Land Shark Unlimited

This summer a new store opened in Greenport that offers a wide selection of merchandise relating to the village and the North Fork.

Greenport always had a little shop that offered shirts and other things that could let people know where you vacationed. The new Land Shark Unlimited however is double the size of the old store and offers more for both locals and tourists alike. I recently checked out the new store for the first time and was quite pleased with what I found. 

For starters, there are all sorts of tank tops, t-shirts and sweatshirts offered so no matter what your style is you will probably be able to find something that says either "Greenport" or "North Fork." All summer I had my eye on a long sleeve t-shirt in the window (the shop displays a lot of shirts in the window which helped to attract me in) and I finally went to buy it and I am glad I did! Although I will warn you now the store is a bit pricey.

Land Shark Unlimited also offers jewelry, signs to decorate your house with, bags and shot glasses, among a few other items. It is your typical souvenir store you would find in most beach towns which is why I think it is a must stop for those visiting. 

Unknown to me before I checked the store out, Land Shark Unlimited is actually a bit of a chain on Eastern Long Island. It also has locations in Montauk and Sag Harbor to provide goods for vacationers who visit the South Fork. 

You are not going to find the fanciest clothes or jewelry in Land Shark Unlimited, but you will find unique tokens of your Eastern Long Island vacation so I highly suggest checking it out! 

The Ongoing Battle Between Tourists and Locals

Sometimes it's tough to be a tourist on Eastern Long Island. Yes you get to enjoy the beautiful beaches, restaurants, shopping and plethora of other things the area has to offer, but you also get to be a target of the locals.

I will be honest and just say that most locals do not like tourists, especially where I am on the North Fork. I think those in the Hamptons have grown a little more used to the extra people around in the summer by now since they have been getting the influx of visitors for longer than the North Fork. The newer  of visitors on the North Fork however leaves those who are here year round left adjusting to more traffic, longer lines in the supermarket and other things.

I actually have tried to avoid using the word tourist in this blog because it has such negative connotations in the area. I feel that it is almost an insult when used by some so I prefer the term vacationers.

Another insult on the North Fork that goes right along with "tourists" is "Citiots." Locals on the North Fork seem to think that those who come to the area from the city are not too bright and thus they enjoy using the mixture of the words "city" and "idiots" to describe the guests.

I personally do not believe those who come out to visit the East End are any less bright than the locals, I think they are just used to a different lifestyle and it shows in their actions. I actually prefer the city lifestyle where you move faster and may not necessarily say hello to everyone you run into on the streets or in stores because you do not know them. Just because somebody from Manhattan where there are millions of people comes to little Greenport and does not feel like having small talk with a store clerk does not make them a bad person or any less intelligent, it's just the type of stuff that does not occur where they are from.

I think a lot of the issues that arise between those who visit the East End and those who make their homes there year-round do so because nobody understands the differing of their lifestyles. Like many problems in the world, this one could be solved by being a little more tolerant towards others. It might not kill the person from Manhattan to talk for a minute or two with the store clerk in Greenport, but it also might be good for that store clerk to try not to talk too much to the visitor not used to making conversation with a perfect stranger.

The reason I would like to see less controversy between vacationers and locals on the North Fork is because I like those who come to visit the area in the summer and appreciate the business they bring. Many shops in towns like Greenport have to close their doors in the winter because they do not get enough business to warrant staying open. Restaurants have to close their doors too in the winter because they also do not get enough action.

If the influx of people did not arrive in the summer there would be no businesses on the North Fork and things would not be pretty. The fact of the matter is the East End is a vacation destination and many people make a living based on the vacationers who visit during the summer (and fall for pumpkin picking). Those who would like to see people from Manhattan stay there do not realize that lives would be hurt if they did not get the extra business in the summer.

To be honest, it only gets busy on the weekends on the North Fork in the summer. The weekdays may be busier than they are during the winter, but it is still far from crazy. Most of the time it is just Friday to Sunday when the roads have more traffic on them and so on. Three days is not so bad to just tough it up and accept there will be more people around. If you have to go to the store I advise just doing so during the week, which many locals have started to do since they know the problem is not going away.

It's tough to have to adjust your lives for a few months every year because of an influx of people, but the value that comes out of having those additional people around is important to the area. I really do hope more and more people see the importance of tourists to Eastern Long Island and can accept their presence as a vital part of the economy.

Mini Golf!

Eastern Long Island offers a lot of great golf courses for those who like to hit the greens on vacation. The area also offers a lot of mini golf courses for families and those not quite as experienced in the game.

On the North Fork in Greenport you will find Tic Toc Mini Golf at Drosssos' Motel. Located a little bit away from the main town, there is also an ice cream parlor and place to get fast food at Drossos'. The course is a little old and simple, but it still provides a lot of fun. I would recommend Drossos' more for those with younger children, but again anyone who enjoys playing mini golf can enjoy the course. There is also an arcade on the property to have a little fun at after you finish golfing.

