No one ever claimed to like the Long Island Expressway. In fact, most people outright hate this seemingly endless road that stretches forever eastward through countless towns out, out, out, to the end of the Island and into the sea, where it is probably the cause of traffic jams and rubbernecking for vast populations of marine life. Even though I’m from a much smaller island that dangles south of Manhattan like a giant comma, both part of and apart from the city, the LIE is still infamous for its parking lot-like driving conditions. This highway is the butt of many jokes and elicits sighs from New York drivers far and wide. Needless to say, when my mom suggested we take a three-day trip to the mysterious North Fork, my first thought was “we have to leave early to beat the traffic.”
So we left bright and early and tried — maybe unsuccessfully — to keep our AM huffs and puffs to a minimum. Once the grogginess wore off and Google Maps relieved us of our traffic anxieties, that pre-trip excitement set in. We were headed out east to a part of New York neither of us had ever been to. We knew there would be wineries, we knew the sea would be close by, but aside from that we didn’t know much of anything at all. This was a last minute trip, after all, so we didn’t even have time to dream up visions of what the North Fork would be. It was all-new, and that was exciting.
We reached the threshold of the North Fork with three hours to spare before we could check into our bed and breakfast, so we had to come up with a plan. Like I said, we had never been out east before and didn’t know much about the area, but as soon as we saw the sign for the Tanger Outlets in Riverhead we felt right at home. We never met outlets we didn’t like. Forty-five minutes and three pairs of shoes later, we got back in the car and headed eastward along the North Fork, acquainting ourselves with our surroundings and deciding what to do next. Aquebogue, Mattituck, Cutchogue, Peconic — we knew we were still in Long Island because of the Native American town names. We passed winery after winery, luscious farmers’ markets, and sprawling views of the Long Island Sound. It was hard to believe we had been in the city just a few hours earlier.
We finally reached Greenport, our home base for a few days. We still had a few hours before check-in and we knew it was time to indulge in our favorite pastime: lunch. Some people like baseball, but we prefer good eats. We decided on Blue Canoe, a casual seafood restaurant on the bay a few blocks from our bed and breakfast. Now, let me tell you something. As soon as New York heats up and the general population is overcome with feelings of “thank God summer is finally here,” I don’t want to eat anything but seafood. For me, good seafood is nostalgic. It brings me back to summers spent near the beach where I could walk outside and smell the thick, tanginess of the ocean. Every time I slurp down an oyster I think of those long days and even longer nights when there is sand everywhere but no one seems to care. It was Sushi Tuesday when we sat down at Blue Canoe, so Mom and I ordered six pieces of fresh fish over rice. But that was only the appetizer. I ordered a smoked salmon sandwich with arugula, she got one with crab salad, and all was right with the world. As we sat there and ate simple, delicious seafood dishes near the bay , we knew we were going to enjoy our time on the North Fork.
After a stroll down Greenport’s main street it was finally time to check-in to our bed and breakfast. Jack and Diane, the owners of the Bartlett House Inn, were friendly and inviting from the start and it was easy to see this establishment was a labor of love. The ten-bedroom house had such a warmth about it and was decorated with art and trinkets from the owners’ travels. We were able to have two delicious breakfasts there (Homemade quiche! Steel cut oats! Babka!) and were thankful that we got to begin and end our days in this lovely place. The immense, wraparound porch acted as an outdoor sanctuary where we could sit, drink tea, and watch as people strolled by.
Our visit to the Greenport Harbor Brewing Company’s tasting room was my favorite part of our trip. We arrived at the Carpenter Street location and walked up the stairs into what felt like a friend’s living room. We ordered the tasting menu from the friendly bartender, which meant we got to try each of the six beers on tap at our own pace. It was fun trying new and delicious beers while talking with strangers who shared an affinity for a good brew. The tasting room is a no-frills, welcoming space where patrons are encouraged to lounge on the mismatched furniture, browse the t-shirt rack, or peruse the work of local artists that decorates the walls. What’s better than good beer and a relaxed vibe? Not much, I’d say.
Visiting the wineries of Long Island was a wonderful and unique experience. We had a rough plan of which ones we would visit in which order, but after talking with and taking suggestions from different barkeeps and local people, we strayed from our original list. It’s important to talk with local people wherever you travel, for they are the ones who know the area and the places worth visiting that may be off the beaten path, so to speak. We were floored by the modern tasting room at Kontokosta Winery, sipped some delicious Cabernet Franc at the rustic Sherwood House tasting room, and relaxed in the beautiful outdoor space at the popular Bedell Cellars. We also explored the vast grounds of Pindar Vineyards, learned to pronounce gewurtztraminer at Lenz Winery, and finished our personal tour with a surprisingly good sparkling wine accompanied by a cheese plate at Sparkling Pointe. I went from never having been to a winery to visiting six in one day! We learned a ton from the knowledgeable staff at the various tasting rooms and gained a new appreciation for the art of winemaking and the culture surrounding it. I look forward to visiting again in the fall!
Another trip highlight was our visit to a lovely lavender farm, Lavender By the Bay, which until then I did not know existed outside of the Provence region of France. Luscious, purple lavender waved in every direction. The smell, as one could expect, was both calming and overpowering. We snapped some photographs and purchased some lavender, which we dried and hung around our Staten Island home.
Our trip concluded after some more seafood, shopping in the creative and independently owned shops of Greenport, and an afternoon spent in Sag Harbor. Life is relaxing on Long Island’s East End. We are excited as we look forward to our next trip to the North Fork. We plan on visiting again in the fall when we can visit an apple orchard and, of course, stop by some of the wineries we missed the first time around. We look forward to this, and rather than scowl at the thought of another trip on the LIE., we can now think fondly of this roadway that leads from the chaos of the city to the peaceful beauty of the North Fork.
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