# What do you think of the beach? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 12, 2020, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523 "2020-06-12T11:07:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/21 "2020-06-12T13:47:17Z")
The beach is there to draw people away from actual fun stuff like hiking trails and museums. Thanks beach! ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/22 "2020-06-12T13:51:32Z")
For me, “the beach” refers more to the Great Lakes than the oceans since I’m out here in the Midwest. I like it and we try to go at least a couple times a year over the summer (probably not this summer though). But I’m into it more for a love of nature than sitting under an umbrella with a tropical drink, etc. I’d rather be alone on a chilly beach in October watching the water come in and out than in the water on a busy July weekend. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/23 "2020-06-12T13:56:56Z")
My mom and one of my sisters take a Caribbean cruise every Jan/Feb. Both love sitting on the beach with a beverage and either reading or people-watching. On the other hand, my husband and I have been on only a couple of Caribbean cruises, and we search specifically for non-beach-related activities. We did swim in St. Maarten on a particularly hot day, but sight-seeing was far more interesting. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/24 "2020-06-12T13:58:52Z")
I live nowhere near an ocean, although I’m a hop, skip and a jump from Lake Superior and it’s beautiful white sand beach, Park Point. I rarely go there though. The water is usually way too cold to swim, there is a dangerous rip current at times and even in the summer the weather can be iffy, the temp by the lake can be 20+ degrees colder than away from the lake. When there finally is a hot summer’s day by the lake, it’s always too crowded. Since I was a kid, I’ve always had a family lake cabin to go to. I don’t know if you consider that an actual beach. There’s water and shoreline but no sand. I do enjoy just being by the water or floating around on the water. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/25 "2020-06-12T13:59:06Z")
Since the question is “How about a day of sun on the sand?”, my vote is "My opinion doesn’t fit any of your options. I grew up in Seattle, and beaches should have rocks, tidal pools and big driftwood. The weather could be sunny, but foggy is also good, and a bit of windy drizzle would also be okay. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/26 "2020-06-12T14:05:28Z")
I tried spending a day sunning by the beach with a book while on holiday in Kenya when I was 15. I lasted about 2 hours before I’d had enough, and I’ve never felt the need to repeat the experience. I’m fine if there’s something to _do_; if it’s warm enough to swim, or, preferably, snorkle, or there’s rockpools to look in or a pleasant walk even, but if it’s just sitting there, no thanks. I can just sit there with a book at home. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/27 "2020-06-12T14:44:48Z")
I chose “other.” I prefer to think of it as “the coast.” Here in the PNW, the coast is a mighty awesome place. The ocean is absolutely beautiful. I’m in the Portland area now, and my wife and I hope to move to a coastal town in five years or so. But the beach itself isn’t all that exciting. I don’t mind walking on the beach, but I’m not going there in a swimsuit, or going in the water. I have no desire to just sit there on the beach doing nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/28 "2020-06-12T14:51:45Z")
If the CIA ever felt compelled to use torture on me to get information out of me they’d make me lie on a beach. After I told them what they were after, we’d all go out & do something much more enjoyable as a reward, like, say, being waterboarded. Lying on a beach & baking from both above & below (sand is reflective), having the blowing sand stick to your suntan lotioned body, having sand in places that shouldn’t have sand, from body parts (between the toes despite washing them multiple times) to _still_ having it in your shoes days, or even weeks later, the insects & the gulls is _at least_ the fifth level of Hell. An outside nap during the day? A hammock between two shady trees in the mountains some where, with a light breeze I can live with. I don’t mind the beach; I like to go there for sunrise/set shots, to walk & people watch, & I’m a two decade plus member of the Polar Bear Club but to lie there like most people do in the summer? Oh Hells No! ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/29 "2020-06-12T15:09:58Z")
When I retire sometime in the near future, my wife an I are moving to the beach, Ocean Shores, Washington. The peninsula is criss-crossed with fresh water canals and our plan is to find a house on one of them. The only negative will be the 3 months of tourists during the summer. This move can’t come soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/30 "2020-06-12T15:22:23Z")
I had a hard time choosing between options 2 and 3: I enjoy it once in a while, and I’d miss it if I couldn’t go, but it’s not my first choice. Give me the mountains and forests. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/31 "2020-06-12T15:28:34Z")
