Visiting NYC this summer? Do like the locals: Hit the beach

Visiting New York City this summer? Take a break from Times Square, shopping and museums and do like the locals: Hop a train or ferry to the beach.

The beach at Coney Island, at the tip of Brooklyn and reachable by four subway lines from Manhattan, is bordered by a famous strip of amusement park rides.

You can also go by subway to Rockaway Beach, Queens, but a new ferry service now departs for the Rockaways from Wall Street's Pier 11 on the East River in Lower Manhattan, with one stop in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.