Islands away
Fireboat, Shelter Island waterfront, Locals Surf School, Godette Surf Works, Pocketbook hotel spa, Rockaway Beach restaurants, MORE
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale houses on Shelter Island with oceanfront access:
→ 8 Brander Pkwy (Shelter Island) • 4BR/4BA, 3160 SF home • Ask: $5.795M • private peninsula w/ water views from almost every room, includes dock for boating and water access • Days on market: 3 • Agent: Robert Evjen, Douglas Elliman.
→ 33 Dinah Rock Rd (Shelter Island) • 6BR/4BA, 4875 SF home • Ask: $6.995M • 186’ of natural beachfront w/ private dock near Gardiner’s Bay Country Club, plus guest house and art studio • Days on market: 13 • Agent: Hedgerow Exclusive Properties.
→ 6 Harbor Ln (Shelter Island, above) • 7BR/5.1BA, 4500 SF home • Ask: $19.995M • regal oceanfront in Dering Harbor w/ multiple parcels for compound-making potential, including 245 SF of waterfront • Days on market: 24 • Agent: Michael Brennan, Douglas Elliman.
WORK • Friday Routine
If there are waves
MICHAEL KOLOLYAN • founder & owner • Locals Surf School, Locals Collective, Connolly’s
Neighborhood you work & live in: Rockaway Beach
It’s Friday morning, how are you rolling into the weekend?
Usually I’m either closing out a long week at the shop, or getting ready for a busy weekend down at the beach. I run a surf school and cafe, so once the weather’s good, it’s pretty much go-time. Weekends are a mix of surf lessons, making coffee, and just being around the beach community. Outside of that, I’m a new real estate salesperson at Corcoran. I’m always juggling a few things: showings, calls, trying to line up the next deal. It all kind of overlaps, in a good way.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, or this weekend?
If I’m in Rockaway, I keep it pretty dialed: Seany Pizza or Super Burrito, no overthinking it. Simple, consistent, and always hits. If I make it into Brooklyn, I’m usually bouncing around Williamsburg trying whatever’s new. I’m always down to check out a new Italian spot. I’m a big pizza and pasta fan. I just went to Balera and it was unreal. The service, atmosphere, food, all 10/10. They even had Peroni 0’s, which is my favorite.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Leisure for me is simple: if there are waves, I’m in the water. Surfing’s always the go-to. If not, I’m probably at the skatepark, trying to keep my body in one piece. I’m also very much into carpentry and building stuff — good thing I have a house that always needs something rearranged or fixed. Lately, I’ve also been getting into playing the drums. I’m very much a beginner, but it’s fun learning something new and being bad at it. Other than that, it’s just being outside, being around good people, and keeping things moving.
Any weekend getaways?
Honestly, my version of a weekend getaway is just getting out of Rockaway and heading into Brooklyn for a change of pace. I’m trying to be better about actually doing more with it, stuff like going bouldering at Vital Climbing Gym or hitting a bathhouse and slowing things down for a minute.
What was your last great vacation?
Barbados. It was exactly what I needed: just a full reset. Got to surf, check out a new place, be in the sun all day, get plenty of steps in and slow things down a bit. The water’s unreal, people are super friendly, and it’s just an easy place to settle into for a few days. Honestly, it was the perfect mix of doing a little and doing nothing: surf, eat, tan, explore beaches.
What store or service do you always recommend?
I recently bought the Meta glasses. It’s been fun filming skate clips at the skatepark, or just getting a fun new perspective for my videos (I make a ton of reels, mostly surfing, drumming, skateboarding, and lifestyle.)
What store or service do you always recommend?
The best service is my buddy Paul’s surfboard ding repair shop in Rockaway, called Godette Surf Works, which is located in Marina 59. He does high-quality work, always with a fast turnaround and very fair pricing. I always respect seeing locals building something of their own.
Where are you donating your time or money?
I volunteer a fair amount through surfing, which means a lot to me. I work with organizations like A Walk On Water, where I help out as a surf therapist, and Wheeling Forward, which runs adaptive surf events for people with disabilities. Those days always remind me why I got into surfing in the first place. It’s not just about the waves, it’s about what being in the ocean can do for people. Seeing someone experience that for the first time, build confidence, or just have a moment of freedom out there, sticks with you.
I love showing up for the neighborhood, as well. I’ll host beach cleanups on the first Saturday of every month. We meet at our cafe at 10a, make a game plan and tackle all kinds of trash. It’s a good way to bring the community together, meet new faces, and care for the place we all spend so much time in.
BARS • First Round
Fire water
Brooklyn Bridge Park’s premier stationary mariners, Crew, have opened another bar on the East River this season. Fireboat is docked at Pier 6, after a presumably less boozy few decades as a maritime vehicle for the FDNY. And it’s one of the city’s most delightful new destinations, on or off the shore.
The boat’s decor — cannons, portholes, those super boaty wheels like you see on low-carat-weight necklaces — is immersive without being theme-y. The upper level is particularly fun: climb up to sink into Adirondack chairs like you’re the alarmingly laid back captain of this ship. The most obvious reference point for Fireboat is another Crew bar/boat, Pilot, which was also docked at Pier 6 before leaving for repairs. I loved that operation, but it came off as somewhat starchy. This successor isn’t a party boat, exactly — it’s still more or less in Brooklyn Heights, after all — but Fireboat feels more relaxed.
The boat’s restoration converted hose connectors into taps, behind a surprisingly roomy U-shaped bar on the main deck. Unexpectedly generous seating is arranged around the sea level, too, including some particularly intimate little corners. To be fair, Fireboat, which opened to the public on June 10, has been blessedly uncrowded when I’ve visited, so the coziness of those nooks may vary.
Fireboat’s Tropicalia — a mix of vodka, watermelon, and lime — ($16 per) is the platonic summer sipping ideal. There are also (perhaps too) ambitious efforts like the gin-based matcha-green Mariner, as well as situationally appropriate beers for $10 and under, wine, and zero-ABV options. Snacks like ceviche with chips, barbecue prawn skewers, and French fries with seaweed salt make it even easier to spend an afternoon on board. –Amber Sutherland-Namako
→ Fireboat (Brooklyn Heights) • Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 6 • Mon-Fri 4p-12a, Sat-Sun 12p-12a • Walk-ins only.
GETAWAYS • Upstate
Hudson soaked
Last month, the baths and spa at Pocketbook Hotel in Hudson, NY, which started welcoming guests last fall (early intel), finally opened.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Rockaway Beach
Our 9 favorites in the neighborhood. Paid subscribers access all of our neighborhood Nines.
Connolly’s, post-beach go-to for cult-classic piña coladas, local crowd, live music on patio