Enjoying All Orient Has to Offer

At the end of the North Fork you will find the quiet village of Orient. On first glance it may appear that Orient does not have much to offer, but if you are a nature lover and enjoy being outdoors it is the perfect place to check out!

Just last week a friend and I headed down to Orient to do a little exploring and just take in the sites. Our main goal for the evening was to go for a bike ride somewhere that had less traffic and we thought the winding back roads of Orient would be the perfect place!

We set out right after dinner, so around six o'clock, and threw our bikes in the back of our car for the journey to Orient. Once we got to Orient, we parked at Oysterponds school and got our bikes out to begin our evening ride. Right across from the school is Tabor Road which leads to a ton of winding back roads and plenty of space to ride bikes with limited traffic.

We took Tabor Road down to its end, passing a cemetery from the late 1800's that houses many of Orient's original residents, on the way. Once we reached the end of the road, we made a left and headed down Orchard Street passing a few large, beautiful farmhouses and corn fields. 

Orchard street took us all the way to King Street, where we made a left. King Street is absolutely beautiful since it borders the water and marshlands of Orient. The flat street was also pretty ideal for biking! 

At the end of King Street we stopped at a little beach that has been nicknamed "Horsefly Beach" by locals. As most beaches on the bay do, "Horsefly Beach" offers a really sandy beach with few rocks. I personally love sandy beaches more than rocky ones which is why when I do go to the beach I prefer going to the bay.

After a few minutes of writing in the sand and enjoy the beautiful beach, my friend and I set back out on our bikes to ride for a little longer before the sun went down. We left the beach and headed to Halyoake Avenue, which is another road that goes through the marshlands. It's also a really narrow, old country road which is cute and makes you feel like you are in a whole different world than busy Greenport which is just five minutes away.

We took Halyoake Avenue back to where it meets Orchard Street and then headed back to the school to end our night because it was slowly starting to get dark. Our night then ended after we threw our bikes back in our car and headed to Truman's Beach right up the road to watch the sunset. 

Unfortunately, we never got to even ride down into Orient Village itself. Village Lane in Orient is packed with quaint country homes and at the end of it you will find Orient Yacht Club which provides beautiful views of the water. There is also another park down Village Lane which sits on the water. 

My friend and I really enjoyed our bike ride and beach stop in Orient. I think Orient is really someplace worth checking out if you enjoy taking in some beautiful sights and being outdoors! 

I highly recommend getting on your bike and heading down the back roads of Orient to see a different side of Eastern Long Island. 

Chopper Chatter

One of the big topics of discussions the past few summers on Eastern Long Island has been the issue of an increase of helicopters flying over the area. As traffic gets worse and worse on the Long Island Expressway, those who can afford it seem to be opting to take helicopters out to Eastern Long Island for vacation.

A lot of locals dislike the choppers flying over their homes because they are loud. I recently found a post on the Hamptons Chatter blog that sums up why many dislike the helicopters. The post also mentions that now you can take a ride over Eastern Long Island for a fair rate of $2,500.

The writer of the post mentioned above seems quite angry that now more people may be taking helicopter rides over the East End. He cites the "air traffic noise" as the main reason why he dislikes helicopters in the area, just like most locals I know.

Personally, I would love to take a helicopter ride over Eastern Long Island myself and I never once have been bothered by "air traffic noise." Helicopters can be loud, but never once has one gone over my head and completely disrupted me. They make a little noise for the minute they are above your head and that is it.

I don't believe this helicopter situation as to be as controversial as people make it. Unfortunately it appears to just be another case of locals wanting to keep Eastern Long Island to themselves and not realizing all that tourism does for the area.

To all visitors to the area this summer I say ignore the haters and keep coming and enjoying the area! There are people who appreciate you and your business (money). Eastern Long Island is beautiful and if people want to experience the beauty from the air I say do it!

So if you have the $2,500 to spend on a helicopter ride over the area do not be afraid to go!

New Bike Path? Sign Me Up!

About a week ago I discussed Biking Safely on the North Fork. As I mentioned then, my biggest concern with a rise in bikers on Eastern Long Island is that they do not understand how busy the roads in the area actually are.

While looking on the website of one of the local newspapers (which I suggest you check out, best way to keep up to date with everything local is The Times Review family of papers) this week, I noticed there were new plans to build a bike trail around the perimeter of an industrial park in Calverton. For those who are unfamiliar, Calverton is located near Riverhead, right by where the North Fork begins.

Unfortunately, the idea for the EPCAL Bike Path was met with resistance by the Riverhead Town Board. I am quite disappointed more people are not fans of the proposed path because I think it sounds like a perfect place for people to bike! I like to think that those who head out to the North Fork to bike would love to have their own place to ride around and not have to worry about traffic. And for those wondering, the industrial park does have quite a large perimeter!

Right now the roads on Eastern Long Island are getting a lot busier with people unfamiliar with the area. Sadly when you pair more traffic with bikers who do not realize how busy the roads can get it is a recipe for disaster. If bikers have somewhere else to go to ride it might help things out a little.

Since it does not look like the bike path is going to be created anytime soon however I want to offer another reminder to stay safe when biking out on the East End this summer! Remember, the roads are busier than you think and you can never go wrong wearing a helmet!

