This should have been posted yesterday. Technology challenges and the lure of potent margaritas while lounging on the patio in a warm summer breeze prohibited this posting yesterday. Your kind indulgence appreciated. On a vibrant day framed with an azure sky, we decided to venture to the South Fork of Long Island. I am no fan of the Hamptons sensibilities and pretension, but I was intrigued to see what gems could be found on the Southern exposure of the Island. We gassed up Angus and ventured forth.
Indeed, the southern side offered tidy streets and a multitude of antique shops. The local cafe had a seafaring menu; the price of a lobster roll sandwich started at $18.95 (a bit too dear for some white bread and a smattering of lobster in celery and mayonnaise, if you ask me). And if it's at all possible, there were people there on the street who looked even whiter than the Aryan bluebloods of Darien. It seemed entirely possible that several of these women must have been named Muffy.
We ventured to the marina to admire the blue waters of Gardiner's Bay and there we saw some of the most humongous yachts I have ever seen in my life. One named "Bad Girl" was so voluminous that it resembled a cruise ship. Some later internet research revealed that "Bad Girl" was available for rental. If you wanted to make use of her amenities, it would cost you $495,000 per week PLUS expenses. You read that correctly. The mind boggles.
We took Angus on the ferry to Shelter Island, another wealthy enclave. We continued on another ferry to Greenport and landed safely on the North Fork. It's days like this that I realize that I am squarely middle class...and glad for it. The bait and tackle shops of Mattituck suit me much better than South Hampton ever will.
2 comments:
You're killin' me, man. My parents used to go on religious retreats to Shelter Island and Mom still knows the area well.
When my Dad was still alive and I was back home visiting, we used to take what we called our tour of the south end. We made that drive you're talking about. We'd stop and browse around Greenport, maybe get an ice cream in the Hamptons or stop at some remote beach to look for shells. My family prefers the north end, too.
You're making me homesick. Now I'm sad.
When I was a teenager, my family took a ferry from Haddam, CT down the river and across the sound to Sag Harbor. I don't remember all that much about it, but two things do stick out. The first one was after we got off the ferry and the masses started looking for someplace for lunch. One older lady could be heard indignantly exclaiming far and wide as she checked a menu, "Nine dollars for hamburg???" And really, who could blame her? It was the 80's, and I still think that sounds awfully steep today.
Then, we were in some candy store looking at pistachios. We wondered aloud what the difference was between the red and the plain pistachios. (Red was still the more common at the time.) The lady behind the counter explained that it was "just the doy." At least that's what it sounded like to us. It took us awhile to decipher her New York accent and figure out she meant that it was just the "dye" !!
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