Along the shores of Jamaica Bay, you will find a New York beach like no other. Located in the borough of Brooklyn, this unique, if not historically grizzly stretch of beach attracts the curious, the artists, the history buffs and scores of school outings each year.
In the 17th century, Dutch immigrants set up millstones and used the water for tide mills to grind wheat into flour. By the mid 1800's the flour mills had been replaced by horse-rendering plants, fish oil factories and garbage incinerators. This is also about the time the area got it's name, for obvious reasons. By the late1920's, factories had shut down and the land became a garbage dump until 1953 when the the landfill was capped off. Through erosion, the cap has burst and has released a treasure trove of domestic artifacts along the beach, giving the beach the name Bottle Beach.
One of the things we noticed when we arrived at the beach was not the sound of the crashing waves we are used to from Florida, but instead a gentle gurgle of the water lapping on the beach and a tinkling sound as the water moved glass pieces against each other with every wave. In some strange way, is was a very smoothing sound after the urban sounds we had experienced during out visit to New York City. We did not visit Bottle Beach to sunbath and I advise against it. Although sunscreen is always a great idea at any beach, for this beach we needed a good pair of sturdy shoes or even waders. It was in October when my sister visited so it was windy and cool for these Florida girls. We made sure to sport wind breakers. Since we were there to explore, we also had water proof gloves, drying towels and bag for gathering any treasure we found. We both like history and like to craft, so this was a great opportunity to find vintage items we could use in art pieces. Other items I would recommend that we did not have, is perhaps a small garden trowel although we did find items to dig with on site amongst the artifacts. I would also recommend packing water/drinks and snacks if you are looking to be there for any length of time. There are no facilities at the beach so taking care of your convince before heading out is a great idea. Just ask my sister.
We saw school groups there from the local schools as they study history and ecology. Students will collect artifacts to take back to the schoolroom and research trademarks, makers marks, logos from the endless shards of china and bottles to be found. Some groups are there studying the fish and other wildlife who make their homes the bay.
Like the students, we also collected some of the artifacts found on the beach. I found chips of china with intricate patters that I am sure, at one time, graced the table of a family and I could just imagine how beautiful the china would look on the crisp white table cloth accompanied by the complementary glass wear and cutlery. We found other household items in the beach rubble like the soles of shoes, metal pips, tools, door knobs, tap handles, cook wear, even a kitchen sink. I loved finding a mid century Bordens Milk bottle, completely in tact with no damage. We could have collected much more than we did but keeping mind our luggage situation, flying back home, we had to edit and leave leave behind treasure for another day.
We enjoyed the afternoon discovering and just having fun doing the unexpected on our NYC journey. Bottle Beach is definitely off the beaten path for the typical New York City visit but sometimes my sister and I enjoy the different and unexpected. We have a love of history and sometimes getting beyond the rose colored glass view of history is more intriguing and rewarding in appreciating the past.
If you are planning on a "day at the beach", Bottle Beach is accessible by a trail through the brush. We used public transportation from Chelsey. This included using the train to the end of the line at Flatbush Avenue and then the Q35 bus that let us off right before the Marine Parkway Bridge. You will see a trail right at the bus stop that will lead to the beach.
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