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Among
those unusual weekenders are Michael Isaacson, 40, and Luis Nobrega,
38, who on most Fridays trade their two-bedroom rental in Manhattan for
a two-bedroom oceanfront condo with a roof deck that has ocean-to-city
views - in the Shore Front development in Queens.
Their
condo, which they bought two years ago at Shore Front Parkway and Beach
101st Street in the Rockaway Park section, is on Rockaway Beach, once
known as "the poor man's Riviera" because the subway made it accessible
to working-class city dwellers.
"I
found out about it from my assistant, who saw the condominiums under
construction," said Mr. Isaacson, a senior vice president of finance
for an entertainment company. "We weren't familiar with the area and
were pleasantly surprised when we went out there. It seemed so much
easier to get to than the places we'd rented or stayed in at Fire
Island and the Hamptons."
Whether
they arrive by car or take the A train, they say, they can leave
Manhattan and be swimming in the Atlantic in little more than an hour.
And the possibility of a subway commute makes it possible for one of
them to use the car and for the other to easily follow the next day, if
necessary.
Their
friends come out to their beach condo frequently on weekends. "Our
friends have been really surprised by this place - no one expects it to
be so beautiful," Mr. Isaacson said. "We had a retirement party for my
mother a couple of weeks ago. Her generation used to spend a lot of
time out here as kids, before it fell into rough times. Many of her
friends hadn't been back since, and they were thrilled to see how it
was coming back again."
Parts
of the Rockaways began a slow descent into decrepitude after World War
II, when the small-scale bungalows and houses that had attracted city
residents for decades were joined by large public housing projects. But
starting with some residential developments in the Arverne section, in
2002, the area has begun to experience a revival.
Since
the Rockaways lack the nightlife of the Hamptons or Fire Island, the
couple and their friends have dinners on the roof and pass peaceful
afternoons on the broad beach out front.
Dana
Griffin, the sales director for the 21-unit Shore Front, as well as the
78-unit Belle Shores development in Rockaway Park, which is still under
construction, said that most of her buyers were full-time residents.
But Ms. Griffin said she sensed an increased interest among city
dwellers in buying second homes on the city beach.
The
two- to three-bedroom, 980- to 1,750-square-foot apartments in Belle
Shores are priced from $440,000 to $990,000. Prices at Shore Front
started at $300,000 two years ago; the last unit was recently sold for
about $550,000, she said.
"People
find it hard to believe," she said, "that you can have this kind of
lifestyle in the middle of New York City." | 
