And I couldn’t agree more!! Plus…
THE LOBSTER ROLL
Now if anyone immediately knows what this means, then either you have been there, at the very least know about it, and/or you have at some point watched a series called “The Affair”.
I happened upon this show during our quarantine, and I became obsessed, particularly because I was taken with the quintessential charming east coast beach town the show was set in, called MONTAUK. It reminded me of my summers spent at Catalina Island growing up, there is just something magical about small town living, especially when you can combine small town living AND the beach – plus miles and miles and miles of pristine coastline.
Given all of that, along with the fact that I had never been to New York, it was an easy decision to take an extra-long weekend to go explore Long Island, Montauk, Block Island, and ultimately find ourselves at the “END OF THE WORLD”.
It was magnificent, ALL OF IT, I just love the contrast between our west coast beaches and those of the east coast, along with the weather of course, and so when I saw that Conde Nast Traveler named Montauk “1 of 10 Best Beach Towns on the East Coast” I was in no way surprised!!
So, should you find an opportunity to find yourself in Montauk, DO IT, and if you do, here are some of our absolute favorite discoveries…
FOOD
THE LOBSTER ROLL (or LUNCH) – for Lobster Rolls
STREET FOOD – possibly the best pork dumplings ever
GOLDBERG’S FAMOUS BAGELS – their Flagel’s (flattened bagels) are everything,
CLAM BAR AT NAPEAGUE – Tuna Bits & Clam Chowder
SHAGWONG TAVERN – for seafood and live music
PLACES
MONTAUK POINT LIGHTHOUSE STATE PARK, THE BEACHES – take a day and see them all
THE HAMPTONS – for window shopping
SAGG HARBOR – truly one of our favorite stops, very Norman Rockwell
STAR ISLAND/MARINA – because this is also where you will catch the ferry to…
BLOCK ISLAND – an excellent way to spend a day, however, DO plan ahead for your transportation once you get there (bike/moped/car) because even though it is a small island, it is too large to do it all on foot. Yet it IS a nice walk from the ferry dock into OLD HARBOR where you will find rental places (Island Rentals Inc. is the one we used), plus it will give you enough of a walking tour to check New Harbor and Ocean Avenue/Dodge Street.