Riverhead is home to a course for those looking to be challenged a bit more. Out East Family Fun's mini golf course has less obstacles than Drossos' and is much newer. I would recommend this course more for teens and adults and those who are more into the competition of mini golf than the entertainment of it.

Out East Family Fun is also home to batting cages, jumpshot basketball and inflatable waterslides so it is someplace you can spend a few hours at doing a variety of activities.

Those are unfortunately the only two mini golf courses on the East End I have experience playing at, but there are plenty of other places to enjoy a game too.

On Shelter Island there is Whale's Tale Ice Cream and Mini Golf. In Montauk there is Puff  'N' Putt Family Fun Center, which also offers boat rentals. Animal Kingdom Mini Golf is in Southampton.

Something that I think is cool about many of these mini golf courses is that they have other family entertainment on property also. So if you are looking for some fun, outdoor activities for a few hours I advise you head to the nearest mini golf course and play a round and check out some other fun things to do!

Finding a Restroom

In my travels around Eastern Long Island I naturally find myself looking for public restrooms at times, it's just a part of life!

Some towns on the East End have much easier access to restrooms than others and I would like to share my experiences with which towns have more convenient restrooms than others.

Starting on the North Fork and Greenport, Greenport has probably the easiest restrooms to find on all of the East End. The Greenport public restrooms are located right in the middle of town in Mitchell Park. Since Greenport is small to begin with, the restrooms are no more than a 5 minute walk from anywhere in town.

On Shelter Island the best place to find a public restroom is at the North and South Ferries. These restrooms are for ferry costumers only but since anyone traveling to the island has to arrive by ferry I assume that is most of you. Once you get off the ferry you can just pull over and park and head into the main building by the docks to find the restrooms. Unfortunately they are not convenient if you are walking around Shelter Island, but to be fair there is really no main spot on the island with a lot of shops to wander around anyway.

Moving to the South Fork, Southampton recently posed a problem for me trying to find a restroom. Since it is a walking village that has a lot of stores I figured there would be an obvious public restroom around, but alas there was not. I ended up asking someone in a store where one was and they actually pointed me to a restaurant that has a restroom open to all.

The Driver's Seat restaurant is located next door to Dash (the Kardashian's store) and although it is tough to tell from the outside it does offer restrooms for all. It is a little awkward that you have to wander in around those dining and ask where the restrooms are. The restrooms are downstairs and the waitresses are very nice about pointing them out however.

Westhampton Village has public restrooms, although they are a bit hard to find. If you are walking around the main village you have to go away from the center of town a bit but you should find them. And even if they are not the most convenient I applaud Westhampton for at least having public restrooms.

Montauk is another village with fairly easy to find restrooms. Since Montauk is right on the beach I found it is best to stop by one of the beach parking lots on the outskirt off town. In the parking lot there is a nice public restroom. Like Shelter Island it is not the most convenient place for those walking around town but it is still there.

I struggled at first to find public restrooms in Sag Harbor but that's because I was looking down Main Street. Sag Harbor does have public restrooms that are a little away from the main drag and are right on the water. They actually have a convenient parking lot right behind them.

Of course anywhere you go restaurants will have restrooms for those who ate there. So if you go somewhere to eat I suggest just using the restroom while you are there. The second best option is to always just ask!

Time to Hit the Beach

Now that we are well into the month of July and schools have been out for a couple of weeks, people are taking vacations in full swing. This means more and more people are coming out to Eastern Long Island.

So far I have covered a lot of different things to do on the East End of the island while barely mentioning one of the things many of the visitors to the area this summer will spend a lot of their time doing—heading to the beach!

Honestly, I am not a big beach goer. I prefer pools because they are less messy and you bring less sand home with you! There are also less things like jellyfish and crabs (I have never been stung by a jellyfish but when I was younger I did cut my foot on a crab, not fun!). The problem is though it is tough to find public pools in the area.

Taking into account how hard it is to find pools and that a lot of people do like heading to the beach, I want to share some tips I have for finding the best beaches to check out.

For starters, I would avoid beaches on the North Fork that are along the Long Island Sound. The beaches on the sound are just too rocky and the sound itself is filled with too many jellyfish. If you want to head to the beach on the North Fork I would check out some on south side that border the bay. Beaches on the bay generally have soft sand (which I love) and the water is usually very calm (if you like calm water).

Even though I do not enjoy going to the beach, I do enjoy a few smaller beaches on the bay on the North Fork just because they are so peaceful.

If you are on the South Fork you will probably be heading to one of the area's busier beaches on the Atlantic Ocean. These beaches can be rocky, like the ones on the Long Island Sound, and also can have very rough seas. I find the rough seas in the ocean to be fun sometimes though because you can jump waves and you get to do more than wade in the water or just lay on the beach all day.

I think what beach you want to head to on Eastern Long Island depends on your personality, but if you only have a day to check out the beach I would send you to one on the Atlantic Ocean. I think the signature beaches in the area are the ones on the ocean and if you are not around for long it's best to check out signature attractions in the area.

A final option if you want to skip the beach but still have some fun in the water is Splish Splash water park in Riverhead. The park's website is the best place to check out for more information on this option.