Long Island near Brookhaven

Old Aug 7th, 2016, 04:12 AM
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Long Island near Brookhaven

Any suggestion for lodging near BNL? Considering spending a few days in the area in conjunction with someone's business trip there. Never seen Long Island and will have a car.
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Old Aug 7th, 2016, 05:08 PM
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You didn;t specify but these rates are for Sept. You can check for your exact dates.

There is a Springhill Suites and a Fairfield Inn very close to Brookhaven that get good reviews - 8 plus out of 10. The cost is about $140 a night on booking.com. You might also check on kayak.com. Do check to be sure the hotels have at least an 8 out of 10 rating from guests.

There are a bunch near MacArthur airport, but they generally don;t get such good ratings.
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Old Aug 7th, 2016, 08:14 PM
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Thanks nytraveler. We just want to be reasonably close to the lab area for convenience of picking up and dropping off the person who will be staying there. I will do some research and might then have more questions. Have heard there are some beautiful areas. This would be in late October.
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Old Aug 8th, 2016, 04:12 AM
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By late Oct the leaves will be past full color and falling - leafless trees and grass brown and crunchy. You can still walk on the beaches but way too cold for swimming. You can go to Hither Hills State Park but many of the beaches are for town residents only and the only way to get a pass is to stay at a local inn that can provide passes so you can park near the beach.

The Gliterati are long gone, many of the mansions shut for the year - but there is very little you can see of them at any time - just their uber wealthy and famous owners out and about - but this is July and August.

If you head to the Hamptons many restaurants will be closed for the season, although some are open on weekends. same for some of the shops and the small museums may be open shorter hours. Montauck Lighthouse is still there as is Gosseman's dock and there may still be whale watching cruises - but do check. Also charer fishing boats if that is an interest.

On the North Fork the wineries should still be open - but perhaps only certain days/hours so do check. Greenport is a cute town to explore.
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Old Aug 9th, 2016, 05:42 AM
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Thanks-- sounds like a good late fall getaway--I have been doing a little research and think there is plenty to hold our interest for a long weekend.

I appreciate your description of the fall scene, with the crunchy leaves and the "closed for the season" atmosphere.
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Old Aug 10th, 2016, 06:54 AM
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One of the prettiest towns on Long Island is Bellport, within the Town of Brookhaven. It will not be shuttered at that time of year. Gorgeous architecture, some good shopping, etc etc. Many well-known residents especially in the fashion and literary worlds.

North Fork wineries are booming in late October, as this is pumpkin season, corn maze season, and on and on, in addition to everything else.

Look into renting in Bellport if you can find something.

And if you need more info on the North Fork, just ask and I will suggest ideas as I know the area well.
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Old Aug 11th, 2016, 06:09 AM
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Thank you, ekscrunchy. Bellport looks lovely. Being from Texas, anywhere in the northeast is kind of a fall fantasy for me.
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Old Aug 11th, 2016, 11:53 AM
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Definitely take a drive out to the North Fork if you have time. The wineries, as ekscrunchy notes, will be open and you can also visit the farmstands for apples and pumpkins, etc.
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Old Aug 15th, 2016, 06:27 AM
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Thanks, northfork280. I will return with more questions if this trip actually comes to fruition.
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Old Sep 12th, 2016, 03:42 AM
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The "season" on the North and South forks has been extended into late fall. There will be plenty open at the end of October. Indeed, be mindful of the traffic potential on both forks, especially on the weekends! One hotel suggestion, relatively close, would be Eastwind Spa. Or you could get a deal on some of the water front places, but none will be close to BNL. But no matter what, you will have to drive a bit to get to BNL.
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Old Sep 22nd, 2016, 06:12 PM
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Ok the trip is shaping up. First question... might sound dumb but where is the north fork? What are some of the towns there?
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Old Sep 22nd, 2016, 06:51 PM
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I looked at a map and now see the forks. We have Marriott points that will get us three free nights at Springhill Suites in Bellport. We have two full days to explore, plus time on the first day after arriving at Islep early afternoon. Don't want to take time for museums this time. Interested driving to sight see, hopefully a festival or two, and of course good food. Fresh seafood? Something we should not miss? Any tips on traffic?
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Old Sep 23rd, 2016, 05:18 AM
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Traffic around that time of year tends to be heavy in places on both Forks due to pumpkin picking. But that would be further east than Bellport and mainly on the North Fork, I believe. (The worst traffic I ever had returning to NYC from the NF was one year just before Halloween).

Make sure to visit Bellport Village, south of 495 on Great South Bay. If the weather is good, drive east to the Hamptons and even to Montauk on one day. You could eat lunch on a good weather day at the famous LUNCH in Amagansett. (Make sure they are still open)

http://www.bellportvillage.org/ny/ab...lport-village/

http://lobsterroll.com/


If you do not want to go directly east, consider visiting the historic village of Sag Harbor. Really charming, walkable, lots of shops and restaurants, parking can be difficult on weekends even in October.

From Sag Harbor you could even take the South Ferry from near Sag To Shelter Island, drive through Shelter Island, maybe eating lunch there, and then take the North Ferry to the village of Greenport. (The two ferry rides are quite short--just a few minutes each and they take cars; no need to book ahead). Then after walking around in Greenport (not as upscale as Sag Harbor and nothing at all like the Hamptons--totally different demographic)
you could visit the quaint village of Orient. If you like raspberries, do not miss THE BERRY MAN east of the hamlet of Orient not he main road; closing date for him is 31 October and he is open three days a week until then: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Believe me, they might be the best raspberries you ever had. He also sells fresh figs and specialty produce (yesterday he had fresh turmeric and fresh young ginger).

Then take in a winery or two as you meander west along Rte 48, stopping at farm stands and seeing farms and vineyards. Then it is an easy drive back to Bellport with no ferries involved.

If you are hungry after that ride, there is a great Italian restaurant, famous for pizza and steaks with with a full Italian menu, in Jamesport. The name is GRANA. (see the map and check closing days, which I think are Tuesday and maybe Wednesday)

http://www.granajamesport.com/
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Old Sep 23rd, 2016, 06:35 AM
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Thanks so very much, ekscrunchy. Great tips--thanks for the restaurant suggestions...they look delish and my kind of places.

I am clueless on distances/travel times, though. Are your suggestions something that could easily be done in a day? How many miles/hours are we talking about?
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Old Sep 30th, 2016, 05:29 AM
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I have been studying maps and visitor websites and would love some insight for our two full days, which will be the last Saturday and Sunday in October.

We are staying in Bellport, and would like to take one day to go down to Sag Harbor and Montauk, seeing things along with way. I guess that would be sort of a South Fork day. Then, take the other day to explore the North Fork. area.

My question is, considering traffic, which area might be best on which day?
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Old Sep 30th, 2016, 08:04 AM
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Not sure why ekscrunchy sent you to Bellport. I hope you're not staying in North Bellport.

If I were you I'd look elsewhere like Port Jefferson, Sayville or Stony Brook.
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Old Sep 30th, 2016, 08:55 AM
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We wanted to be somewhat close to Brookhaven Labs. What's wrong with North Bellport?
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Old Sep 30th, 2016, 09:02 AM
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http://www.newsday.com/long-island/s...sues-1.7456403
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Old Sep 30th, 2016, 09:10 AM
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North Bellport residents struggle with crime, image issues
Updated March 20, 2014 8:58 PM
By NICOLE FULLER [email protected]

Donna DiVito was excited when she bought her $40,000, three-bedroom home in a hardscrabble area of North Bellport in 1994.

Sure, the neighborhood had its problems, she said to herself at the time, but the lure of finally being a homeowner was strong.

Nearly 20 years later, DiVito is caught in that same mix of emotions. While she said she minds her business and avoids trouble, a few years ago someone shot up her house with a BB gun, causing $6,000 in window and vinyl siding damage. Police never made an arrest, she said.

She admits she doesn't feel comfortable taking walks in her neighborhood and says that her son, an NYPD detective, refuses to allow her grandchildren to visit, citing the area's violence.

On the other hand, she is reluctant to leave.

"[My son] . . . just says, 'Sell the house. You're in the hood,' " said DiVito, 56, a state worker. "It's not that I don't want to. But I don't know where I would go from here."

It's not an uncommon refrain from some North Bellport residents, who say they were lured to the area by affordable housing, but have recently become concerned about crime.

