The Land of no Sweet Tea: Day 7
- wanderingwonderbread
- Dec 30, 2019
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 1, 2020
Today we drove out to Orient, on the Northeastern tip of Long Island. Before taking the hour and a half drive, I decided to try a different bagel place to see if they hold the key to the magical New York bagels. This time I went to Stuff-a-Bagel. I ordered a blueberry bagel with a little bit of cream cheese. I was given a bagel with half a brick of cream cheese on it. Once again I had to scrape off and waste a lot of cream cheese. The blueberry bagel was good, but still no different than any other bagel I have had. My only conclusion is that New Yorkers think their bagels are better because they can’t taste them over the mass amounts of cream cheese on them.
On the way out to Orient we passed by a sign advertising ‘The Big Duck’ in Flanders, New York. Obviously you cannot pass up seeing a big duck. So we detoured to the duck. No regrets, it did not disappoint. In my head I was picturing a large yellow duck, however it is a large white duck. The duck was festively decorated for the holiday season with some nice garland. The gift shop inside the duck was closed but I peeked in the door window and they were selling an assortment of duck related trinkets. I would have gotten a magnet or mug if the shop had been open. If you are ever in the area it is worth a look. There is also a nice field area behind it with some picnic tables to enjoy a nice picnic by the big duck.
The Big Duck Flanders, New York
Once in Orient area we stopped at Trumans Beach. This was a very pebbly beach. Little pebble dunes and uneven surfaces everywhere. The beach was pretty but very difficult to walk on. Definitely not a beach you could lay out in the sun on. You would need some form of chairs to be comfortable.
Historical marker of Trumans Beach.
The next stop was Orient Point where you can get great views of the Orient Point Lighthouse. This is a 45-foot black and white stripped lighthouse on a little reef island off the tip of Orient Point. The lighthouse started being used in 1899, with just a steady red light on top. In 1900, the fifth-order lens was upgraded to a brighter fourth-order lens. A blower siren and fog signal were added over the next few years as well. The black and white look was given to the lighthouse in the late 1980s, before that it was a bland brown color and said to resemble a coffee pot. In 1988, the old Fresnel lens was updated to a modern optic lens.
Orient Point Lighthouse (Phone Camera Quality)
After leaving Orient Point we drove through the little hamlet of Orient. Orient has that cute small town feel to it. The 2010 census reported the population as 743 people. Originally Orient was called Poquatuck by the original land owners, Indians part of the Algonkian nation. In 1661, the Englishmen who began landing in the area called it Oysterpond. It wasn’t until 1836, it became known as Orient.
After driving through Orient we headed into Greenport. The village of Greenport has a little more happening than the quieter Orient area. Greenport also had multiple names before it became Greenport officially in 1831. Its history is rich with whaling and ship building. Greenport really became a booming area after the Long Island Railroad arrived in 1844. Local farmers were now able to ship their crops out to a wider market.
Forbes magazine named Greenport one of the prettiest towns in the United States. I haven’t experienced Greenport in season but I can say, even in winter it is a beautiful place to be. Lots of charming little stores and places to eat along the water.
After taking a little walking tour of the area we stopped in to get some dinner at a little Japanese restaurant called Sakura. I ordered the shrimp hibachi. It came with clear soup and a ginger salad. I was disappointed in the clear soup, usually I love the simplicity of warm broth with mushrooms. However, Sakura’s broth tasted fishy to me. I do not care for fish so I passed on my soup and moved on to the salad. The little salad was tasty. The shrimp hibachi was also very good. It came with fried rice and some vegetables. Overall was nothing exceptional but was still yummy.
It was a successful first day in the area. Tomorrow we are going to explore more of the beaches in the area and more of Greenport. Stay tuned for more explorations of the Orient/Greenport areas.
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