Shelter Island ferry

It was interesting staying in Greenport and using the ferry for a day visit to Shelter Island. In the past the reverse was usually true. It was also interesting to find out that the Grumman rowboat with its outboard motor made the crossing a lot quicker than the ferry.

the view

Everyone agreed that something looked different, and comparing the above with some photos from 2019 (below) it seems fair to say a few trees were removed - probably locusts or trees-of-heaven or whatever grows wild here. Closer scrutiny suggests that the right-hand locust tree supporting the hammock isn't doing well - where are the leaves?

best dock of the trip

If the Greenporter had the best pool of the trip, this familiar dock was the best place to heave myself into the water. Conditions were quite good - high tide, refreshing temperature, no jellies or seaweed. I should know - I've been swimming here since the 1960s. Photos courtesy the Mrs.

the famous rowboat

The Grumman-built boat that we rowed around Shelter Island back in 1977. Apparently it was built to last! Good to see that it's alive and well and in good hands. 

 

Silver Sands revisited

In 2019 we stopped here with one brother just to view the property. Since then the place has been fully remodeled into a boutique hotel. This time we had breakfast with another brother.

Greenport stroll

This was a great after-dinner stroll as we went down a street that - although only a block off Main Street - I had never been down in all the years of coming here. It's called Carpenter Street. There are wonderful rusty boat repair shops, a restaurant, a brewery, and at the end of the block, the old city jail (bottom photo).

Alpina

It was interesting to dine at this Swiss-themed restaurant in Greenport, NY. In fact the experience may have been more memorable than the food. Why didn't they have fondue? Isn't that like a Thai restaurant the doesn't serve Pad Thai? Or am I to understand that the menu here is more "authentic"?

National Scrabble Association

Sometimes the National Scrabble Association is right across the street from your hotel.

Bananagrams in Greenport

A humorous anecdote in Greenport: Mrs. and I were sitting on the hotel porch researching nearby restaurants. "This one Terra sounds good, and it's VERY close" I said. I kept looking at the map until I realized that Terra was the former restaurant of the Greenporter Hotel, and that I was sitting on that restaurant's former porch, neon sign right behind me! Anyway, it was a great place for reading, relaxing and playing Bananagrams with my brother and sister-in-law. Hopefully someday there will be a restaurant there again.

best pool of the trip

An attractive, nicely configured pool at the center of the Greenporter Hotel. Good temperature for swimming laps or just cooling off during a hot New York summer.

Pip's Cafe

One of Greenport's better coffee houses is Pip's Cafe. Besides selling Counter Culture Coffee, which I recently blogged about, the quirky design concept features people named Pip on the wall. For the full list of Pips, see here: https://pips-cafe.com/meet-the-pips

Greenporter Hotel

For years I had been curious about the Greenporter Hotel, which I believe was Greenport's first "boutique" hotel. I liked it, especially the pool-enclosing exterior and the west-facing upper deck where our room was.

Silver Parasol magnolias

A botanical highlight from the famous "garden of Charles" was this pair of rare trees - Magnolia hypoleuca x tripetala - a hybrid of Korean and American magnolias developed by the Arnold Arboretum and seen here thriving in Orient, NY. The leaves are almost as big as the Bigleaf Magnolia - Magnolia macrophylla - which I have blogged about previously. The mottled bark is also very distinct. It was difficult to photograph the whole tree.

Orient beach #2

The one that I famously said that, had I been wearing a bathing suit, I would have heaved myself in. It was hot, and the water here - Long Island Sound - was not unappealing.

Orient beach #1

Having seen the town, we had a look at some of the area's many beaches and inlets.

near the garden without Charles

tour de Orient, part 2