Wednesday, July 9, 2025
The Long Beach boardwalk and the city’s beaches are its crown jewels. People come from near and far to enjoy summer days on the boards, on the sand and in the ocean.
In an effort to upgrade and beautify the area, the city has implemented additions with both residents and visitors in mind. Some of them are easy to spot, and some may not immediately catch your eye. The newest are beach-themed mile-marker signs on the boardwalk.
“We’ve always been looking at better things to do on the beach,” City Manager Dan Creighton said. “We think that, having the boardwalk be not just a destination, but actually point to some of the places within the city, is a good thing to have.”
There are now five signs on the boardwalk at National Boulevard, sponsored by Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital, four of them giving directions and distances to several key locations along the 2.1-mile span. The city and Mount Sinai partnered last year as well on signs showing information on ocean conditions, weather, the UV index and more.
“Between (last year’s signs) and the mile markers, it’s a good opportunity to show partnership with the city,” Dana Sanneman, the hospital’s vice president of public affairs and development, said. “It’s good outreach on behalf of the city to not only partner with health care providers and businesses, but a local artist. That’s what Long Beach is all about, right?”
The signs were designed by Long Beach resident Michelle Dodd.
On one post, there’s a dolphin indicating that New York Avenue, the boardwalk’s western terminus, is 1.04 miles away, and a whale showing Magnolia Playground just 810 feet away. On another there’s a torpedo buoy showing that the lifeguard headquarters, on Riverside Boulevard, is 1,615 feet to the east, and a surfboard showing that Neptune Boulevard, the easternmost entrance to the boardwalk, is 1.07 miles away.
The fifth sign states that the other four are sponsored by Mount Sinai.
“We talked in this situation with Mount Sinai South Nassau about the ability to maybe put up some signs that point to various locations throughout the city, and just basically give people an idea of where they stand on the boardwalk,” Creighton said. “Sometimes you walk the boardwalk and you get lost — you don’t know exactly where you are. They thought it was a great idea.”
Creighton said the new signs aren’t necessarily a pilot program, but they are the start of something the city hopes to expand on in the future, with more signs pointing to more streets as well as concession stands and restaurants. The signs will also help people figure out how far they’ve walked, run or biked.
“We’re a really healthy city, so we want to make sure people know how far they’ve walked, how far they’ve run,” Stacey Sweet, a member of the city’s public relations department, said. “I think that’s a really cool feature of the signs. It’s also a great art project, and it’s a great place to take selfies in Long Beach. They add some whimsical fun to the city and enhance the public experience.”
The city is also revamping its beach cleanup station program, which started back in 2023. The stations each have areas where beachgoers can discard their trash, as well as sunscreen dispensers. New hand-painted signs, also created by Dodd, will be added.
The cleanup stations were a concept that was brought to life after years of consideration. There are now a number of trash and recycling bins by the boardwalk’s entrances and exits. The stations will be sponsored this season by FourLeaf Federal Credit Union and the Long Beach Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
As well, nine beach entrances now have the long, blue accessibility mats on which beachgoers walk to and from the sand: Pacific, Roosevelt, Neptune, Riverside, Edwards and Lafayette boulevards, and New York, Wyoming and Minnesota avenues.
The city recently extended the mats to the high-tide line at Roosevelt, Riverside and Minnesota, making it possible for visitors to walk on them nearly all the way down to the water.
