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Orchard Beach, a public beach, located in Pelham Bay Park is in the borough of the Bronx in New York City, situated on the western end of Long Island Sound. Spread across a mile, and 115 acres, also known as "The Riviera of New York", includes a 13-section sandy beach, a hexagonal-block promenade, a central pavilion with food stores and specialty shops, two playgrounds, two picnic areas, a large parking lot and 26 courts for basketball, volleyball, and handball. This beach is regulated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
The Orchard beach is well known for its unique crescent shape and beautiful view of City Island, Bronx. Even thought, it is surrounded by acres of natural forest, marshlands and coastline, the beach is actually man-made, that is artificial. A well known urban planner Robert Moses gets the credit for the concept and planning of its construction. In this work, almost one third of Pelham Bay is filled by a total of 1.2 million cubic yards of sand, brought by barge from Sandy Hook, New Jersey and the Rockaways in Queens. The land fill was done between Rodman's Neck, Twin Island and Hunters Island; the latter two are now no longer islands, as they have been attached to the mainland Bronx by the landfill.
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In summer, tens of thousands of families, swimmers, athletes, and loungers are attracted towards this beach. Admission is free, but there is a fee for parking. Changing areas and showers are available.
While on cooler days, the shores of the beach are best setting for peaceful strolls, basketball, volleyball courts and playgrounds.
As a mere fact, no beach is complete without a boardwalk, and in the same way, Orchard Beach is also no exception. Along with people-watching, visitors can enjoy the band shell for weekend concerts.
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