{"id":447,"date":"2026-05-25T21:39:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T21:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=447"},"modified":"2026-05-25T21:39:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T21:39:47","slug":"wet-memorial-day-scares-off-nyc-beach-crowds-but-diehard-locals-stick-it-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=447","title":{"rendered":"Wet Memorial Day scares off NYC beach crowds \u2014 but diehard locals stick it out"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

So much for fun in the sun.<\/p>\n

A wet and not-so-wild Memorial Day capped a washout holiday weekend for the Big Apple, leaving Rockaway Beach empty during the unofficial start of summer except for diehard locals and frustrated business owners.<\/p>\n

Read more Maniac executes man washing clothes with wife at NYC laundromat \u2014 accidentally shoots 68-year-old bystander after<\/a><\/p>\n

Sean Aiken, 49, who owns Seany Pizza on the boardwalk near Beach 98th Street, said the bad weather meant a massive financial loss for the whole peninsula.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s only really four big, big holiday weekends: Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Fourth of July and Labor Day,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd everyone gets half their revenue from those four big weekends.<\/p>\n

\u201cA good Memorial Day will be like $12,000 for us, and this weekend will probably ring up $1,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody knows if you have a tough summer, you have a tough year,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I\u2019m optimistic that the weather will turn around.\u201d<\/p>\n

JFK Airport, a stone\u2019s throw from the popular beaches of Rockaway and Jacob Riis Park, saw nearly 2 inches of rain since Friday, according to the National Weather Service.<\/p>\n

The Post couldn\u2019t find a single person at the local beaches Monday who wasn\u2019t a Rockaway resident, even as the soggy weather subsided.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the most people we\u2019ve seen on the boardwalk in four days,\u201d Aiken lamented Monday.<\/p>\n

A sparse crowd meanwhile cheered the Rockaway Beach Day Parade, including lifelong local Ray Otton, 44, and his wife, Moe Otton.<\/p>\n

Read more NJ Gov. Mikie Sherrill slammed for Memorial Day \u2018stunt\u2019 at Newark ICE facility as tense protests rage<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cRockaway won\u2019t stop for the weather,\u201d Ray Otton said. \u201cWe\u2019re out to enjoy the parade, and with this weather, they need our support.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other locals also defied Mother Nature and gave area businesses a boost at the same time.<\/p>\n

Christa Bauer, 56, sipped a beer with husband Chris Bauer, 47, and their King Charles spaniel Rose at boardwalk bar Bar 97.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said it was too cold but, he said we\u2019re doing it,\u201d she said of her hubby. \u201cYou can only do so much Netflix and chill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Few people other than surfers actually went onto the beaches or into the water, though.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Kevin Paskewitz, a 14-year-old Breezy Point resident, was the lone swimmer in the cold waves.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good for you,\u201d he said about the cold water. \u201cI go swimming all winter long. This is nothing for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Justin, an 18-year-old lifeguard, bundled up in his chair, wearing two pairs of pants, two sweatshirts and a big heavy jacket.<\/p>\n

Read more Will Levis spent \u2018exorbitant\u2019 amount of money to make sex tape \u2018go away\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

When asked if he went into the water, he was emphatic: \u201cHell no! Too cold!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A wet and not so wild Memorial Day capped a washout holiday weekend for the Big Apple, leaving Rockaway Beach empty during the unofficial start of summer except for diehard locals and frustrated business owners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nWet Memorial Day scares off NYC beach crowds \u2014 but diehard locals stick it out - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=447\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wet Memorial Day scares off NYC beach crowds \u2014 but diehard locals stick it out - 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