It’s fun to stay at the YMCA! And the YMCA is here to stay in Rockaway. On Thursday, May 29, there will be a 10-year anniversary celebration to commemorate more than a decade of the community center, aquatic facility, and gym serving the peninsula.

On May 29 at 6 p.m., at a ticketed event, all are welcome to join for an evening of music, food, drinks, and honoring some of the Rockaway YMCA’s biggest supporters, including Borough President Donovan Richards, Tampa Bay Buccaneer Christian Izien, his mother, Michelle Matthews, and others, while supporting the facility through fundraising.

For more than 10 years, the Rockaway YMCA has been serving the peninsula with a fitness center, indoor pool, basketball court, outdoor field, and various classes and activities for kids, teens, and adults, plus as a space for community meetings and events.

The idea for the Rockaway YMCA, or something like it, goes back to 2001when Benjamin Development Company and the Beechwood Organization were selected to develop the community of Arverne by the Sea. “Initially in 2001, that location on Beach 73rd Street was identified as a 20,000 square foot community center, and as that plan developed, the development team, in conjunction with the City and the YMCA, identified the YMCA as appropriate for the facility. Then, the original 20,000 square foot plan evolved into a very nice 45,000 square foot YMCA with two pools and a gymnasium,” Arverne by the Sea (ABTS) General Counsel and Senior Project Executive Gerry Romski said.

Funding and design discussions led to some delays of the development of the Rockaway YMCA, and then Hurricane Sandy came into play. “We ran into Superstorm Sandy while the project was about 25% complete,” Romski said. But they powered through. “Obviously we worked through those challenges and completed the Y and opened it more than 10 years ago,” Romski said. The Rockaway YMCA opened its doors to members in February 2014, joining the Sands, Ocean Breeze condos, Palmers Landing, Breakers and a portion of the Dunes neighborhoods, plus the Stop and Shop and retail transit plaza, all part of the ABTS development.  “It was really a successful public-private partnership between the development team, the YMCA and the City of New York to bring this facility to the entire Rockaway community,” Romski said. “And it was a good thing in the wake of Superstorm Sandy to see the Y open up. I think it really had enhanced living in the Rockaways.”

Now more than 10 years later, the Y is hosting a celebration of that anniversary, albeit a little late. In March 2024, Areial Mathis stepped in as executive director of the Rockaway YMCA, bringing with her 24 years of experience with the organization, working her way up through facilities in Jamaica, Bed Stuy, opening a new facility in Coney Island, and then on to Flatbush before coming to Rockaway. But as she arrived, she realized the facility had missed the 10-year anniversary. However, the Rockaway YMCA had also missed about a year of operations due to gyms being shut down during Covid. But a decade of serving the community is still worth celebrating. “When I realized, I said we have to do something for our 10 years. It’s a big milestone!” Mathis said.

So, planning began. And next Thursday, it’s time to celebrate! “Next Thursday, we’re going to celebrate our impact in the community and what we’ve been doing over the last 10 years,” Mathis said. “We’re going to have music, food, dancing. It’ll be nice. Plus, we’ll have a couple surprises.” The event will also be an opportunity to fundraise for the nonprofit organization, and to honor those who have shown a lot of support over the years. “We’re honoring Borough President Donovan Richards because even before he was borough president, he was working for years to make sure the YMCA opened, and we have to celebrate all of the love and appreciation he’s shown us over the years.”

“We’re also honoring Christian Izien of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his mother, Michelle Matthews. They helped us with our turkey giveaway in November and instead of just donating 100 turkeys, they wound up donating all of the food and trimmings for free. They loved that so much that around the holidays, they gave 100 of our after-school program youth holiday presents. So, they’ve been amazing partners and live in our community. They started a nonprofit and are looking to do more work with us in the future, so we want to celebrate them as well,” Mathis explained.

The Rockaway YMCA will also be celebrating all they’ve accomplished over ten years. “In every community the YMCA is in, we’re making sure to provide access to after school programs for youth in our community and family programming. We’re not just doing paid programming, we’re doing more community outreach, and we started a second-grade swim program with P.S. 183 and P.S. 197. Being next to the beach and with drowning being an ongoing problem, we’re making sure our second graders become familiar with the water,” Mathis said. “We have kids who are getting scholarships through our programming, we’ve served over 500 summer campers, and we’ve served more than 13,000 people since opening our doors. We even have around 20 kids going to City Hall on May 30 to present a bill for our mock government program, about bringing more healthcare access to the community. We’re all about promoting health and wellness for the mind, body and spirit and it feels great to celebrate 10 years.”

