Escape here on a weekday, if possible. Weekends have been more crowded than in a typical summer with Rockaway Beach, about 10 miles to the west, partially closed because of sand erosion. Long Beach, on the other hand, has benefited from a $230 million coastal protection project by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. New jetties and dunes were added as fortification after Hurricane Sandy heavily damaged the region in 2012.

A bulwark of high-rise condominiums and co-ops faces the ocean. Side streets are lined with flower-shrouded bungalows, cottages on stilts and stucco villas. The West End neighborhood, especially along West Beech Street, is a fun commercial district; most of the businesses are designed for year-round appeal. Even cynical anti-shoppers should give the Codfish Cowboy (891 West Beech Street) a chance. The unsentimental gift shop stocks cheeky T-shirts, mugs, needlepoint and barware, as well as artistically crafted soaps and jewelry.