevated station – albeit on a concrete viaduct (ala 33rd/40th/46th on the 7 line). Is it accessible? Not really. It’s also one of the least-used stations on the system (however not THE least-used, the awards go to Beach 105th and Broad Channel). The platforms have countdown clocks, wastebaskets, benches, the usual amenities. Street level surprisingly doesn’t have bus connections within a block or two of the station – but rather within a 10-12 minute walk. So, this is one of the rare stations on the system WITHOUT a direct bus connection. As for land use around here, it’s mostly residential with a Chinese restaurant, liquor store, and convenience store at the station entrance. If you walk a little ways south, though, you’ll reach the Atlantic Ocean and apartment complexes. (I did not do this as I was planning to meet up with Honaj). There’s also a couple of parks, a high school, a couple of synagogues, a couple of churches, but by and large the area is residential. It’s also an okay place to railfan the A line.
The good: It serves the local neighborhood, and the walkshed is mostly residential! And, the beach isn’t TOO far away
The bad: It’s not accessible. No bus connections(!!!). One of the countdown clocks doesn’t seem to work correctly, either.
Nearby points of interest: The beach, but that’s a bit of a ways away and there’s some stops considerably closer. There’s also some churches and synagogues, a high school, and some parks.
Transit connections:
8th Ave. (Line A)
Overall, it’s not a bad station. The vibes are a tad weird, but it’s not too terrible a station for what it is. But, for beach access, better stops exist.
Rating: 6/10
