Well - north of NYC isn't the best idea - with no car and wanting to return from NYC.

Long Island has a bunch of places - but a car is necessary.

You might find a place on the Jersey Shore that has a family feel and where you an get a house for a week near the sea and with at least basic service. I'm sure you can get to some by train or bus. However, if you want to travel around to differnt places - again a car is probably necessary.

(We are set up with trains and buses from suburbs into major cities - but in most of the US public transit is minimal. We are set up for plane or car travel. Train and bus is possible - but is often very inconveninet - few and far between.)

However, the better places rent far in advance (march is usual) and will not be inexpensive.

There are also a few towns on Cape Cod - but I think yuo need a car most places and then it would make sense to fly back from Boston.

The other thing you need to realize is that this is the north atlantic and water will not be warm (it finally starts to warm up a little in Sept) and can also be quite rough. The waters around europe are unusually warm due to the Gulf Stream - so expect cold water here.

For access by train you should consider Mystic CT. (Mystic Seaport) or maybe Providence RI.

Some strange misinformation above about water temperatures. Water from New Jersey to the southern shore of Cape Cod are swimmable by early July -- and they're warmed by . . . the Gulf Stream!

The rest however is fairly accurate. Without a car you are very much disadvantaged. Places that are possible, but not perfect would be the Hamptons on Long Island, Newport in Rhode Island, Provincetown on Cape Cod, or the islands, Block (RI) and Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard (MA). Actually, the islands might be your best bet.

As noted above too, these are popular destinations and you will need to book quickly -- the best spots are often rented out a year in advance.

A beach town with activites can be had by going south of NYC to the Jersey Shore. NJ Transit has trains from Manhattan that go as far south along the coast as Bay Head. Most of those towns can easily be enjoyed without a car.
That being said, I think the problem will be renting for just one week. Most places rent for the whole summer or for at least one month. You can probably find hotels with kitchnettes.

Especially without a car, you may want to decide whether the beach access or the activities (what type?) are your priority.

Jershey shore towns would work great for beaches, but less for activities other than a boardwalk & amusements. I would find it really frustrating without a car.

Mystic that someone mentioned doesn't seem to be the best choice for either. Near beaches, but not a beach town, The main attractions are the Seaport (recreated old maritime village) and the aquarium. I don't know if teenage girls would like it much, and tranposration is a problem.

Newport Rhode Ialand has beaches, and the many historic mansions and boat trips that might be fun. Much of it is walkable and there is a bus/trolley service in town. It's quite expensive in summer, even more so over weekends, holidays, special events like the Folk Festival at the end of July. Many hotels and inns, I suppose there could be some apartments for rent but I don't know them. Also getting there from NYC involves a train and then a bus or taxi.

Actually all of these and similar places are pricey. Do you have a specific budget in mind? Without a car, you have to stay in the middle of thes popular resort areas, so you may have to adjust your budget upwards.

I'd choose Block Island, Rhode Island, which is reachable by train/taxi or ferry from New York City. Once on the island you can get around by bicycle, and you don't need a car. It's very quiet and small and would probably suit you well. It tends to be cheaper than Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket or Long Island. And most accommodations are self-catering. It doesn't really lends itself to a stay of less than a week.

Well, you can't get to Block Island by train nor taxi. Weird advice.

If you get yourselves to Boston, you can take the passenger ferry to Provincetown on Cape Cod. Provincetown is a historic, gay enclave, welcoming to everyone but perhaps not everyone's cup of tea. You won't need a car in Provincetown but if you decided not to stay in Provincetown, you can lease a rental car there and travel to and stay in nearby Truro or Wellfleet.

House rentals of one week are le rigeur on the Cape in the summer months and minimum stays of 3 nights are common in hotels and inns during high season.

The water warms up in July on the Cape but day to day temps vary greatly. The warmest waters on the Cape are on Nantucket Sound. Cape Cod Bay and Atlantic Ocean waters are obviously colder.

Well, the OP hasn't come back but it would help to know what kind of activities they are interested in...

As mentioned, there is some strange information being given here...for ex. concerning New Jersey Shore communities...there is lots to do in the northern beach towns and can be enjoyed without a car....and getting to Block Island by public transportation...

so, please JFTRAVELER, give us some more information

As much as I love LI - and we spend a lot of time in the Hamptons - you really can't do it without a car. You can easily get TO the Hamptons via Jitney or silver snail - but once there getting from one place to another without a car is VERY onerous.

You can get a condo right along the beach in Amagansett - but you are then limited to that very small area - with not much to do - unless you have car to drive to other towns (there is very minimal local bus service, used mostly by maids or restaurant staff - but it won;t really work for a vacation). And if you rent rooms in an inn in one of the other towns - getting beyond hte town - or to the beach (towns are not ON the beach) is a major PIA.

