The Bronx Riviera – in Winter (Orchard Beach) [PHOTOS]

by Tony Shea

in New York, PICTURES

orchard beach bronx ny 2

This winter is starting to suck, I said to myself. I’m sick of being cooped up inside like a prisoner, I thought. What would I be doing back in LA right about now, I asked myself. And then the answer came to me. I would be at the beach! Damn straight I would. And hell, I live closer to the beach now than I did then. Time for a little fun in the sun, I told myself.  So off I headed to Orchard Beach, aka the Bronx Riviera, to drink in that Jimmy Buffett vibe and put my toes in the sand. Of course it’s 18 degrees outside and by “sand” I mean four feet of accumulated snow.

IMG_6058

Part of Pelham Bay Park which, though you may not know it, is the largest Park in all of New York City (three times as large as Central Park to put it into perspective for you), Orchard Beach is a 1.1 mile stretch of man-made beach that looks west towards Pelham Bay and further out to Long Island Sound and Long Island on the opposite shore.

image via

bronx riviera

As you can see above, during the summer Orchard Beach is positively crammed with people. (Wayne Lawrence, a photographer whose work I really like, has done a great series of portraits at Orchard Beach that you should check out HERE.) Today, not so much.

IMG_6135 The nearly deserted parking lot.

IMG_6136At least the parking is free.

IMG_6118Sit down and relax. Enjoy the view.

retouch  orchard beach IMG_6052

retouch 5858

retouch 40837

retouch beach 48

IMG_6122

IMG_6127

IMG_6129

IMG_6117

IMG_6121

IMG_6078

IMG_6077This guy needs a hat.

retouch orchard 585

retouch orchard 6986

retouch orchard beach 4

IMG_6086

IMG_6063

IMG_6061

IMG_6065With another month of winter (at least) to go, we all just have to make the best of it.

**You should follow Shea Magazine on Twitter HERE!**

follow us in feedly

**If you liked this article you should share it!**

Tony Shea ( Editor-in-Chief, New York)

Tony Shea is based in New York, having recently moved from Los Angeles after more than a decade on the sunny coast. His short films have won numerous awards and screened at major festivals around the world including Comic-Con. As a musician, he is the lead singer for Los Angeles rock n’ roll band Candygram For Mongo (C4M) candygramformongo.com who has been a featured artist on Clear Channel Radio’s Discover New Music Program and whose songs have been heard on Battlestar Gallactica (Syfy Channel) and Unhitched (Fox) among other shows and films.

Previous post:

Next post: