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North Fork - Part 1
Written by: Janet Pope
Photography by: Donald
Janet explores the gardens, B&B and vineyards of Long Island's famous North Fork.
You know how a certain place, food, color or song reminds you of someone you know or knew. Well when I see cobalt blue, I think of my friend Nancy. When I hear about the "Brooklyn Cyclones", my friend Elvira comes to mind. So with that obtuse train of thought in mind, our last travel adventure was an "Emma and Jack" vacation. My dear friend Emma loves to explore new Bed and Breakfasts and Jack likes to "hunt" for a new wine to taste. Our recent excursion to North Fork, Long Island, highlighted those two interests perfectly. Thus, this is a great "Emma & Jack" trip.
We set off on the Southern State Parkway on a late Friday afternoon. That in itself is not a good beginning to a story. After much traffic and a short stop mid-way for a quick dinner, we arrived at our "home" for the night: The Shorecrest Bed and Breakfast in Southold. This beautiful old home was built in 1897, and was purchased 4 years ago by Susan and John Barnes, a retired child psychologist and a school superintendent, respectively. Susan had always been a professional "collector" and the house is brimming with all of her finds. There are four guestrooms available and each is decorated with a distinct style and flare for the unique. Our bathroom for instance has an oar attached to the wall for a towel rack.
There are 28 B & B’s in the Southold area and I’m sure you’ll not find any two alike. Like Emma, I also discovered the beauty of a B & B is that each one is an experience in itself, in its style, amenities, location, and "personality".
The Shorecrest has an added attraction of 29 feet of beachfront property. It is nestled right across the street from the ocean.
After getting a grand tour of the home and a lovely chat with our hosts, Don and I ventured out to explore the area a little. On our way here we began passing less cars on the road, and as the traffic thinned out we passed more garden nurseries, fruit stands and of course, the wineries.
We drove out to Orient Point and back towards the Shorecrest just to look at the beautiful homes that dot the area. Midway, we stopped in at the Hellenic Snack Bar and Restaurant for a late night dessert.
Stepping inside to the marbled floor and columns, felt like stepping into a scene from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". The menu highlights Greek specialties like moussaka, souvlaki, and pasticcio. The aroma was enticing and I was so sorry we had eaten dinner, earlier on the road. But their dessert menu alone boasted at least 12 homemade treats. I had the carrot cake with pineapple cream cheese frosting and Don had a Greek dessert I couldn’t even pronounce, let alone spell. Both were delicious and though full from dinner we cleaned our plates. Since dessert is an indication of food quality– they will see me again! This family run business is here since 1976 so evidently they are doing something right.
We drove back to the Shorecrest and relaxed atop our "Princess and the Pea", sky high feather bed and dreamt sweet dreams. Tomorrow we explore, "Wine Country", Long Island Style.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
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