I think Doug was referring to taking the train to New London, then the ferry to Block.

You might look at the Danbury Ct/Lake Candlewood area or
Madison Beach Hotel/Madison, CT or other CT shore towns like Clinton, Old Saybrook etc or Spring Lake, NJ/Ocean House

Oh, you definitely need a car to access any of the Long Island Sound beaches in CT!

What about Fire Island? Never been there myself, but I understand some of the communities are family friendly. No cars permitted. Reachable by public transit.

Of course the OP, as per usual, appears to have departed. I wonder why we bother, sometimes.

Block Island, RI can be reached easily from NYC. Take the train to New London, CT and then the ferry from their to BI. The Ferry is an easy walk from the train station. Use the local taxis there or rent bikes. There are some very nice beaches.

Yes - but the OP is looking for an area with a lot of activities for teens. Not sure Block Island qualifies - sounds that it might be too quiet.

Where did the "teen" thing come from? The OP says nothing about the age of her daughters. Anyway, Block Island is far from quiet -- there's are lively and disreputable activities available.

Once again, confirmed that I don't want to buy into a NY co-op.

Oh, maybe she does. Still don't want to buy a co-op.

OP clearly says that she has teens and wants a place with lots of activities for them.

so after thinking about it, I was wondering if Martha's Vineyard would work. You can get there by public transit...I think the train to Providence, then the bus to New Bedford, then the ferry to Vineyard Haven would work. Once on the island, if you stayed someplace in town, like in Edgartown, you could take the shuttle buses to the beach, or get around pretty well by bicycle. Or potentially rent a car for a day or two to explore if you wanted to. It's got beaches, cute shops, and lots of places for teenagers to explore.

the cons....it will be expensive. And its a little late to be looking for a place to rent in July. But there may be some available.

WOW! What an informed group! Thank you for all your insights.

Clearly my reluctance to drive on the right is a challenge, as is the timeframe that I have selected to travel and book in.

Block Island looks great however I realise that I have left it too late to secure the type of place I was hoping for. My accommodation budget for the four of us for a week is circa $2,500.

With regards to my teenagers - they will do beaches, cycle, shop, visit historic attractions, eat, go the cinema and are generally enthused about living American-style for two weeks.

I would consider going south of New York if you think that there are better options in that direction. And, for not too busy traffic I am prepared to overcome my reluctance to get behind the wheel of a small car.

If you do have the energy to provide more insights I would be really grateful!

Sorry - traffic anywhere in the NY metro area - esp resorts in summer - will be hellacious traffic. But the good news is when you're doing 20 mph i's hard to have an accident.

Also, places to stay in a summer resort a week in July I fear will be more than yuor budget in most resorts. But a a search wouldn't hurt.

You can easily rent a house on Cape Cod for a week with that budget. Check homeaway.com for rental listings.

The Breakers-Spring Lake, NJ

I think the biggest problem is that there are some cheaper places to go, where you can get a house for $2,500 per week, but the places that are easy to reach without a car are more expensive. In Cape Cod, for instance, you'd really be hampered by not having a car, but you could get to a quieter destination by train and then drive the rest of the way, so you might consider that as an option.

Areas south of New York City are even more difficult to reach without a car, particularly since most of the more popular Jersey Shore destinations that can be done without a car were seriously damaged by Hurricane Sandy this fall.

Montauk is getting pretty expensive, but it's definitely doable without a car, so you might want to look there.

And if you'd consider a lake rather than the ocean, you might find something reasonably priced in upstate New York's Hudson Valley, a particularly beautiful place in the summer (though it definitely requires a car, but you could take a train to Albany and rent a car at the airport there.

you might be able to find a place on Martha's Vineyard within that budget if you stick to the less expensive towns, such as Oak Bluffs or Vineyard Haven. And it really is possible to spend a week without a car, or rent a car on island for a day or 2.

And I was going to make the same suggestion as Emily Post too. If you think driving might be possible, look at Cape Cod. Getting there will be a little difficult traffic wise, but you can take the train as far as Providence, and then it won't be too far to drive. Another website to check for rentals is weneedavacation.com

I spend time in the Hamptons every summer - since I was about 10 - and can't imagine how you can do anything there - even Montauk - without a car. How do you get to anything?

Martha'Vineyard has a bus system to get around.

And you won't need a car if you take the train to Boston and the ferry to Cape Cod to stay in Provincetown.

I actually think you would all love staying in Newport. You can walk or bike to the beaches there, plus there's plenty of shopping, people watching, tours of mansions so over the top that even teenagers would be impressed that people were once that rich, boat rides, nightlife (lots of music), and probably special events happening the week you're there. $2500 is adequate for a week's rental for 4 anywhere in Rhode Island, even Block Island, which I especially love -- but I think teens might be happier in Newport.