Going forward, Mathis says she wants to do even more with the Rockaway YMCA. “We want to make sure we’re part of everything happening in the community. Like right now we’re working with Queens Caribbean Carnival and we’re going to have an event in our backyard in August, we’re going to do another food pantry with another partner organization, and more. We want to make sure that whatever it is we’re doing, we are here for everyone in the community for years to come,” Mathis said.

But for now, Thursday is all about celebrating what has been. “Given its location, which is really in the center of Rockaway, the YMCA has become a gathering place, as well as a community center, aquatic center and gym,” Romski said. “It’s great to see the Y celebrate 10 years. Twenty years has flown by since we started this ABTS project in 2001, so it’s been a long journey but certainly has lived up to the promises we made in 2001.”

So come out and have some fun at the YMCA. “We’re gonna have a great time and we’re going to celebrate our heroes,” Mathis said.

Tickets for the 10 Year Anniversary celebration at the Rockaway YMCA (207 Beach 73rd Street) start at $50 per individual or $90 per couple and go up from there for those who want to contribute more to help the Rockaway YMCA to continue to be successful. For tickets, see: give.ymcanyc.org/RockawayYMCA10

About the Wine Spectator Award
After two challenging years, during which many customers took a long hiatus from dining out, restaurants are developing innovative ways to attract diners back, no matter their preferences. From wine flights to creative, quality “mocktails” and more, restaurants around the world are pulling out all the stops with their beverage programs to enhance the full dining experience, giving all wine lovers a reason to be excited about going out again.

For example, take a look at our newly revealed list of nearly 3,200 restaurants that have earned Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards in 2022. This year's winning restaurants, each offering outstanding wine programs, hail from all 50 states and more than 70 countries and territories. The awards are given across three categories: Award of Excellence, Best of Award of Excellence and Grand Award. We are excited to honor all of these restaurants for their hard work and dedication.

Explaining why the awards matter so much to restaurants, sommelier Jason Ferris said, “When guests see that [Wine Spectator] plaque, or that logo on your menu, it gives them confidence that your wine program stands out among its peers.” The restaurant where he works, the Park Inn in Hammondsport, in New York’s Finger Lakes wine region, was upgraded to Best of Award of Excellence this year.

Read the entire article https://www.winespectator.com/articles/wine-spectator-reveals-2022-restaurant-award-winners-1

Find Juniper here https://www.winespectator.com/restaurants/6331/juniper

To read the original article, please visit https://www.longisland.com

Juniper is already making a name for itself with its combination of delicious cuisine and fine décor.

Hailed as a “hidden gem” among Long Island’s competitive restaurant scene by their many ecstatic customers, Juniper at the Vanderbilt is a newer entry to the local eatery scene, but is already making a name for itself with its combination of delicious cuisine and fine décor, nestled in the center of the Vanderbilt By Beechwood Homes apartment complex in Westbury, New York. One of the four restaurants and event space venues under the umbrella of the Civetta Hospitality group – which also includes Amali in New York City, Calissa of Water Mill, and Bar Marseille of Rockaway Beach – Juniper at the Vanderbilt is the company's newest venue, having opened their doors for business just over one year ago on May 20 of 2021…smack dab in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Opening during the worst of the pandemic presented a unique set of challenges amid the various restrictions and lockdown measures that were in place at the time. However, Juniper not only managed to stay afloat during those very troubling times, but according to General Manager John Nicoletti, business has consistently increased month-to-month ever since they first opened. “It was definitely a war of attrition, surviving the spikes around the holidays,” he said. “Where we were and where we are, we've shown steady growth, and secretly, we've become a great destination for events that are under 100 people. We really do a fair number of events on the weekends, such as smaller weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, retirement parties.” 

 “I love when I read the reviews and I see the words ‘hidden gem’ and ‘secret spot,’” Nicoletti continued, referring to Juniper’s off-the-beaten-path location within the Vanderbilt. “The biggest hurdle we really face is getting people up the driveway at the Vanderbilt. We're in the middle of the building so we don't really have street frontage, so it's become more of a place for those that know about us. We rely on the buzz of people spreading the word.” Executive Chef Chris D'Ambrosio – trained at the Culinary Institute of America in Poughkeepsie – categorizes Juniper as an American grill, but one diversely influenced by his many personal experiences while traveling abroad for a number of years. “We have a lot of different steaks and seafood, but I come from an Italian-American household and I've traveled the world, and what is America but a melting pot of ethnicities and cuisines? So I like to include those experiences in the menu as well,” he said. “So we have influences from Asia, Europe, and all the different places that I’ve visited. So our menu is sort of the story of my past, if you will.” D'Ambrosio noted that the restaurant offers a chef's seasonal menu, highlighting different products throughout the course of the year based on a lot of locally-sourced meats, fish, and vegetables. 

