Robert Lipper, Vineyard

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday August 18, 2006

RICH IN ART AND HISTORY, TAKE A SEASIDE JOURNEY TO LONG ISLAND

Contact:  Kristen Matejka        
Director of Marketing and Communications
LICVB&SC
631 951-3900 xt.317

FABULOUS ROAD TRIP:
RICH IN ART AND HISTORY, TAKE A SEASIDE JOURNEY TO LONG ISLAND

HAUPPAUGE, NY -(August 16, 2006)-  As the summer season winds down, and the crowds start to fade, a late season getaway to Long Island is the ideal time to visit.

Long Island is rich, not only in nautical and scenic treasures, but in historic delights as well. Take a lovely journey through Long Island’s rich nautical past, stroll the beaches at sunset, enjoy one-of-a-kind art museums, wander through historic mansions and gardens, or go “star-gazing” for celebrities in the Hamptons. While here, enjoy charming hotels and fine restaurants.

At only 118 miles long by 20 miles wide, you’re never far from any of the attractions on Long Island, and never far from the beach. Long Island offers a compact getaway experience, self-contained and convenient, no matter what the season.

The following “seaside journey” will take you from shore to shore and end to end, all within three days:

Day One
Start out your visit in the Hamptons, on Long Island’s South Shore near the white sand beaches of the sparkling Atlantic (Approx. two hour drive from the NYC bridges) Find out why the Hamptons have been home to so many famous artists.

Visit the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton, dedicated to American art of the 19th and 20th century. Major works by William Merritt Chase and Fairfield Porter, sculpture garden and arboretums. www.parrishart.org.

Visit the Pollock-Krasner House in Springs, the former home of Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, two of the foremost abstract expressionist painters. www.pkhouse.org The artist studio requires a reservation for private tour, and its well worth it. You can walk amid the splattered paint on the floor where the artist worked. Nearby cemetery where both artists are buried under two large boulders.

Dinner at a “micro brew house” in Southampton, which won national recognition for its "Peconic County Reserve,” an unusual ale made with locally grown Chardonnay grapes. Afterwards, take an evening stroll down historic Job’s Lane in Southampton.

Day Two
Take a walk on the beach after breakfast, or shop in the village’s upscale boutiques.

More recently populated by artists and movie stars, Sag Harbor and the Hamptons were originally whaling and fishing outposts. Tour the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum, featuring historical boat collections, whaling tools, and artifacts. Current exhibit on the rare right whale. www.sagharborwhalingmuseum.org

Then, jump from the South Fork to Greenport on the North Fork via ferry from Sag Harbor. Visit the local port town of Greenport, tour the tall schooner ships (or take a ride on one around the harbor); take a spin on the waterfront carousel. Lunch waterside at one of the fine restaurants there. Don’t miss fresh lobster roll and sweet Long Island corn.

Then it’s off to “Long Island Wine Country,” where nearly 30 wineries grace the North Fork. www.liwines.com Spend the day sampling some of Long Island’s wines.

Along the way, stop at Horton’s Point lighthouse, commissioned by George Washington. The lighthouse stands perched atop a seaside cliff, with lovely vistas of the Long Island Sound. www.longislandlighthouses.com/hortonpt.htm

Check in at one of the fine B&Bs or hotels in Port Jefferson or Stony Brook, both harborside villages. Port Jefferson has a long ship-building history and now stands as quaint seaside village catering to tourists. Tour nearby Stony Brook village and Long Island Museum, which houses over 40,000 items dating from the late 1700s to the present. Its carriage collection is unrivaled. www.longislandmuseum.org. Current art exhibit on the brilliant genre painter William Sidney Mount (1807-1868) and his portrait painter brother Shepard Alonzo Mount (1804-1868).

Dinner at an historic country inn or seaside restaurant.

Day Three- The North Shore
After breakfast, wind along Long Island’s Rte. 25A “heritage trail,” the road George Washington traveled upon to thank all who served faithfully during the Revolutionary War. Many years later, Rte. 25A gained notoriety as New York’s elite built castles and mansions perched high upon the bluffs during the 1920s “Gold Coast” era, immortalized in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” Stop at the Vanderbilt Museum, the Cliffside home of William Vanderbilt overlooking the water. www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.
Continue along the scenic Rte. 25A as it winds past historic villages. Stop for a snack at one of the trendy coffee shops in Huntington and visit the world-class exhibits at the Heckscher Museum. Current exhibit on the Dada and Surrealist artist Man Ray (1890-1976), who used electricity in the 1920s and later in two new types of photographs: solarized images and rayographs. www.heckscher.org

Then continue on to Sands Point Preserve Falaise mansion. Falaise was built for Harry F. Guggenheim and his wife Caroline Morton in 1923. http://www.sandspointpreserve.org 
The mansion, perched high on a north shore bluff overlooking the water, was left in entirely the same condition, photos, books, cloths, etc. as when the house was deserted. Other buildings on the property include Hempstead House, a large castle in the truest sense of the word. Current exhibit on dinosaurs.

Late lunch at on the docks in Port Washington, where you’ll dine on the “catch of the day” or other local specialties. From Port Washington, you are a short drive from the Throgs Neck or Whitestone Bridges.

The Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau and Sports Commission (LICVB&SC) was established in 1979 as the official tourism promotion agency for the destination’s travel and tourism industry. Based on Long Island in Hauppauge, NY, the LICVB&SC contributes to the economic development and quality of life on Long Island by promoting the region as a world-class destination for tourism, meetings and conventions, trade shows, sporting events, and related activities. For more information about Long Island, please contact the Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau and Sports Commission by calling 1-877-FUN-ON-LI or visit www.discoverlongisland.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

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