What makes Memorial Day here different from a random summer Saturday is volume — this is peak crowd, which means the fire rings on the south end get claimed by 8am and the parking situation becomes genuinely adversarial by midmorning. The water is cold (around 55°F) and the current is not casual; swimming happens but the surf is not for beginners. What you're actually here for is the view, the wind, and the fact that it's one of the few stretches of actual sand inside city limits. Food options on-site: zero. Bring everything.

If you've got two hours, show up at 8am before the lots fill, walk straight to the north end for the bridge view, and be out before noon when Gibson Road turns into a parking lot that moves slower than the tide.