I’m not sure about you, but I don’t feel like I got enough of summer. It started out cold and rainy, then there was a crazy heat wave, and then I got so busy I didn’t have time to vacate or even stay-cate…until the last two weeks of August. Breath of air, if I do say so myself.

Now, I’m itching for more. Even though the calendar says it’s September and Labor Day has past, it’s still (sometimes) nice out. For those of you who think summer was a bit too short and want to get out one last hurrah, let’s enjoy the sunshine upon us and still-decent daylight hours.

What better way to stretch the summer than to sit on the beach at Surf City this weekend?

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I’m going to tuck my feet in the sand, sip on one of their signature buckets and admire the boats as I ascertain whether any yacht owners would be willing to take me for a ride on the Hudson. If it gets chilly at night in this transitional season, move near one of the fire pits—done.

I’ve been to SC a total of three times this summer. When they first opened, they really had some kinks to work out (blenders were broken; bar wait at any of the 3 bars was 20 minutes; kitchen was out of most items on the menu by 9pm). The second visit was pretty seamless, and the third was in the afternoon and the bar wasn’t jam-packed—even better.

Since SC comes from the owners of the awesome Zeppelin Hall Beer Garden, there are many great beers on tap. I usually go with Purple Haze at the BG, but SC’s Captain Lawrence Sunblock quenched my thirst perfectly on the hot day I went two weeks ago.

If you’re not into beer, which I’m often not, go for one of the Monster buckets (split it with a friend as they are strong and $18 and Do Not Drive!) I like the Green Monster, but there are four varieties to choose from and each can be made with either vodka or tequila and you can mostly mix and match the other ingredients (inside tip).

While SC prides itself on their frozen tropical drink menu, I found the ones I sampled to be overly sweet and virginal…there was little to no alcohol and I felt them to be a waste of money. Yet, if you are the DD or a lightweight and also into blender drinks, that’s what you should sip on.

Like the BG, SC has communal tables and you walk up to the counter to order your food (though I found out on slower days, the waiters and waitresses will come to you). The wait is typical for a place of this size on a busy night, sometimes 35-40 minutes.

Things I’ve tried:

»Wings. You can choose hot, medium or BBQ. We chose hot and they were mild. Even so, the meat was decent, not dry.

»Bacon cheeseburger and fries. Standard.

»The Key West Mix salad. Quite good to my surprise and my favorite thing so far.

*I want to try all of their seafood options (mussels, clams, lobster & shrimp roll, mahi-mahi—you name it), but alas I’m on a budget so maybe when someone else is footing the bill, as the food is a bit pricey when you compare it to Zeppelin Hall’s menu—which is the natural thought process for patrons who’ve migrated here to test the waters. Let’s consider the fact that this is in no way a nice seafood restaurant and you are serving yourself.*

Getting there is easy: The light rail (Hudson-Bergen) and PATH (Grove) are nearby, and there is free parking in their huge lot at 1 Liberty Harbor (Marin Blvd.)

All in all, it’s a great place to chill and absorb awesome views and the calm that comes with sand and water—with all of your best friends.

Some of my summer pics below: