The perfect just-one-train-ride-away weekend spot!

I know: most New Yorkers think they know the perfect weekend-away spot, but unless they all say Greenport, Long Island, they are wrong. Because where else can you find beach, wine, quiet evenings, fire flies, good seafood, and not too too many other too too annoying New Yorkers in July?! Exactly.

Also, this is the average sidewalk, which is happy-making all by itself.

Most years, I don’t have a lot of vacation time in the summer other than the amazing 10 days I take volunteering at Camp Exclamation Point (more about this in another post). And so, every year, it’s a challenge to find a place that feels like we are getting away, but won’t take a huge amount of time and schlepping to get to. Other must-haves on our list are beach, good seafood, and excellent public transportation. Oh, and not overrun by clubbing club-goers who enjoy clubbing, because, well, because that’s just not us.

We’re not too into clubbing, but all three of us (Booker, Marianne, and Clyde the bag) enjoy a good local sparkling white with our oysters. Here, a Sparkling Pointe Brut.

Honestly, Greenport was so awesome, quiet, and — above all — small, that we ended up having a favorite hang-out after just three short days there: Salamander’s on Front. The food is fresh, the service personal and joyous, and the drinks delicious and pack a well-advertised punch (the waiter was careful to let us know we should go slow). We also really enjoyed the lower decibel level. I am sure you can see the theme here.

Some people say it doesn’t matter where you go to the beach as long as you do, but I disagree. Pipes Cove at Greenport is the place to be!

We spent most of the daytime hours on the public beach about 3 minutes’ walk from our excellent rental with entertaining views of dinghy racing and toddler swimming, and the rest strolling around the marina, visiting vineyards, and slurping up oysters, little necks, and cherry stones. Yes, I have my favorite and so does Booker and we may not entirely agree and so for the sake of marital bliss I am just going to say it was all amazing. Which, to be fair, it was.

It doesn’t suck that Kær’s Mette dress is so flattering that pretty much any picturesque place can become an instant photoshoot. Because ain’t much styling going on here, for sure…

The true test is that not even the inevitably crowded and somewhat late Long Island Rail Road trek back to the noise and grime of Brooklyn took away the zen of this weekend. We will most definitely go back. As soon as we possibly can.