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\\Resort To Sheepshead Bay For Fishing,Boating, And Saturday Night Fever.ELIZABETH ALVAREZThe biggest attraction of Sheepshead Bay is that is has no big attractions! You won't find parachute jumps, roller coasters or other Coney Island fare. Not in this community where early morning on the bay is reminiscent of a fishing hamlet in Maine.It's the little things like fresh air, wide open spaces, the sight of boats gliding along the bay and the sound of gulls, that have lured people to New York%u2019s picturesque fishing village for over 300 years. But for city residents, beseiged by heat, pollution and the commotion of the energy crisis, ihis summer, what is at Sheepshead Bay is just as important as what isn'tMost people consider Sheepshead Bav to be only the area where Emmons Avenue, lined with seafood restaurants, fishing stations, yacht clubs, and neat little cottages, is its one true main street. But official boundaries of Sheepshead Bay stretch north to Avenue P. east to Stuart, Burnett and Gerritsen Avenue, and west to Ocean Parkway. Across the Ocean Avenue foot bridge, a separate community of brick homes, manicured lawns, gardens on shad> streets is nestled close to the tiny strip of coastline known as %u201c Manhattan Beach\shoppng avenue extending Northwest, provides necessities to residents, without an excess of resort novelty stores. The exception, a disco roller rink, provides the only real intrusion to this peaceful area. NAUTICAL REFUGEThis summer it will be the local folk who will spend summer days fishing, boating, swimming and dining in the Sheepshead Bay area. Rediscovering, or perhaps discovering for the first time this nautical refuge.%u201c Why fish in Sheepshead Bay? It%u2019s convenient\the area, said, as he dropped a line from one of the ten piers jutting out along Emmons Avenue. %u201c I%u2019m going after snappers.\pier were going for flounder or porgies, and were attempting to repair a trap for crabbing.Neal Lauro, one owner of Stella Maris Fishing Station which has been there for 33 years, had a better reason why boat owners chose Sheepshead Bay. %u201cThe inlet is easier to get out of, it%u2019s wide and not dangerous like out at Jones Beach.%u201dIf boating and fishing is your pleasure, the bay hosts numerous party or charter boats as well as a sightseeing boat ride provided by the Rockaway Boat Lines, which departs for Breezy Point, a division of Gateway National Park.FISH HAGGLINGThe return of the fishing boats at 3:30 or 4 p.m. is probably the livliest time at the pier. Small crowds flock to each boat that docks, complaining aloud how the prices are %u201cjust as expensive as in the stores.%u201d But New Yorkers are often at their best when they are bargaining and the fishermen join in with lighthearted banter. Whether or not you buy any fish the haggling is an experience. As one old timer, who stood around and just watched said %u201c It%u2019s become a way of life.%u201d The fish may not be cheap, but you can%u2019t beat them for freshness. And its good consolation to be the unsuccessful fisherman, as one who didn%u2019t wish to be identified said, %u201c What you don%u2019t catch, you can always buy or better*vet, eat out.%u201dMILLIONAIRES ROWIf you prefer to stay ashore, the absence of cars due to gas shortages will enhance your bicycle ride around the bay, down along Emmons Avenue. A great way to explore the area once known as %u201c Millionaire%u2019s Row%u201d , which housed the families of several wealthy brewers and liquor merchants. Today, a few of these remain and have been converted into: The VarunaBoat Club, The Shoals Catering, The Barge Restaurant, The Sheepshead Bay Yachtu u u emu im ; o io u is E^Apiuicia C iu u .Contrasting these mansions, you will see numerous cottages with tiny flower gardens.City Island%u2019s InnerCity Fishing VillageBY JEREMY KARPATKINMusi New Yorkers lake for granted that the Hudson and East Rivers arc dead. The idea that no fish worth eating could possibly live there has been so deeply implanted in us that we take for granted that all New York City water is equally unsuitable for recreation. As alternatives. New Yorkers seeking the sea flee to Long Island, upstate, and to other states.Once, these viable fishing and swimming areas were accessible by bus, train, and trolley from New York City for a relatively small fee, and today City Island is just east of the Bronx is an hour and a half away from downtown Brooklyn by bus and train. The No. 2 IRT Express to Pelham Parkway White Plains Road and the No. 12 bus, which loops City Island along its only commercial strip.The piers on either side of City Island's main street arc full on a sunny day. Full of people taking out boats for a fishing trip, a sailing trip, water-skiing, or just about anything else. There isn%u2019t much scubadiving or snorkeling though, City Island is still in New York City. Some of the piers are for commercial fishing, to support the lobster peddlers, that hawk on the hottest days, and the abundant seafood restaurants.There is some swimming on the water, but City Island is no beach. A few families use the water bordering their backyards, and near one set of piers is a roped off swimming area for younger children.But unquestionably, life at City Island%u201d '1' ' r\\ r- n %u00bb n n n /I < U r. m n t r, %u2014- C t * L. %u201ebike riders with towels around their necks to mothers carrying a picnic