A pint-sized boy, no more than 10-years-old, seen wandering alone through a bustling crowd of New Yorkers for hours at end is bound to spark some puzzlement on the faces of onlookers. Now, imagine that same preteen...

Imagine lounging at Rockaway Beach on a sultry summer day: surfers ride the waves, young couples make footprints in the sand, teens run Pamela Anderson-style into the water—and everyone...