I visited Cosey Beach in East Haven, a pint-size locals-only beach in Long Island Sound. The beach was so exclusive, the whole 2 hours I was there, there was only a handful of sunbathers, and no swimmers.
Nestled amongst villas and summer cottages, this beach is so exclusive, they check for your ID when you park and again when entering the beach – to make sure you’re a bona fide East Haven resident.
I see why they’re doing this for the Coronavirus, but Connecticut towns have been trying to keep blue-collar working families from using their pristine beaches for years.
If you want to know how I got in, I’ll share this secret at the end of this tale.
The sand is nowhere near the quality of Pensacola Beach. It is muddy brown and churned with rocks and sediments. When I took a dip, I could immediately see why no one had ventured off the beach. Though June 1, the water was still a chilly 55 degrees and it took me a long while to get acclimated. But when I did, it was the best feeling in the world. So invigorating — all the world’s problems evaporated away – there was no more pandemic, no more riots against police brutality. Store fronts were no longer broken into and looted.
And did I mention the water is crystal clear. Yes, it’s on the Long Island sound which is just over the horizon. So the water was clean and tasted salty and refreshing with a churn of fresh water – great for gargling.
My daring jump and cold water immersion made me famished, and there’s a restaurant across the street called Sandpiper that didn’t check ID’s. But I didn’t wanna blow my cover, so I headed into New Haven.
After my 30-min swim, I was shivering cold but made it to East Haven waterfront for some lunch. Enjoyed my lobster roll at Lenny & Joe’s. The meat was so juicy and the roll so squishy and tender.
Although there was no dining-in, I enjoyed my lunch in the patio, overlooking the harbor. From the distance I could see the picturesque campus of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
The lobster roll was fabulous as usual and so was the New England clam chowder – obligatory staples every time I head up here.
After, I took a stroll on the wharf and noted that New Haven is known for where the Amistad slaves from Sierra Leone were interned and tried for murder. It was also the place where once acquitted by the Supreme Court, they found their new freedoms and assimilated into the community. Many New Haveners gave the former slaves housing and financial aid.
This is amazing – I’ve passed by New Haven dozens of times and never stopped thinking this was the stomping grounds for the rich and privileged. Seems like there are more 1 percenters in Connecticut than anywhere else in this great Land of Opportunity.
They were restrict their beaches but they have a great legacy of opening their homes to the late, great Amistad survivors.
So I arrived at the parking lot across the street the evening before. The lot is large so I could easily park unnoticed in the back by the softball field. The very next morning, volunteers were checking IDs in the lot and beach by 9am. I was able to enter the beach by jumping over the stone fence along the sidewalk. It was only 3 feet high so it was more like a crossing than a jump. And yes I waited until the person checking the ID at the entrance was talking to friends – they’re volunteers after all.