I voted none of these options, or whatever the phrase was. I can’t say nothing better or that I hate them. Given a choice I would be every torn between the beach and the mountains. I lived in Naples, FL for 18 months, within walking distance to Vanderbilt Beach, so I was there a lot. We lived 6 years on a tropical island, where there wasn’t much more than beaches. I miss them terribly. Just looking at the endless horizon and listening to the waves is an experience you get nowhere else. We’ve been pretty much landlocked since 2006. Now we could drive a couple of hours to a beach, but not sunny, warn, uncrowded ones, so no, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/32 "2020-06-12T15:35:01Z")
Some of my fondest memories were from when I lived in Valparaiso, 20 minutes from the Indiana Dunes. The first year I was by myself, so I golfed every day. The second year, I had my dog with me. Every single weekday, I would leave work at 3, and by 330 I’d be at the Dunes. The dog and I would hike through the dunes, or up and down the beach, for 2 hours. In ANY weather. During the week and in the pm, the trails and beach were generally deserted. FANTASTIC! Closest I’ve ever come to a sense of church/religion! These days, just going and lying around is something I only do a couple of times a year, for a couple hours. But if I were close enough to walk the beach in the morning and evening, that is something I would do as often as possible. I never miss a chance to do so when on vacation, in Florida or California. There is something about large bodies of water, like Lake Michigan or the oceans that I find extremely attractive/romantic. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/33 "2020-06-12T15:37:32Z")
My opinion of beaches is perfectly summed up by [The Dead Milkmen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW9Lj1s9axY). ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/34 "2020-06-12T16:43:00Z")
Whenever I go to the beach I just lay out. I don’t go in the water. So I’d rather lay out on my deck with a fan blowing on me and easy access to everything (esp. bathrooms), then drive an hour and a half to do essentially the same thing the beach. I’ll go if someone invites me though. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/35 "2020-06-12T16:52:24Z")
I’m not a swimmer and don’t really like being outdoors, but being on a beach is not _torture_. I’d just rather stay home where there are more interesting things to do than sit around outside or run around outside. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/36 "2020-06-12T17:47:16Z")
I enjoy the occasional time on the beach but not just laying there. If there are other activities like snorkeling, kayaks, swimming in the surf, walking, etc, then it is fun for me. Laying there in the hot sun absorbing cancer rays is not my idea of a fun time. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/37 "2020-06-12T17:50:22Z")
Not as bad as a root canal. But not as good as okay. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/38 "2020-06-12T18:16:23Z")
I chose “It’s OK, but not my first choice.” But with good reason; I grew up in Houston, and both sets of my grandparents lived about an hour south- just on the mainland from Galveston. And one grandfather worked in downtown Galveston until I was 16 or so. So going to the beach wasn’t a big deal as a kid- it was a multiple times a summer sort of thing with my own family. On top of that, the family of a good friend of mine who lived across the street had a beach house on Trinity Bay (one of the sub-bays of Galveston Bay), so I’d go with his family and later, once we could drive, with him and other teenagers, to the beachhouse and do beach stuff- cookouts, swimming, waterskiing, sailboarding, etc… That was probably from when I was 4 to when I was about 18, and then a few times after that during summers, spring breaks, etc… when we were home from college. So now as an adult, when I have the chance to go on vacation and spend my own money, going to a beach resort or the beach in general isn’t high on my list. I mean, a few years ago we did, but it was mostly because my children wanted to go to the beach really badly, not because I had a lot of interest. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/39 "2020-06-12T18:21:21Z")
> [@](#): > > _The beach is a place where a man can feel, > He’s the only soul in the world that’s real_ > – Pete Townshend Love the beach, whether it’s frolicking in the surf, jogging, beachcombing or just walking along and people watching. But I never spend the whole day, a couple of hours is usually enough for me. It’s kind of a drag that Santa Cruz County has closed beaches from 11AN-5PM, but I’ve managed to get over in the morning a couple of times to stick my feet in the ocean. Judging from all the cars parked along Highway 1, a whole lot of people seem to be ignoring the restrictions. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2020, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523/40 "2020-06-12T18:54:27Z")
I spent about 90% of my life living within an easy drive or sometimes even a walk to the Pacific Ocean. The cold ocean, the one north of Santa Barbara. I have walked many miles on beaches. I like them because they are flat, and you can see people coming, and there aren’t any mosquitoes. I do not like being around a lot of strangers so I avoided peak times. My favorite time to hike the beach is winter. I’ve hiked miles on the beach in a big storm where the wind is blowing you sideways and the cold rain is coming down in sheets. Those are the best. Sitting or lying in the sun is enjoyable for about fifteen seconds then I’m bored and hot. Now I’m several hours from the Atlantic. I’ve been here two years and haven’t been to see it. Might never. Really doesn’t excite me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-the-beach/855523.md?page=3)