As long as we're on the subject of beaches. . .

Revere Beach ca. 1925

the Phoenix also had a nice write-up of Revere Beach.

. . .While Revere Beach may be seedier than it once was, it remains a local treasure — and its charms are especially winsome given the current state of Boston. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re well on our way to becoming another Manhattan. Gentrification is running amok: thanks to its inexorable march, we’re swapping gritty idiosyncrasy for a soulless diet of luxury condos, day spas, and yuppified bistros. Somerville, too, is in great danger; if the Green Line extends to Union Square, get ready for Davis Square redux. As for Cambridge, once Harvard Square lost both the Tasty and the Bow and Arrow, the battle was as good as over.

Which brings us back to Revere Beach — which, it should be noted, is the oldest public beach in America. If the boutique-ification of Boston has you craving the chaotic weirdness that should define urban life, get on the Blue Line, exit at Revere Beach or Wonderland, and follow the scent of salt water. . .