E-Mail This Article to a Friend Ocean’s 20 Don’t want to sit in Cape traffic this summer? Here are your best bets for local beaches. BY GENEVIEVE RAJEWSKI

ONE MEMORY FROM that agonizingly hot and humid July week still lingers.

After several days of trying to cool down by lying on our North End apartment’s kitchen floor, my boyfriend and I hatched a plan to escape to the beach. Saturday arrived, and off Nate went to shell out $100-plus to rent the car that would deliver us from our sweltering city to the Cape. I stayed behind to pack our beach tote.

An hour later, as I sat on our stoop anticipating cool sea breezes and saltwater lapping around my ankles, I saw a most horrible sight. Nate was trudging, not driving, back down Salem Street. Cartoon-like wavy lines of heat and defeat radiated from his body. Apparently, his credit-card limit could not support the price of the required collision insurance.

Back on the kitchen floor, we eventually settled on what seemed to be a most undesirable plan B: we would take the T to Revere Beach. But once there, we were pleasantly surprised. The air was at least 10 degrees cooler than it was downtown, and both the water and the sand were clean. And while there was the occasional passing car with thumping bass, the upside was the quick 15-minute trip and the conspicuous lack of MV stickers and Lily Pulitzer dresses.

Fortunately, there are a number of other T-accessible beaches for car-less city people desperate to escape the heat. Thanks to investments made by the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s "Back to the Beaches" program and long-standing efforts to clean up Boston Harbor, a number of city beaches are once again destinations for quality sun, sand, and surf.

Should you be lucky enough to own a car — or wise enough to have joined Zipcar — there are also a number of wonderful beaches north and south of the city that don’t require you to creep down Route 3 or take a ferry.

In and around the city

Pleasure Bay and Castle Island (Day Boulevard, South Boston, 617-626-1250). One of the most popular recreational areas in the city, these vibrant South Boston jewels have three key selling points: location, location, and location.

Close to downtown Boston, Pleasure Bay is a calm, enclosed lagoon with a sandy beach for swimming and sunning. From here you can run, walk, or bike the Harbor Walk path around Pleasure Bay, as well as to Castle Island. Throughout, you will be rewarded with views of Logan Airport, the Harbor Islands, boats, and the city.

Castle Island has a small beach for swimming, but it’s better known for Fort Independence, which helped protect the harbor during the Revolutionary War. Though the fort is on the National Register of Historic Places, it is Sullivan’s — a take-out restaurant serving hamburgers, fries, and other satisfyingly greasy fare — that is the most beloved landmark on Castle Island.

Get here by taking MBTA buses numbers 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, or 11. Free public parking is also available, as are lifeguards and restrooms.

Constitution Beach (Orient Heights, East Boston, 617-626-1250). Like Revere Beach, East Boston’s Constitution Beach is on the Blue Line, though it’s not nearly as well known to city dwellers. That’s too bad, considering that it boasts groomed sand, a newer bathhouse, and a convenient pedestrian overpass across the MBTA tracks.

The beach’s close proximity to Logan Airport also means it’s louder than most swimming holes. But the upside is that it offers plenty of plane-watching as a diversion for sunbathers. If you seek sea breezes but aren’t in the mood for swimming or sunning, you’ll be happy to find a range of other options, including a picnic area, tennis and handball courts, and shade shelters.

There are lifeguards on the premises, as well as a concessions stand. Get here by taking the MBTA Blue Line to Orient Heights, or MBTA bus number 120. The free parking spaces fill up quickly on sunny summer days, so public transportation is recommended.

Wollaston Beach (Quincy Shore Drive, Quincy, 617-727-5114). Quincy’s largest beach is a scenic drive down Quincy Shore Drive. A long and clean beach with a great sea wall, Wollaston is frequented by locals and the occasional biker. From the sea wall, you can enjoy views of Quincy Bay and the Boston skyline. Better yet, you’ll find several seafood shacks with outdoor seating.

Facilities include lifeguards and a bathhouse with public restrooms. Get there by taking MBTA bus number 217 from the Wollaston T station on the MBTA Red Line, or by walking along Beach Street from the Wollaston station. There is also free parking.

Revere Beach (Revere Beach Boulevard, Revere, 617-727-8856). America’s oldest public beach, Revere Beach offers lifeguards, a bathhouse, many shade shelters, and food — most notably at the famous Kelly’s Roast Beef. Get here by taking the MBTA Blue Line to either Revere or Wonderland. There is also free parking.

