Having been raised by the worldly and restless hostess of this blog, I am always trying to give my children as rich of experiences growing up as I had myself. These last two trips have been prompted by exactly that.
Port Jefferson:
This trip have actually been suggested by none other than "the lazy bum" himself, aka my husband. Not that he is not a wonderful father, husband and provider, but let's face it, the man could spend all of his free time on the couch Al Bundy style. However, having finally realized that the kids get even more crazy if not properly entertained on weekends, he suggested we go check out port Jefferson, a place dear to his heart of a former Stony Brook Alumnus. And off we went.
Port Jefferson, or as locals lovingly refer to it Port Jeff, is about an hour and 15 minute drive from Forest Hills. If you have ever been to Mystic, CT, just imagine that, only smaller and you get the picture. If you have never visited Mystic, allow me to elaborate. Port Jefferson village, which is where you want to end up, is a lovely coastal village consisting of many restaurants, gift shops and dessert parlours. It has a children's museum, two nautically themed children's playground, and an abundance of lovely views of the ships, big and small. The main attraction for us, however - and those lucky enough to be parents or grandparents of little boys will appreciate this tip especially - was the ferry coming to and from Connecticut carrying not only passengers but cars that load and unload off the ferry right in front of your eyes. Imagine the excitement of the children - and I will be honest here, the parents as well - upon seeing a huge ferry docking, lowering an enormous metal bridge, aligning it perfectly with whatever it is that they need to align it with, and then watching 30 to 40 cars driving off the vessel onto land. Now, imagine all of it repeating again in reverse order! You got yourself two very satisfied little spectators.
Of course, being directly on the water, Port Jeff is full of wonderful seafood eateries. We went to a place called "Steamroom" (http://www.steamroomportjefferson.com/) which is a lovely but casual self service eatery overlooking the ferry dock. On their menu-- any seafood imaginable, from lobster rolls to broiled scallops. Most of it is great, although the lobster roll left much to be desired, according to my husband. For our vegetarian friends, if there are any, a place called "Tiger Lily" serving Mediterranean food was highly recommend to me as well.
Directly to the left of the ferry is the Danfords hotel that, despite only being in operation for a little over 30 years, looks just like it came off the pages of The Great Gatsby. We went inside to check it out and its interior is indeed as lovely as the exterior.
Port Jefferson Village website http://www.portjeff.com offers a lot if helpful info to plan your trip. We are hoping to go back there in December for the Charles Dickens Festival.
Anya
Anya
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