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USA » New York » Fire Island

Fire Island is a long thin strip of land off the coast of Long Island, New York. It is a gay paradise where the cream of Manhattan's A--List queers come to spend their summer weekends. The island has two almost completely gay towns: The Pines and Cherry Grove. They are divided in the middle by a quarter mile of undeveloped trees and brush [known lovingly as "The Meat Rack"] where sexual activity can be found almost 24/7 during the summer high season. If you go cruising at night be sure to bring a flashlight. The Meat Rack has no sidewalks, only sand.

The summer high season is roughly June, July, August & some of September. During the winter the island is reduced to a ghost town. There are very few hotels on Fire Island. Most men who stay overnight will rent private homes jointly with few friends. The two different towns on the island each have their own personalities. The Pines has a more standoffish feel to it. The homes are more wealthy and the gates and walls around each house seem to scream "keep-out." If you veer off the main sidewalk that cuts through The Pines you wind up encountering a dead end. In short, The Pines has more "attitude."

Cherry Grove is more of a welcoming party town. The wood plank sidewalks are laid out in a simple grid pattern making it easier to navigate. There are friendly bars and eateries and gay flags everywhere. This town says "let's have fun." The homes are less likely to have imposing walls around them making them look more inviting and each home is given a campy name: Whip-poor-will Cottage, Deer Abbey, White Swallows, Wounded Knees. If it is your first visit to Fire Island definitely stay at Cherry Grove and leave The Pines to the more experienced.

The beach between The Pines and Cherry Grove is a nude beach.

Directions on how to get to Fire Island from Manhattan are at the bottom of this page.

On the right is "Burger Queen"

In Cherry Grove:

Grove Hotel

http://www.grovehotel.com/

This hotel contains a few dozen rooms with a swimming pool in the center. It is painted a very unattractive bright blue. It is not what I would call "upscale." It is more like a roadside Motel but at the same time looks like lots of fun. Located right at the ferry dock with a ramp leading up to it that says "Ice Palace" [a bar/club].

Belvedere Hotel

http://www.belvederefireisland.com/

Looks like it was designed by Liberace. Very flamboyant.

A Summer Place Realty

http://www.asummerplacerealty.com/

This is the place to contact for renting private homes or rooms on the Island. They have a virtual monopoly.

How to get to Cherry Grove from Manhattan:

Take the Subway to Pennsylvania Station [Penn Station] located underneath Madison Square Garden.

Go downstairs to the ticket windows for "Long Island Railroad" [LIRR].

Tell the attendant you want a round trip ticket to SAYVILLE.

If you are planning to leave in the morning and return in the evening you can get an "off-peak" ticket and save a few bucks.

You don't need to specify the time you want to travel. Like the Subway, once you have a ticket you can get on any train.

Trains to SAYVILLE leave about every hour or so.

Look at the "scoreboard" above the ticket windows. The stops are listed alphabetically. Look for SAYVILLE and see what time the next train leaves.

About 10 minutes before the scheduled departure a "track number" will appear on the "scoreboard" telling you which track the train will depart from [for example: "Track 20"].

Go to that track number and board the train. Your ticket will be punched once the train starts moving. Keep your ticket handy. It will be looked at several more times during your trip.

It takes about 80 minutes to get to SAYVILLE. You will have to change trains one time on your journey.

You will have to change trains at either Jamaica or Babylon station. You can ask the "ticket puncher" which station to change at. You shouldn't have to wait. The trains are all synchronized.

Once you reach SAYVILLE there will be a small bus waiting to take the arriving flock of queers to the ferry dock. Just follow the herd onto the bus. You don't need a ticket. The charge is $4.00 cash. Bus ride takes less than 10 minutes.

If your train arrives at SAYVILLE about 20 minutes before the ferry is scheduled to leave you can go from train to bus and bus to ferry in one smooth trip. For example, I got on the 7:50 train from Penn Station to Sayville. It arrived at Sayville at 9:10. The bus was waiting for us. We boarded the bus and it took us non-stop to the ferry station. We arrived at the ferry landing at 9:20. There is a bathroom trailer there for you as you get off the bus. Buy your ferry ticket and board the ferry. It left the dock at 9:30. We arrived at Cherry Grove 15 minutes later. I set foot on Fire Island almost exactly 2 hours after leaving Penn Station.

To return home simply reverse the process. Again, once the ferry docks the bus will be waiting to take the returning flock of queers back to the train depot.

Cost:

Round trip train ticket to Sayville from Penn Station: $19.00 off peak [$23.00 peak]

Bus ride to ferry landing $8.00 [$4.00 each way]

Ferry ride to Cherry Grove $14.00 round trip [or $7.50 one way].

Total cost: $41.00 -- $46.00

Train schedule from Penn Station to Sayville:

http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/lirr/html/ttn/sayville.htm

Ferry schedule from Sayville to Fire Island:

http://www.pagelinx.com/sayvferry/index.shtml