 “From the East Coast here we get oysters, halibut, sardines, and a lot of other local items that are very fresh and delicious,” he said.  Juniper at the Vanderbilt is deceptively spacious, Nicoletti said, able to accommodate up to 176 patrons if need be, and offering both indoor seating and an outdoor patio overlooking the Vanderbilt's pool, if weather permits. “The restaurant has a very natural resort-style feel to it, with lots of glass facing the outside, very high vaulted ceilings, good usage of natural light, and a lot of things that essentially highlight the space itself,” he said. “We use a lot of white marble, and it's a very beautiful space, it truly is. And the building itself...Beechwood Homes, the developer, always does a magnificent job, and they spare no expense. The quality of craftsmanship is second to none, and it really has helped us with wedding bookings as a venue.” Nicoletti boasts an extensive history in the restaurant business, having worked in it since the tender young age of 13; as time went by, his reputation grew and he began to hold a number of high profile gigs. 

 “As a Northport native, I started as a prep cook at the Shipwreck Diner in Northport, and later went to college while moonlighting as a bartender. But I started really getting into fine dining when I was working for the Bohlsen Restaurant group,” he said. “I was a long-time head bartender at Tellers Chophouse in Islip, and then became the corporate head bartender for them for many years.” From there, Nicoletti went on to Anthony Scotto Restaurants, initially hired to be the Director of Bar Operations. However, when the COVID-19 hit, things changed significantly, but while many employers laid off many of their workers during the worst of things, Nicoletti noted that he was treated about as well as could possibly be. “They were great to me, and they ensured that I would have a position,” he said. “So when they rebranded One North to Opus Steakhouse, they made me Assistant General Manager. Then I met the partners at Civetta Hospitality, and it was almost an instant connection. That's when I went over to be the General Manager at Juniper. It was just a no-brainer.” The decisively kind and empathic treatment he has experienced while employed by Civetta, he said, was outside of the norm of his involvement in the restaurant business throughout the years. 

 “It should be noted that for an industry that typically tends to be pretty thankless, the way that Civetta operates is really impressive. They treat their employees very well...we have every major holiday off, and they try to focus on kindness and understanding in a way that I've never experienced in this business,” he said. “Ultimately, the hospitality industry as a whole doesn’t really offer good quality-of-life, but Civetta really focuses on it and it's hard not to appreciate that.” Ultimately, Nicoletti said that he's found his time heading up Juniper at the Vanderbilt to be incredibly rewarding, and he relishes the opportunity he's had to continue build it from the ground-up into one of Long Island's premier eateries, combining ambiance, atmosphere, fine accommodations, and a unique take on popular American cuisine. “There are definitely more gray hairs on top of my head than when I started, but I wouldn't change a thing about it,” he said. “It's a pleasure to work with Chef Chris, and we have a small staff here that are incredibly hard-working, and a lot of them have been with me through multiple restaurants. I love to note that, because the success of this restaurant really has nothing to do with anybody but them. That's the truth.” To find out more about Juniper at the Vanderbilt, please call 516-820-1200 or visit https://www.juniperlongisland.com.

When I decided to learn to surf, five years ago, I did not venture to Malibu, Maui, or any of those fabled breaks where coconut-lotion-scented breezes ripple through palm trees and shirtless specimens with streaked hair play out their endless summers. Instead, I headed to the Rockaways, and I did so in the winter.

One December day, I found myself at one of New York City's few designated surf spots, the south end of Beach 69th Street. I was accompanied by stalwart herring gulls, a guy sweeping a metal detector across the sand, and Dillon O'Toole, my surfing instructor. The sky was Berlin Wall gray and filled with the sounds of JFK-bound jets winding down their engines. The water—which I found myself in quite frequently after being tossed off my surfboard—was freezing. And yet it had the very real virtue of being warmer than the air. Afterward, I stood next to my car and tried to peel off my wet suit with numb hands, blasting the car's heat to little effect.

