Steven Howell - Great Escapes: Long Island (Great Escapes)

LONG ISLAND

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to Officer Kenneth Baribault and his loyal and loving family: Ken, Jennifer, Danielle, and my dear cousin Patricia. You are the epitome of Long Island uncompromised strength, generous spirit, and unequivocal love in the face of adversity. God bless you all on your long road to recovery.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please contact Editor,
The Countryman Press, P.O. Box 748, Woodstock, Vermont 05091,
or e-mail .

Copyright 2010 by Steven Howell

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages.

ISBN 978-0-88150-875-8

Cover photos by Steven Howell
Interior photographs by the author unless otherwise specified
Map by Paul Woodward, The Countryman Press
Book design by Bodenweber Design
Text composition by Chelsea Cloeter

Published by The Countryman Press
P.O. Box 748
Woodstock, Vermont 05091

Distributed by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
500 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10110

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Very special thanks go to:

Jennifer Bedell-Darienzotravel companion extraordinaire. Funchos to you!

My favorite family from Long Island: Neal, Bob, Jenny, Bobby, and Emily Citrosincere thanks for the crash pad and always keeping me very well fed! You are a beautiful family.

To Lvi Brubthanks for your understanding and patience come deadline time!

To family and friendsthe Stewarts and the Determanns in particularwho suggested some great restaurant, sightseeing, and hotel recommendations.

My friends and colleagues at Countryman Press, including Kermit Hummel, Lisa Sacks, Kim Grant, and Susan Barnett for her copyediting prowess.

Public relations professionals throughout Long Island.

To all the fine Long Islanders I interviewed for this bookthank you for your valuable time and insight. I could not have done this without you.

And to Johnny, Brenda, and Marieits always great to see you. And to Jillian-Marieits always fun to watch Charlie Brown at Halloween and play Barbie cruise ship/Poseidon Adventure with you. Love, Uncle Steven

CONTENTS

Welcome to Long Island. Which one? Geographically speaking, Long Island measures about 115 miles long from Manhattan to Montauk Point. This, of course, includes the New York City boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn. But to a local, and for the purposes of this book, Long Island starts at the Queens/Nassau border. This book is all about Nassau and Suffolk counties.

I am one of those LIers who have moved away (Ive been told I have a Lawn Guyland accentcawfee, that hot beverage you have with breakfast, is a big giveaway), but most of my family and friends still live here, so I visit often. For this book, it was quite a fun adventure to rediscover the best that Long Island has to offer and to also reinforce the idea that suburbia aint such a bad word after allI wear the suburbanite moniker proudly. Heres hoping you relive your own little slice of suburban heavenLong Islandstyle. I know I have.

Now if it werent for all that traffic...

This is not an all-inclusive tourist tome on Long Island but a loosely themed, lighthearted, and quirky look at some of its finer moments.

Need to get away but are short on time? Your staycation is most definitely in your own backyard. Here are some recommended Long Island visits geared for day-trippers, the workday weary, and those in search of a surprising weekend getaway close to home.

Think of each chapter as its own suggested itinerary. The chapters highlight a specific Long Island destination followed by a roundup of pertinent travel info such as how to get there, suggested restaurants, shopping, and sightseeing in the same vicinity as the main story, mostly a town or two away. Many of the highlighted stories in each chapter are open or accessible year-round. Some are seasonal; some are special events that last but a weekend every year, such as the Shinnecock Powwow and the Sands Point Medieval Fair. That said, you can still visit the accompanying roundup entries in those chapters any time of year.

Since youre on Long Island, most chapters feature a waterfront listing, anything from a tranquil pond to an invigorating ocean view, all specifically meant as a place to kick back, pack a picnic lunch (when was the last time you did that?), and calm your hurried commuter nerves. The waterfrom the Long Island Sound to the Atlantic Oceanis, after all, one of the main reasons why locals live on and visitors visit Long Island.

The roundup will also include special events within a certain area, driving tips, local resources, a LIRR option for those out-of-towners (or even LIers who wish to ditch the car for a day), a fun fact or two, and where to explore nearby if you have more time. Please check the front map to create your own itinerary and combine activities in a specific geographic area.

A word of note about listed prices for restaurants, hotels, attractions, and taxicabs: the prices listed are approximate to winter 2010.

As for the restaurants, everyones a critic, right? Me, not so much. I prefer to tell you whats where and why I liked it, but I wont tell you what you should like (that goes for the sightseeing visits as well). So restaurant listings are not outright reviewsIve eaten at many, but not allbut most of the restaurants were at least visited, researched, and/or recommended by family and friends. Exact establishment hours are not given, because they sometimes change. Call ahead for hours and always make a reservation.

Taxi service on Long Island differs from New York Citystyle cabs. The price given is not per cab ride but per person. There is often an extra charge for additional passengers.

Since my best friends, Neal and Bob, dont rent their home to strangersand its where I stay when in townmany hotels in this book are suggested in terms of geography. Some were visited as a walk-through, and others came recommended by family and friends. As for hotels, shop around for the best deal as online price quotes vary greatly from season to season. Money-saving tips to consider include the purchase of an Empire Passport, a Nassau County Leisure Pass, and a Suffolk County GreenKey, which all offer reduced admission to area parks. Check Everything Else You Need to Know in the appendix of this book for more information on each.

Although some of the chapter groupings of towns may seem a bit unconventional, they are simply suggestions to point you in a particular direction. A few chapters are devoted to their own drive/tour itineraries, such as the Long Island Lighthouse Challenge, a North Fork winery tour, and a Great South Bay estates tour. Theres a method to my Long Island madness. And that method is akin to the rhythmic Atlantic Ocean tide: just go with the Long Island flow and, most of all, have a good time.