basket in one hand and a baby in the other. The mostnumerous stores are the fishing and boating supply shops, with the generalpurpose hardware shops a close second. There are also a fair share of boat maintenance warehouses and seafood restaurants. Even the parks can%u2019t escape it. They are decorated with replicas of seals and porpoises.People also live on City Island, so it also has its share of small town charm. The low building profile would make the Village landmarks mavens green with envy, not to mention the occasional colonial looking Church or home. During 4th of July week, the flags were out in City Island, and they weren%u2019t sarcastic. Inner City land-lubbers won%u2019t have too much trrouble with the sea-stench either, since the Islanders have thoughtfully put up privits that are in full bloom now to compete with the sea for your attention.City Island hasn%u2019t been completely immune to the tourist trade. At the end of the island where the waterfront meet is a buffet style restaurant wi%u2019h an outdoor terrace that overlooks the water. And, sure enough, there arc pay telescopes to see everything better. Inside, there are also, scats, as well as pinball machines and IV hockey games. City Island also has souvenir shops, but not as many as a comparably sized town bordering the ocean in New England.They also seem to be envious of us. Where else in New York C ity can one find a Haagcn-Daaz Ice cream shop with roachclips in the window called %u201c The Hippie Cl. O\4jnv%u00bbp. W| a n a i l %u00a3 d i i u i y ^ p c u i d l l / m g 111creative driftwood? They don't have a Queen Pizza, but City Island pizza is still 50cents a slice.For your tour, bicycles can be rented by the hour on Sheepshead Bay Road at %u201c Starace Bike Shop.%u201d A short walk from the train station (D, M, or QB) at East 16th Street.BEACH BLANKETEDOn a sunny day, you will probably see a steady stream of teenagers crossing the Ocean Avenue foot bridge to %u201c Manhattan Beach%u201d . There is also a public park, complete with basketball courts, a baseball diamond, paddle ball courts and a playground. A shaded picnic area at the entrance to the beach provides a cool spot for numerous school and camp groups.You won't find any isolated spots at Manhattan Beach, where it's blanket to blanket and radio to radio, but you will see the latest in swim suits, stringed and skimpy, as teenage women make numerous trips to the restroom facilities or concession stands to the obvious delight of the young men watching.This area too, is rich with history as local resident Ethel Lentino reminisced. %u201c Before World War II all the big name bands were there at Manhattan and Oriental Beach %u2014 Dorsey, Glen Miller.%u201d Later it was used as a naval base and eventually became a public beach. Oriental Beach is now the site of Kingsborough College.THE JOCKEY CLUBOriginally part of Gravesend, Sheepshead Bay was founded by an English widow. Lady Deborah Moody in 1643. Her house still stands at 27 Gravesend Neck Road. In its hey-day, particularly after the real estate boom of 1877, roads improved and the area flourished as a resort site because of its proximity to Coney Island. Sheepshead Bay became famous as the home of the %u201c Coney Island Jockey Club\also known as %u201c Sheepshead Bay Racetrack%u201d , until the last race in 1910 when Governor Charles Evans Hughes outlawed horse racing. Prohibition quieted the seaside restaurants and it wasn%u2019t until after World War II that most housing in the area was built. In 1936 the 10 concrete piers along Emmons Avenue were constructed.Although a lot less exciting than in the days of the race track, there are opportunities for the young at heart after a day at the beach. %u201c Roll-a-Palace%u201d provides disco roller skating to a predominantly young Bensonhurst crowd. Saturday night you can expect to see some expert dancing and see a wild selection of outfits. You may also want to check out %u201c Patches Disco%u201d a few doors down at 1710.BAY%u2019S NIGHT LIFEToward sundown after a stroll around the bay you might want to visit one of a few nite spots along the bay. %u201c Pip%u2019s Cafe%u201d hosts live entertainment nightly except Monday, including stand up comics and usually a pianist or guitar player. Further down Emmons, %u201cThe Barge%u201d also hosts live music on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights starting at about 9 p.m. This week it%u2019s Jerry Perell, a lead singer and his band. But if you%u2019d rather have a quiet dinner, there are a number of good seafood restaurants as well as Italian cuisine, along Emmons Avenue. In addition to Joe%u2019s Clam Bar, Jean%u2019s and Lundy%u2019s, the old established family owned restaurants, you might want to check out Captain Walters or the Castle Harbour.%u25a0 What isn%u2019t at Sheepshead Bay this summer, will be the crowds. Gas shortages hindering those out-of-towners particularly from New Jersey, Connecticut and Upstate New York from frequenting the fine seafood places, much to the dismay of restaurant entrepreneurs who expect to rely predominantly on the local people.There may not be any big attractions at Sheepshead Bay, but where else in New York City can you walk into a store and hear them talk about the %u201c51 pound striped bass that Don and Red caught in the striped bass tournam ent.%u2019%u2019 But the uniqueness of Sheepshead Bay is no fish story.Page 16. The PHOENIX, July 12. 1979