But police say the area's biggest issue is perception, citing statistics showing that shootings, stabbings and other violent crimes have decreased slightly in the greater Bellport area over the past year, though gang activity and drug dealing remain persistent.

"I don't think North Bellport is a bad area; I think the whole greater Bellport area has a lot going for it," said Insp. Aristides Mojica, commanding officer of Suffolk's Fifth Precinct, which includes the area. "The overwhelming majority of people that live in the area are interested in continuing to make improvements. You don't have anarchy in the streets. . . . There's certainly a perception out there of a lot of crime, but it's for us to make the point -- it's not all that bad. The reality is in the numbers. But the reality is not to be complacent and to strive for improvement."

Only one homicide has been recorded since 2012 in the hamlets of North Bellport, Bellport, Brookhaven, East Patchogue and Yaphank -- an area served by a local ambulance corps whose volunteers began wearing bulletproof vests while on the job in response to a perception that the area was growing more dangerous.

"We wanted to protect our people as best we can," said Gregory C. Miglino, chief of South Country Ambulance, one of the largest ambulance corps in the state, which serves the Bellport area.

"When I started in EMS 20 years ago, people didn't wear gloves to calls; you got blood on you and it wasn't a big deal; times change," Miglino said. "And as the environment around you changes, you have to change for that environment."

From 2012 to 2013, burglaries in the area fell from 225 to 172 and aggravated assaults -- which include stabbings, shootings and assaults with other weapons -- decreased from 57 to 52. Robberies increased slightly, from 26 to 29. The number of charges of reckless endangerment -- which include shootings in which no one was injured -- increased slightly from 12 to 13. Rapes, however, increased, from two to six.

In North Bellport alone, burglaries dropped from 99 in 2012 to 68 last year, while aggravated assaults and robberies increased from 2012 to 2013.

Still, North Bellport was one of five communities where Suffolk police installed its controversial ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System in December 2011.

The majority of the crime in the area is in North Bellport, while the Village of Bellport -- home to waterfront mansions -- records much lower numbers, according to police statistics.

Gangs in the area

Some of the area's crime is gang-driven, Mojica said. "Even if the reality is their presence isn't driving big numbers, their presence does dominate the atmosphere. It's intimidating. Even if the numbers are small, the potential for them to have an impact is there."

Police say they've made inroads on the gang front. Last summer, Mojica said, police arrested several youth between the ages of 12 and 14. A North Bellport street gang called Natural Born Killers has been recruiting children as young as 9 to join the group.

But some community members say the area's reputation is somewhat unfair and argue the hamlet is on the upswing, with the national wholesaler BJ's poised to open a store there this year, bringing 130 jobs.

John Rogers, chairman of the Greater Bellport Coalition, said he has been working with Town of Brookhaven officials and police on several initiatives to revitalize the area, concentrating on creating economic opportunity as a way to tamp down crime.

"We're trying to create this walkable community of stores and shops that will give people in the community the opportunity to own their own businesses and create jobs," Rogers said.

But Anthony Gazzola, president of the South Country Community Conference, a nonprofit community group, said he regularly talks to residents about their crime concerns, and said incidents often go unreported for fear of reprisals.

"A lot of stuff happens around here; residents get beat up, and they don't want to press charges, so there's no reports," Gazzola said. "More than 50 percent of crime around here isn't reported. Nobody wants to report the crime."

The reality of crime

Catherine Donnelly, 41, an office worker who eventually sold her North Bellport home, said she always reported crimes. Like the three times her house was broken into, and the other time she got in her car to go to work and discovered two men in her backseat.

"My car got broken into in my driveway, and there were two men in my backseat," Donnelly said. "Luckily I noticed them and I didn't get strangled and knifed. I got out of my car and locked them in there."

She installed an alarm system and put security bars on her windows, but still didn't feel safe, she said.

A single mom to three boys, Donnelly said her then-middle school-aged son was bullied by boys who boasted their older brothers were gang members. That, she said, coupled with her feeling that neither she nor her boys could leave the house once night fell, solidified her desire to move.

"I was constantly living in fear," said Donnelly, who sold her house this year.
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Old Sep 30th, 2016, 09:17 AM
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I am not sure how to know whether we are booked in North Bellport. The address is 2 Sawgrass Drive, ZIP code 11713.
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