Some of my friends have suggested day trips to Rockaway Beach, while others have said Sandy Hook, New Jersey is the place to take a dip in the sea. Today I realised that I didn’t need to go that far to feel the sand between my toes – because there’s a beach right here in Manhattan.

A group of us went to Beekman’s Beach Bar at the South Street Seaport for Louise’s birthday. The bar is at the southern tip of Manhattan and perfect for a few summer beers. It’s huge, filled with easy chairs and umbrellas, and gives a beautiful view of the water, the Brooklyn Bridge and sailboats bobbing past. And for that beach feel, they’ve piled sand on the ground and set up a tiki bar on the ‘shore’.

There’s also a foosball table (where I was champion), table tennis and a giant chess board, plus a handy shower for when you get a bit toasty (which happened within about two minutes).

This was a fun find. While it’s clearly not the most realistic beach experience and you’d need a few tetanus jabs before taking a dip in the East River, I was semi-convinced about its authenticity thanks to my new sunburn and the sand in my beer.