By Tara Kyle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of beach season, and New Yorkers harried by a long, storm-packed winter and rainy spring are making their annual exodus.
"It'll be good to get away, take a break, and come back rejuvenated," said Ricardo McKoy, a 29-year-old college lecturer in Manhattan. "I can't wait to be out of here."
New Yorkers were hitting the road in larger numbers than last year. The 3.8 million tri-state area residents that AAA predicts will get away for the holiday marks an eight percent increase over last year, WCBS-TV reported.
Manhattanites visited city beaches, which officially opened for business Saturday at 10 a.m. Some road warriors headed down to the Jersey Shore this weekend, but others made their way East to the beaches of Long Island in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
Those fighting traffic to Suffolk County now have an extra reason to justify their journey. Coopers Beach in Southampton just received the number one ranking as the country’s top shoreline this year on the annual “Dr. Beach” top-10 list.
The rankings’ producer, Florida International University’s Stephen P. Leatherman, spotlighted Coopers for its architectural landmarks, width, snack bar and grass-covered dunes.
Temperatures all weekend will hit comfortable highs in the 70s and 80s, with forecasters saying Saturday's scattered thunderstorms will pass by Sunday.
Urbanites stuck in the city this weekend will have a host of activities to entertain them, including Fleet Week festivities, which will wrap up on Monday with a military fly-over above the Hudson River.
For more Manhattan event information, check out the DNAinfo summer events calendar.
