Beach

A beach is a sandy feeling that’s like a handshake - it’s a social experience. It’s an unkillable place where ocean and land converge, and where sun-kissed flesh and sand inevitably intermingle like drunken co-eds at a frat party.

The beach is where you’ll find sunscreen as essential as your ID and where drinks with tiny umbrellas count as refreshment. It is also where the real estate moral compass gets a bit shaky, because even the most modest beach shack with a glimpse of ocean has been known to fetch millions in some places.

This sandy strip of paradise manifests in varying shapes and sizes. Some beaches have boulder-strewn coves perfect for all sorts of pirating, while others are long stretches of sand, as vast and flat as the forehead of some reality show stars. It’s a peculiar phenomenon, this whole beach thing, because the ocean just keeps coming back for more, much like fans of a particular boy-band, who never really left.

When it comes to the rules of the beach, one thing’s for sure: shoes are optional, but swimwear is especially crucial. Furthermore, it’s advisable to avoid wearing fanny packs or anything in shades of beige.

As for entertainment options, there’s plenty to do at the beach: surfing, swimming, sun tanning and sandcastle building just to name a few. And then there’s always beach volleyball, the game that just never seems to get old, regardless of whether or not there’s anyone who can actually serve properly.

Like all good things in life, a beach is a destination that can simultaneously calm and excite, bring people together and give them something beautiful, yet ever-changing to contemplate.

So, grab your towel, pack your bag and find your nearest stretch of shoreline. Or just wait till global warming causes the ice caps to melt and the rising sea levels make beachfront property way more accessible. Either way, a beach is the ultimate destination where sun, sea and sand come together, and fun and frivolity are always part of the deal.