Strolling Southampton

Over the past few summers, Southampton has become one of my favorite places to visit on Eastern Long Island. Southampton Village is a perfect walking town and offers a ton of clothing stores and place to sit down and enjoy a meal. The village is a beautiful little place to spend a day walking around (although be warned, it is a bit pricey).

To give a really good idea of Southampton and what it is like to spend a day strolling around the village I found this video on YouTube.

 

 

The video is a bit long (24 minutes) but the man walks around pretty much all of the village to give an idea of what it has to offer.

One of my favorite stores in Southampton is the Alex and Ani store. It is tough to find a store devoted solely to the popular bracelets in New York and Southampton offers one. Another store in the village I would make sure to check out is Dash. This summer the famous Kardashian sisters opened up one of their boutiques in Southampton and will be spending the summer in the Hamptons filming for their reality show.

No matter what you think of the family, I think it is cool they are spending their summer around Southampton and I think you should too! Check out the video to give you an idea of what you are missing out on in Southampton and head there yourself to enjoy a nice summer day just wandering around.

Stop and Smell the Lavendar

Perhaps one of the smallest and quietest places on all of Eastern Long Island is the hamlet of East Marion. East Marion is located on the North Fork between Greenport and Orient, meaning that a lot of visitors that arrive to the area via the Cross Sound Ferry pass through it. The very small hamlet does not have a lot to offer to guests which is why many probably drive through it without even knowing.

Located in East Marion are a firehouse, a post office, a country store named Fork and Anchor, Sep's Farm and Lavender by the Bay and that is it. So not a lot, but one of those places may be the most unique destination on all of Eastern Long Island.

Lavender by the Bay is a lavender farm. Typically something associated more with France, the farm prides themselves with being something that looks like it has been plucked right out of France and placed on Eastern Long Island. It is the only u-pick lavender farm on Long Island.

Think about that, it is the only place on Long Island where you can pick your own lavender! Even if lavender is not something you love I suggest checking out the place because of the uniqueness it offers the quiet little hamlet.

Even if you have no interest in picking the lavender, there is a lot the farm has to offer. During peak season (June or July depending on the top of lavender) the sites and smells of the fields, located right behind the main shop, are incredible.

In case you are completely unaware of what a lavender field looks like here is something to give you an idea.

Can't you just picture yourself there either picking your own lavender to take home and enjoy  or just relaxing?

And the fields are not the only thing Lavender by the Bay has to offer, it also has a shop that sells all top of lavender products. To give you an idea of what is sold in the shop, one of my personal favorite things is the lavender honey. Trust me, it is delicious even if you are not a big honey fan. I love it and cannot get enough of it!

If you are on the North Fork, Lavender by the Bay is a must stop for the views, smells and products it offers. Please feel free to check out lavenderbythebay.com for more information on lavender and when the farm itself is open.

Taking Time to Enjoy the Ride

A lot of the time we are so focused on where we are going that we do not take time to enjoy the journey to the destination.

I know, I sound like a corny quote book, but it is true and it relates to how one may spend their time on Eastern Long Island. This past week I had to drive all the way out to Montauk (the end of the South Fork) for business. I did not get to do anything in Montauk aside from the business I had to attend to so I did not get to enjoy the happening beach town. Knowing this though I was able to enjoy the trip by just taking in the sites on the way!

I traveled from Sag Harbor, which is roughly halfway through the Hamptons, out to Montauk surrounded by some of the most beautiful sites. Between the lush green landscape, beautiful houses and of course the beaches I really enjoyed the ride!

Usually when planning a trip we get so caught up in mapping out every minute of our day with something exciting to do that we miss out on fun things that are not as flashy, like just taking a car ride. There are so many beautiful sites on Eastern Long Island sometimes the best way to see a few is by just hopping in the car and driving!

Just like I sat back and enjoyed my ride out to Montauk I think you can sit back and just enjoy a simple ride around the East End. Forget about the destination for a bit and just enjoy the journey!

Time to Take in a Sunset

It would make sense for me to start out with the best ways to spend your morning on the Eastern End of Long Island and then your afternoon and then your evening. But, my personal favorite thing to do occurs in the evening and I cannot wait to share it!

After a full day of summer fun in the sun doing things I will tell you about later nothing beats heading to the beach to check out the sunset! The North Shore of Long Island borders the Long Island Sound and the sunsets over it have to be some of the most beautiful in the world. I end most of my summer days checking out the sunsets by my house, so it is certainly something both visitors and locals alike can enjoy!

Having viewed so many sunsets over the Long Island Sound I have to say that they are like snowflakes. That means that no two are alike and each one provides a new visual spectacle for all to take in. So if you are in town for even a week I would suggest you check out the sunset every night because you are always going to see something new.

Maybe the best thing about taking in a sunset on Eastern Long Island is that it's free! All you have to do is head to a beach that looks north. Of course for the best views I suggest you head north and find a beach on the Long Island Sound, but if you are vacationing on the South Fork you can still get a spectacular view if you venture to a beach that overlooks the bay separating the two forks.

In my opinion there is nothing better to do on Eastern Long Island than just taking in one of the many beautiful sunsets and I would put it as number one on your must-do list for your vacation to the area!





 

Above are just a few of many photos of sunsets I have taken over the years to give you an idea of what you are missing out on if you choose to not check out a sunset during your East End vacation.