Boston Harbor Islands National Park (617-223-8666; www.bostonislands.org). Although these 10 islands break our self-imposed ferry rule, this national park area makes for a good mid-city escape.

You can technically swim at any of the islands, but Lovells Island is the best bet, as it has both lifeguards and the sandiest beach. A favorite camping island, Lovells also has trails that pass by dunes and woods, picnic areas, and the remains of Fort Standish.

Georges Island is the only island to offer food, at a small snack bar. Though it has only a gravelly non-swimming beach, the island compensates with a fascinating history. Civil War–era Fort Warren can be explored independently for a Goonies-style vibe. But take the guided tour to get the scoop on the fort’s military past and to hear the story of the "Lady in Black," the ghost of a Confederate prisoner’s wife who is said to have been sentenced to death for aiding in his escape.

You can swim, picnic, and camp out at Grape Island. This island also offers trails, guided tours, and a boat pier.

Bumpkin Island has boat piers and guided tours. It’s a great spot to bring your lunch, as the picnic areas on the southwest side offer excellent views of the Hingham Islands, Sarah, Ragged, Langlee, Worlds End, Slate, Grape, and Sheep Islands. From the northwest side, you can see Boston, Peddocks Island, and Hull, with a partial view of Great Brewster Island. You can also camp on this island, which boasts one of the more beautiful natural settings among the Harbor islands.

Finally, Spectacle Island is scheduled to open later this summer. It will offer a small swimming beach, a visitor center, spectacular viewing and picnic areas, and numerous docking spaces.

Facilities are rustic at the Harbor Islands (think composting toilets). Plan to pack your own food and water and to carry out your trash. As of June 25, you can get to all these islands by taking the Harbor Express ferry.

Carson Beach (Day Boulevard, South Boston, 617-626-1250). This sandy beach offers city dwellers great views of the harbor, plus new sand, walkways, benches, and shade shelters. The recently renovated Edward J. McCormack Bathhouse has restrooms, changing rooms, showers, water fountains, chess tables, and bocce courts. And, yes, there are lifeguards.

For a harbor-view picnic, head for the renovated Mother’s Rest pavilion and fishing pier. More active types will appreciate the walkway that allows you to run, walk, or bike along the waterfront from Castle Island to the JFK Library.

Get here by taking the MBTA Red Line to JFK/UMass, or by taking MBTA buses numbers 5, 11, or 16. Free public parking is also available.

L and M Street Beaches (Day Boulevard, South Boston, 617-635-5104). Located next to each other on Day Boulevard, these two small beaches both feature new sand. Nearby is the L Street Bathhouse, which offers a gym, saunas, steam rooms, showers, and other amenities for a small membership fee. The bathhouse is known as the home of the L Street Brownies, who swim in the Atlantic no matter what the season and temperature.

There are restrooms and lifeguards. Get here by taking MBTA buses numbers 9 and 11, which leave from the Broadway station on the MBTA Red Line.

Savin Hill Beach, Malibu Beach, and Tenean Beach (Morrissey Boulevard, Dorchester). Located just minutes away from downtown, these three beaches all feature new sand, boardwalks, lighting, promenades, and bathhouses. You’ll also find lifeguards, picnic shelters, water fountains, and bike areas.

Get here by taking the MBTA Red Line to the Savin Hill station; the Red Line to the North Quincy stop and walking over Neponset Boulevard; or MBTA bus number 20 from the Fields Corner stop on the Red Line. Parking is free.

Winthrop Beach (Winthrop Shore Drive, Winthrop). Winthrop Beach is a lengthy stretch of sand and surf that locals use for swimming, sunning, kayaking, canoeing, walking, picnicking, and volleyball. There are lifeguards and restrooms.

You can get here via the Point Shirley or Winthrop Beach bus from the Orient Heights station on the MBTA Blue Line. Limited free parking is also available.

Yirrell Beach (Shirley Street, Winthrop). This small beach is popular for surfcasting and as a swimming destination for families with small children. The area by the base of Watertower Hill is shallow to about 100 yards out.

Get here by taking MBTA bus number 712 or 713 from the Orient Heights stop on the MBTA Blue Line. There is also plenty of free parking.