Congrats Coopers!

Inasmuch as I like to consider myself a NYer, I did once hail from somewhere else. The eastern end of Long Island. Southampton. Yes, as in "The Hamptons."

Yes, it was a beautiful place to grow up. And no, I don't go out there during the summers often because half the city does. But, I've always thought the beaches are among the best and still feel landlocked if I'm not by the water.

Reading the annual ranking of US Beaches, released today, made me nostalgic and proud at the same time. Cooper's Beach made the ranking at #4.

Ironically, Coopers was the beach none of us would go to once we were in high school. It wasn't "cool." (Flying Point was where we had our parents drop us off until we were old enough to drive ourselves.) Coopers was where all the families with little kids could go since the waves were non-existent And, it was where all the high schoolers went at night in part because attached to the huge parking lot, there's a semi-circle ramp you could drive on with a gorgeous view of the ocean to the right. Many a doughnut were pulled in that parking lot. Many a makeout session were held on that ramp. Ah, the memories...

(I'm also snickering that we beat out our nemesis Easthampton.)

The Top 10:
1. Fleming Beach Park, Maui, Hawaii
2. Caladesi Island State Park, Dunedin, Florida
3. Ocracoke Island, Outer Banks, North Carolina
4. COOPERS BEACH, SOUTHAMPTON, NEW YORK
5. Hanalei Beach, Kauai, Hawaii
6. MAIN BEACH, EAST HAMPTON, NEW YORK
7. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
8. Coronado Beach, San Diego, California
9. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
10. Barefoot Beach Park, Bonita Springs, Florida

http://1010wins.com/pages/39568.php