The Land of no Sweet Tea: Day 8

Woke up early to grab breakfast before exploring some beaches. Our plan was to head to the little restaurant at the Orient ferry docks. When we got there we realized Cross of Sound Deli was closed for the season. I knew some things would be closed for the winter but I was honestly surprised the deli was. I figured since there is always steady ferry traffic right there that they would be open year round. I was mistaken.

Two of the places we were going to explore were in that area so we just decided to skip breakfast for the time being. The first stop was a little local unnamed rock beach. Kind of out of the way so there’s a chance if you didn’t already know about it, you wouldn’t know it’s there. I really enjoyed this beach. It was not only pebbly, it also had large boulders as well. Between the pebbles, boulders, and a large washed up tree, this made for a cool beach to explore. Very different from any beaches I am familiar with. I enjoyed taking pictures here.

Local unnamed beach.

Next we went to the Orient Beach State Park. This too was a pebbly beach but it had more beach front than any of the other beaches I had seen. According to their website the beach front offers 45,000 feet of frontage. I was told during season its the local swimming beach and usually packed. I imagine you would want chairs here, laying out on a towel would be very uncomfortable with pebbles under you. This park had a lot to offer other than swimming. There are little trails through a rare maritime forests, grills and picnic tables, playgrounds and much more. It’s a great park for bird watchers and water sports enthusiasts.

After exploring the beaches of Orient we went in to Greenport to get brunch. We stopped in a nice little dinner named The Crazy Bean. There were a lot of yummy sounding options on the menu but I went with the pancake quesadillas. The quesadillas were two thin pancakes with scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, and cheddar cheese between them with Vermont maple syrup, made to look like a breakfast quesadillas. I had a holiday special iced latte with dark chocolate, butterscotch, and peanut butter in it. It was all very delicious.

Pancake Quesadillas and Grinch Iced Latte

After brunch we went on a nice walk around Greenport. This time I walked more around the water front and docks. The weather was really nice and it was such a beautiful place to walk around for the day.

I really enjoyed the docks. Especially seeing the different types of ships coming and going. The old New York Fire Department’s ship the ‘Fire Fighter’ was docked there. Sadly during the winter you can’t take tours on it but you can still see it sitting at the docks. A very cool ship filled with so much history of protecting the New York harbor. She officially came in to service as Engine 57 of the NYFD on November 16, 1938. Still in service after 61 years, Fire Fighter held an incredible roll in the after math of 9/11. She helped pump water to help supply much needed water to the recovery efforts at ground zero. So many of the fire engines, water mains, and hydrants were damaged she was pumping at max capacity for almost three weeks straight. In doing so she damaged herself. Her port engine was barely functional after burning through its cylinder rings and all four of her pumps were breaking down as well. After an overhaul and much servicing, Fire Fighter returned to service. In 2009, she assisted in the rescue of the passengers of US Airways Flight 1549. After 72 years in service, Fire Fighter went out of service on December 7, 2010. She is the only fireboat to have received the Gallant Ship Award. She fought over 50 major fires in her time. She is now owned by the Fireboat Fire Fighter Museum and sits at the docks of Greenport, New York.

NYFD fireboat, ‘Fire Fighter’

For dinner we stopped in Emilio’s Italian restaurant. A little Italian restaurant serving up your usual Italian eats. I got the spaghetti with olive oil and garlic. This came with some bread and a little salad. The food was good and a nice way to end the trip to the Orient/Greenport area.

On the trip back to East Islip we made a quick stop at a giant Osprey sculpture. This sculpture used to stand in Greenport Harbor but was moved to Peconic back in 2011. Known as ‘Morning Call,’ this Osprey sculpture was made from the fallen beams of 9/11. Truly a magnificent piece of art. I wish I could have seen it over the harbor but it was still dramatic in the park, especially with the sunset behind it.

‘Morning Call,’ An Osprey sculpture made from the fallen beams of 9/11

Thank you for joining me on my Long Island adventures. The next blog will be my final conclusions on my trip.

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