Fire Island, New York (The Pines and Cherry Grove)

[ctman987]

Fire Island is a barrier island adjacent to the south shore of Long Island. Overall it’s about 31 miles long. According to the 2000 census there is a permanent population of 491, expanding into the thousands of residents and tourists during the summer months.

Most of the island is entirely car-free during the summer tourist season. To get around there are boardwalks instead of roads. Additionally, many of the hamlets and villages are not connected. You must walk through the beach or take a ferry to get to different hamlets or villages.

Ferries are available from the South Shore of Long Island and many visitors from the city hop on the Long Island Rail Road at Penn Station or Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn. Many city residents are known to take the train out every weekend in the summer months.

The pictures below are from the two hamlets of Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove, which are both extremely popular destinations for LGBT vacationers.
The Pines, which has the most expensive real estate on Fire Island, has approximately 700 houses on its square mile of location. In the Pines, the large houses are filled with summer shares and a 4 bedroom house can easily contain 8 people at a time. The population is primarily gay men. It is affectionately referred to as "Chelsea with sand." (Chelsea is one of Manhattan's gay neighborhoods.)

Two of the Pines's most famous events are the Pines Party, an all-night dance party held each July on the beach, and the Invasion of the Pines, a drag-queen parade held each year on July 4. Proceeds from these events go to LGBT organizations.

The Pines


047 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


046 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


045 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


044 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


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041 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


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036 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


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032 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


031 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


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028 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


027 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


026 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


025 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


024 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


023 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


022 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


020 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


019 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


018 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


017 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


016 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


015 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


014 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


013 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


011 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

048 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Bayview Walk (9) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Bayview Walk (8) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Fire Island Pines Shore (3) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Fire Island Pines Shore (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Ascension Beach Parties

Ascension 8-15-10 (6) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Ascension 8-15-10 by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Ascension 8-15-10 (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Cherry Grove


Lewis Walk (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Bayview Walk by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Bayview Walk (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Bayview Walk (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Bayview Walk (5) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Grove Hotel by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Cherry Grove Shore (3) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Cherry Grove Shore (4) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Cherry's on the Bay by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Cherry Grove Shore (5) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Cherry Grove Shore (2) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

Getting ready to go between Cherry Grove and Pines when all the boardwalks end

Swamp (1) by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr


Deer by UrbanAmerica87, on Flickr

[Prahaboheme]

You captured it well!

[Expat]

Beautiful place! (be glad you are there right now)

[nygirl1]

We call the pines the Meat Rack...I love how you captured the Ice Palace and Cherrys my fav places on the island. One thing about the Pines is that it is pretty much nothing but gay men and they can be veryyyyy nasty if you are a lesbian or a straight woman in general if you stray into their meat rack. Cherry Grove is awesome. Best Pizza...mmmm bacon cheddar cheese burger slices and garlic knot slices

[OhioGuy]

Nice to see. Maybe next summer I'll make it up there for a visit... though I still need to visit Rehoboth and Provincetown as well.

[BnaBreaker]

I've always wondered what Fire Island looked like! Looks extremely charming and pleasant.

[jg6544]

The Pines looks pretty much as it did when I was spending time there 30 (+/-) years ago.

[ctman987]

Originally Posted by nygirl1

We call the pines the Meat Rack...I love how you captured the Ice Palace and Cherrys my fav places on the island. One thing about the Pines is that it is pretty much nothing but gay men and they can be veryyyyy nasty if you are a lesbian or a straight woman in general if you stray into their meat rack. Cherry Grove is awesome. Best Pizza...mmmm bacon cheddar cheese burger slices and garlic knot slices

The Meat Rack is between Cherry Grove and The Pines but I was not going to describe it on a site like this. And I have to admit I am a Pines boy (however after 1 week of solely gay men I couldn't be happier to return to NYC). I also returned just before the mandatory evacuation went into effect in advance of the hurricane. Did venture over to Cherry Grove though a few times and had a great time. And on LGBT vacation hot spot I will be having a Provincetown, Mass thread soon.

[carloito56]

Thanks for this poet. I haven't been to Fire Island in years. Your post brought back fond memories. I'm glad to see the place as unspoiled as it was when I used to go there.

[tdawg]

We were there at the same time (Ascension weekend) and we rented the house in #13. How ironic! It used to belong to Tommy Tune. I love Fire Island but after a week, I am also sooooo ready to leave.