new.england.beach.snobbery

So I am sitting at a beach in South Boston called Pleasure Bay which as you can see from the picture is quite a nice place with a couple beaches and a protected cove which keeps the water smooth and clean. Naturally I would prefer some real surf and a SoCal taco stand or two but that isn't possible today. I am astounded by the fact that in my two years of living here nobody has ever brought me to this or the other beaches I have seen today in Southie (as Bostonians like to call it). Let's compare this beach to the beaches I have visited recently.

The beaches I have visited in the past are for the most part: Far away - It is not uncommon for a trip to the beach to require an hour or more just to arrive. Expensive - Yes that is right. Parking has cost between $10 and $25 per car. A long walk - even with paid parking, most of the beaches still require a 10-20 minute walk from the car to get down on the sand. Exclusive - The only people who can apply for a parking pass at many of these beaches are residents of the community and only then can you park nearby. Small - most of these beaches have had miniscule sandy areas packed with people.

Here there is a long curved sandy beach that can accommodate what I estimate to be thousands of people. In addition there is plenty of FREE on street and lot parking. How far away is this wondrous location, you ask. Well it is all of 30 minutes from Watertown and a mere 15 or so from Brookline (where I spend a great deal of time). In fact you can take the T and only have a 5 or so minute walk. Paradise you say? Well, I wouldn't go that far, but it is a very nice place with patrons of all backgrounds enjoying the outdoors just minutes from downtown Boston.