We got there around 1:00pm and paid $10 to enter the park. We got lucky and found parking right next to the facilities, but we still had a 1/4 to 1/2 mile walk from the car to the edge of the water. This was our next best option. I'm very impressed with how clean the beach is! It's 6.5 miles of beach and all the trash were at designated trash cans. There was no seaweed at the water and no trash. The beach was crowded as you get closer to the water, but we still got a nice spot a few feet from the water. If you don't want to be in the crowd, you can set camp farther away from the water, or walk further down the beach. The water is cold but trust me you will get used to the water after 5 minutes in the water. We stayed for 3 hours and enjoyed playing in the water a few times and sat in the ocean breeze for a bit.

I totally recommend this beach if you live in NYC. I heard that other beaches within the city is much more crowded and really dirty with trash and cigarette buds everywhere. But this beach is really clean at Field 2.