Here are few words from Elizabeth on the project:

Over Labor Day weekend 2012, I was commissioned by enRoute magazine to document something very near and dear to me: NYC boardwalk culture.

I covered Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Rockaway. I had been frequenting the Rockaways since my first summer in New York in 2005, and as it became more of a destination with new concessions, amenities, and entertainment, the boardwalk was really hitting its stride in the summer of 2012. You could spend the day eating delicious food from some of Brooklyn’s top restaurants, watching a classic rock cover band on the boardwalk or at Low Tide Bar, or dancing into the night at Rippers.

The Saturday of Labor Day weekend, there were more beachgoers than I had ever seen in eight summers. The day was absolutely magical and these photographs are some of my favorites I’ve ever taken.

2 months later, Hurricane Sandy swept the boardwalk away. The peninsula was flooded and reduced to ruins. Coney island was covered in sand. I am so glad that enRoute has decided to still run the story as a remembrance of what was and what can hopefully be again. I am so grateful for the opportunity to have spent a beautiful weekend documenting my favorite places in New York City and meeting amazing people from all of the boroughs, joined by their love of the sun and the Atlantic Ocean.

View the entire body of work here!