For the next two weeks we’re based in Freeport, Long Island where Judy grew up. Lots of adventures to be had, especially given the proximity to NYC.
In addition, my daughter Sam is coming down from Toronto to spend the middle weekend with us in Manhattan which is a special treat.
The last time I spent time with her was in February when I was in the US for business, and she came out to Los Angeles for the weekend. Eight months doesn’t sound so long, but when it’s your children then it’s a lifetime!
This first week we’ve been exploring in and around Freeport.
We walked from Judy’s parents place to the Nautical Mile which is only a couple of kilometres from where they live.
A tidbit of history about Freeport is that the famous bandleader Guy Lombardo made his home here.
Guy was born in London, Ontario, Canada in 1902, and formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor, and other musicians from his hometown.
He and his orchestra played at the Roosevelt Grill in the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City from 1929 (“radio’s first nationwide New Year’s Eve broadcast” which popularized Auld Lang Syne) to 1959.
He then went on to host the New Year’s Eve broadcast from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel until 1976 shortly before his death the following year.
As we made our way to the Nautical Mile, we passed the old Guy Lombardo estate on the edge of the canal. Although it has long since been abandoned and left to the elements you can still see that it was an impressive home.
Judy’s parents told me that when they first moved to Long Island back in 1980 that the Nautical Mile was a busy seafood market festooned with boats selling fresh fish off the back of the boat.
However, in 2013 when Superstorm Sandy ripped its way along the coast of Long Island it left in its wake a trail of destruction that it has not fully recovered from…
If you visit you may want to check out Two Cousins fishmonger on the Nautical Mile as it’s the most popular of the handful of vendors still operating along the quay.
We decided on a couple of day trips during our visit.
The first was a day trip to Montauk at the eastern end of the Long Island. It’s one of the oldest settlements on the east coast and was settled after Dutch explorers came ashore in 1614.
One of the treasures of Montauk is the impressive and still working lighthouse that sits on the most easterly point of Long Island which was commissioned by George Washington in 1796.
Very cool slice of American history!
On our way east we stopped by Sag Harbour which is the epicentre of summer culture in these parts as it sits firmly in the Hamptons.
I’m sure many of you know and love the “Hamptons style” which is so in right now. Yep, this is where it all began.
This fashionable summer destination is home to the rich and famous from both NYC and around the world…
It also has a couple of interesting historical facts. The first is that it was the first village east of Brooklyn to have gas lights installed during the winter of 1859. It’s also home to one of the first organized fire departments in New York.
Fortunately for us during the Fall it returns to being a sleepy little village.
Later this week we’re taking another day trip on Long Island.
This time up to Oyster Bay on the north shore.
Sagamore Hill, which is adjacent to Oyster Bay was the home and now museum of Theodore Roosevelt who was the 26th President of the United States from 1901 – 1909.
I’m looking forward to exploring the museum and nearby hamlets.
Judy grew up in the town of Freeport which is situated about 40 minutes east of Manhattan by train.
For many years she commuted to NYC for work on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). Not surprisingly it is the busiest commuter railroad in North America carrying over 300,000 people into Manhattan every day.
My daughter Sam flew down from Toronto where she is finishing her undergraduate degree to spend with us in NYC over the middle weekend of our trip.
It had been almost ten months since I saw her and was amazing to spend time together.
I booked us at the Westin on 42nd street which is only a couple of blocks from Grand Central station.
For those of you who know NYC everything is relatively close from Grand Central and therefore easy to get out and explore.
We couldn’t have asked for better Fall weather with the temperature hovering around 25C for much of the weekend.
Rather than take the subway we walked almost everywhere we went, only taking it a couple of times.
Over the three days we walked on average between 18 and 22 kilometres (10 – 12 miles) per day. To say our “dogs were barking” was an understatement.
With only a couple of days left on our trip we’re trying to enjoy every minute with family and friends.
It’s been a fabulous adventure so far, and I’m we’ll have a couple of stories to add on our return flights.
Until next week
Ciao!
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