Summer is for swimming

Take a look at http://www.swimmingholes.org/, if you haven't already.

i went tubing http://www.towntinker.com/. It was fun. quick and a little scarey. Its 60-90 minutes depending on where you're coming from in the city and of course, traffic. Its a nice area.

Yuck -- I've found the other two beaches at Harriman (Sebago and Welch) to be overcrowded and the water to be too warm and filled with milfoil and other plants. Some of the least pleasant swimming experiences I've had. However, I've never been to Tiorati -- sounds like a totally different experience.

I'm partial to http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/Sunfish_5602.asp in the NJ portion of the Appalachian Trail. There's parking at the trail head (Delaware Water Gap).

Second alkupe's suggestion. Tubing was much fun on the Esopus.

Thanks for the advice, everyone! My friends and I are excited for splishy-splashy fun this week.

My suggestion (which seems counterintutive, since summer tourists make me really annoyed mostly) is to drive two hours out to the end of LI and swim in the following bodies of water: >LI Sound >Peconic Bay >Richmond Creek Bonus points if you do a Peconic River canoe trip for an afternoon. Lots of nice scenery, lots of nice wineries, plus you can go to Splish Splash on your way home (grossest water park ever)...email is in my profile if you want more info

Hooray! A chance to look at two of my favorite maps! Haven't had much use for them in Colorado! Harriman on the weekends is CROWDED. But I second the advice of one_bean and invitapriore: Stay on away from Sebago and Welch and hit Tiorati. It's a gorgeous lake. This time of year, the crowds might not be so bad. Sunfish Pond, near the Delaware Water Gap, is actually in Worthington State Forest in NJ. It's across the Delaware river from, well, Delaware. It's my favorite place in NJ. I actually don't know for sure if swimming is allowed in Sunfish pond, but I know that I swam in it. Maybe roue could comment or you could contact the ranger at 973-841-9575. Sunfish pond is a glacial lake. It's not 'beachy' like Tiorati and there isn't a ton of space to lay out. It's cold, as I remember, and it's a hike to get there. But pretty, it sure is. I suggest you explore Worthington as much as possible, and same goes for Harriman. Check out the awesome maps for either place from the http://www.nynjtc.org/pubs/maps/index.html. They usually sell these at the ranger station and cost 13 bucks. An investment that will pay off if you decide to explore off the beaten trail. The Forest Service maps are OK, but they don't compare.

Your question reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer takes a (toxic) swim in the East River. Hilarious.