If you want to work on your tan, read a good book while sitting on the sand, or launch your kayak, where do you go?
Monmouth County? Ocean County? Atlantic County? Nope. First try Hudson County.
What? Hudson County?
What many residents of arguably the most urban county in the state do not realize is that Hudson County was once a destination for summer vacationers and beach enthusiasts. From the 1840s until at least the 1880s, the Hotel LaTourette and its surrounding beaches at Bergen Point in Bayonne were referred to as “the most fashionable resort in the suburban district of New York.”
Up until World War II, Bayonne residents could swim around the manmade extension into Upper New York Bay that was first the Bayonne Port Terminal, then the Military Ocean Terminal and now the Peninsula at Bayonne Harbor, according to Bayonne historian Joseph Ryan.
“It was not as filled in at the beginning; it was a fork,” Ryan said. “People would swim on sides of that fork, alongside the port terminal. It was called Paradise Beach.”
Times have changed and industrial, residential, and recreational construction have modified the landscape in Bayonne and other Hudson towns, but remnants of beaches remain.
Bayonne, Jersey City. and Hoboken each still have at least one beach with sand adjacent to either Upper New York Bay or Newark Bay. And while residents can visit these beaches for relaxation or recreation, the one thing they are advised not to do is go into the water. In the case of Newark Bay it is because of the pollutants discharged there over many years. With Upper New York Bay, it’s the pollutants, but it is also because of the strong currents, as in Hoboken, where swimming is prohibited by city ordinance.
Hoboken
Hoboken boasts two mini-beaches; Maxwell Place Park at Sinatra Drive and 11th Street, and Weehawken Cove, near 16th Street.
Hoboken promotes recreation in the water, if it is in some type of watercraft.
“We definitely encourage people to kayak and paddleboat and all kinds of things on the water,” said city spokesman Juan Melli. “We definitely try to reconnect people to the water.”
On July 18, Hoboken was awash with participants of City of Water Day, the annual celebration that highlights the many ways New Jersey and New York residents can take advantage of their waterfronts.
Bayonne
Bayonne’s last accessible beach can be found in the northwestern section of Mayor Richard Rutkowski Park, not far from Route 440 and the Jersey City line. Teenagers can be seen congregating there, while others take a chair and catch up on their reading. Others can hike a trail not far from the beach if they feel unusually energetic.
Jersey City
In Jersey City, a sandy beach can be found in the Newport section, where cultural and other events are held. In Liberty State Park, there are sand and stone-covered beaches at the park’s northern end.
For those who could not get out of the city on July 8, Newport held its own beach party. Residents gathered on the 8,000 square feet of authentic castle-building sand on dozens of Adirondack chairs. The annual post-Independence Day event featured a food festival and concert.
Secaucus
Old timers in Secaucus remember a time when they could still swim in the Hackensack River. And while those times are over because of contamination, and the town does not have a beach per se, its boat launch at Laurel Hill County Park serves as the starting point for water lovers of all types. Canoes, kayaks, and jet-skis are among the favored watercraft.
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.To comment on this story online visit www.hudsonreporter.com