In both geography and spirit, Long Island City, a largely industrial slice of Queens, and the Hamptons—as in Hamptons, The—couldn’t be much farther apart. In fact, a fun game to pass the time while driving between the two, at opposite ends of the same chunk of land, is to think of ways to spend the difference in their average household incomes.

But for the past four summers, the Long Island City waterfront has hosted a beachside party scene to rival any weekend out East—only rather than staring out over the Atlantic to infinity and beyond, sun-kissed beachgoers stare out over the East River to the UN and Empire State Building.

Called Water Taxi Beach, it’s 900 tons of sand dumped on a parking lot to create a getaway that’s half Jersey Shore, half North Shore (no, really, that’s where the sand comes from). Last year around 120,000 people took a ferry, rode the subway or walked to the acre-size artificial beach—operated by Harbor Experience Companies—where they relaxed, played volleyball, scarfed down burgers and dogs, sipped frozen drinks and danced to DJs after the sun went down. The only thing they didn’t do was swim, which is prohibited and icky (it is the East River, after all).

This crazy idea came from Tom Fox, CEO of Harbor Experience Companies. Fox spent 25 years designing parks and was the fi rst president of the Hudson River Park Conservancy before becoming a ferryman. “We didn’t do any market or demographic studies, we just trusted our gut,” says Fox, who has a “sandmen” section in his Rolodex. “We knew people liked having access to the waterfront and doing fun stuff, but who would’ve thought dumping a bunch of sand on a parking lot by the Midtown Tunnel would be such a hit?”

That hit is now ready for a more mainstream audience.This summer two additional Water Taxi Beaches make their debuts, each with an identity slightly different from the Queens original (which Fox calls “a little funky, with a lot of hipsters”).

At the South Street Seaport along the East River in Lower Manhattan, a stretch of sand aimed at families will feature miniature golf, Ping-Pong, a seafood shack and picture-perfect views of the Brooklyn Bridge. More ambitious is the Water Taxi Beach set to open July 4 on Governors Island, the historic military base floating in the waters off the southern tip of Manhattan. There, next to the ferry landing (the island is only accessible by ferry, which will be free of charge), Water Taxi Beach will also offer basketball and volleyball courts, a café and outdoor grill and a stage equipped to handle concerts drawing big-name acts and crowds of up to 3,000.

Will these new staycation destinations take off? Fox thinks so: “What we’re giving people is close-to-home, reasonable-cost entertainment.” Which is precisely why Long Island City, if you squint hard enough, makes such a good stand-in for the Hamptons.