Related: How to Have the Perfect Day at NYC's Rockaway Beach

The author prepares to dive in. | CREDIT: DAVID CORTES

I was hooked. After decades of living in New York, I'd found a place only a short drive away where I could be virtually alone; where I could free myself momentarily from phones and deadlines; where I didn't have to wait in line or pay expensive membership fees; where a pod of dolphins might silently break the dark surface of the water a dozen feet away. In summer, this same beach would be packed, but in the winter, it felt purifying and monastic.

As much as I fell for the surfing, I fell for the place itself. It was illegal to surf off this beach for many years, as Diane Cardwell writes in her memoir Rockaway: Surfing Headlong Into a New Life, which gave it a sort of "rebel edge." You need a certain constitution to handle the winter seas—which, inconveniently, produce the best waves. "Rockaway simply wasn't your average beach town," Cardwell writes, "and had none of the aloha spirit of Hawaii or good vibrations of California."

I stood next to my car and tried with numb hands to peel off my wet suit, blasting the car's heat to little effect. I was hooked.

But still, by New York City standards, it felt to me like a small town, with its own peculiar vibe and cast of characters. Whenever I headed to the water, I'd stop by the Rockaway Beach Bakery, a standout among the new businesses that have arrived in the past few years. Over a coffee and a ham-and-cheese croissant, I'd read The Wave, Rockaway Beach's newspaper since 1893, which must be New York's only newspaper with a surf column, Down by the Jetty. Pastry chef Tracy Obolsky, who owns the bakery, began surfing at Rockaway about six years back. She recalls sitting in the water and thinking, We should look into moving here. After she convinced her husband, she was for a while "slinging croissants" out of a temporary space in a marina before opening her own storefront.

Rockaway Beach Bakery is a popular spot for pastries before or after surfing. | CREDIT: DAVID CORTES

"The surfing culture has really exploded," Obolsky told me one February afternoon last year. There are days when she will close a bit early to go surf ("which is very Rockaway"). On her days off, she notes, "people will see me in the water and be like 'Oh, does that mean I can't get a croissant?'"

Since I began surfing there, I've seen growing evidence of a sea change. Mike Reinhardt—a Rockaways native and cofounder of Locals Surf School, the outfit that gave me my early lessons—wore bulky scuba-diving wet suits when he was a kid, but the more recent ubiquity of neoprene has made winter "less of a far-fetched proposition." He's been seeing ever greater numbers of winter surfers: "You'd be lucky to have anyone join you in the past. Now you'd be lucky to have the waves to yourself."

More Trip Ideas: This Isolated Village in the Faroe Islands Is Also a Surprising Surf Destination

And where years ago I used to change, shivering, on the street, I can now avail myself of the showers and storage lockers at Locals Collective Café, which is run by Locals Surf, on the ground floor of the Tides at Arverne by the Sea, a luxury apartment building at Beach 69th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard. The Tides also boasts cheery food options, like Super Burrito and Bar Marseille (entrées $25–$42), a French restaurant, plus a wine shop, Vino by the Sea.

Surfers waiting to catch a break in the Rockaways. | CREDIT: DAVID CORTES

Perhaps the biggest change is the arrival, in late 2020, of the Rockaway Hotel (doubles from $250), a six-story, 53-room structure designed by Morris Adjmi Architects (who did the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn) with interiors by Curious Yellow Design, a New York and Oslo firm. Partner Jon Krasner, who is also a co-owner of Montauk's Hero Beach Club, told me he's hoping the hotel will help make the Rockaways more than a seasonal destination, given its proximity to a large population base, the "staycation" vibe, and space for corporate retreats—plus an area devoted to surf lockers.

After all, in the 19th century, before air travel, the area was a prime holiday destination, boasting sprawling resorts like the Marine Pavilion and Rockaway Beach Hotel (then billed as the largest in the world). "It's pretty crazy," Reinhardt noted, "that Rockaway hasn't had a place to stay in that long. What other beach town isn't filled with hotels?"

The Rooftop, a restaurant at the Rockaway Hotel. | CREDIT: DAVID CORTES

On Valentine's Day weekend last year, with socially distanced indoor dining just reopened, my wife and daughter and I headed to the property's Rooftop restaurant, which is helmed by chef Barry Tonks. While it was too cold to take advantage of the outdoor terrace, the view was remarkable: to one side, the last embers of daylight sinking into the Atlantic; to the other, the lights of the distant Manhattan skyline. It was a reminder that as far out as the Rockaways can seem, they're still firmly in New York's orbit.

A version of this story first appeared in the February 2022 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline Swell With Pride.

original article on Travel and Leisure

Author: Tom Vanderbilt