Trip

[seminolewind]

I decided after 14 years of missing the LI Riverhead Polish Festival to buy a ticket to NY and go.  So I rented a car and reserved a hotel room.  I'm excited.  The Polish festival is held in the middle of Polishtown in a town called Riverhead.  Lots of really good food, Polish Oompa, and over crowded-the perfect atmosphere.  It's this coming weekend.


Aside from that, the east end of LI is wine country and cute towns like the Hampton's, as well as where I grew up.  I plan on going to all the places of my childhood just to see and smell the air.  


I had to book 2 days at one hotel and 2 at another because of how filled they were.  No big deal.  One is in the "backyard" of the largest outlets on the Island.  The other is walk town, walk the Peconic river park , walk to restaurants, etc.


Can't wait to go!

[Sylie]

Sounds fantastic Sem! I hope that you have a really great time.

[seminolewind]

Thanks. One old work friend suggested I come by the unit. I really don't want to. Everyone is so busy and I hate feeling like I'm an imposition. I have to think about that one.

[seminolewind]

I leave tomorrow morning. Will take lots of pics. I think southwest gives free tv and wifi now. If not they can keep it.

I have a wonderful camera. It's a dslr but sized down called a micro 4/3. But the zoom lens is big. So I buy a short lens that has very little zoom and very short. I didn't like it. So I bought a super zoom pocket camera. That took crappy pictures! Could not get a good picture, and the clear ones were grainy. Back it went. When I looked at the pics from the good camera, they're unbelievably clear. Can't beat those pictures. So I'll keep the short lens.


My little sister is so excited!

My little sister is excited. I invited her to the Polish Festival. Not for nothing but there are a lot of cute Polish signs I can look at for Polish (chickens) like "Polishtown USA".

[seminolewind]

My old GF called me and we'll be having dinner on sunday. I am so excited about that. It's been too long for us not seeing eachother.

[Sylie]

Have a fantastic time! Make sure to get lots of pics with that nice camera for us to see!

[maryellen]

Have a great time!!!

[seminolewind]

Well I got lost in my old stomping grounds several times. Thing seem either farther or closer than I remember. And I had to map out Real deli's. The first thing I had was 2 eggs and bacon on a roll with salt pepper and ketchup. Yum.the next 2 mornings I got sesame bagels with butter. No where beats a NY bagel.

The first hotel was a bit stuffy but clean. The 2nd hotel was great. Right on old historic main street in riverhead ny. It had a band and bar outside on the weekends. The lobby had a bar for coffee or a drink. And free hot or cold breakfast! The other hotel wanted $17 !

So this 2nd hotel was surrounded by small town restaurants and shops. The building are old. Flowers in bloom. Riverhead is great for a walk down one side and back on the other. Then behind main street was a park along a small Peconic river tributary, green grass, just lovely. Behind the rest of main street was a park walk and lots of room to pull up with your boat and park it and eat or wander around.

(I'm on a WI fi time limit here)

[seminolewind]

Went thru the little towns I grew up in. Actually got a haircut in the town I used to live in. It was great strolling all the places I did as a kid or adult.

Had 2 great dinners with my friend, Turkish , then seafood. Yum! Even had turkish beer.

More about girlfriend tonight. We cried alot.

All in all, I'm glad I don't live there anymore. I love being a tourist here and could spend another 4 days here. The polish festival was great. I met my sister and kids there. We ate so much high cholesterol food. All good. Oompa music, lots of craft and souvenir stuff. Can't wait to go again.

[dawg53]

Did you get to see your old house?

[seminolewind]

I did not plan on going. But my daughter wanted pics of the house she grew up in and it's a block away from the house hubs and I had for 8 years.

"Her house" is nicely maintained. Her best friends house around the corner has not changed in 15 years. That's the friend she's going to see.

So I went by my old house and missed it the first time I drove by. Because the place is so overgrown you can't see the house! It's awful. I hope I can dig up a "before" picture. From the looks of it, there is junk in front of the house and on satellite junk along the back of the house which makes me think she's a hoarder. The house has an acre in the front so there's a lot of overgrowth.

[seminolewind]

polish festival 2018

[seminolewind]

[seminolewind]

Jim , the house that has the sign Madeline and Pleasant view is the house my daughter grew up in. The house we had from 1996-2004 - the front yard is so overgrown that you can't see the house or anything. I missed it the first driveby.

[maryellen]

So sorry i couldnt make it out there to meet you!

[seminolewind]

That's fine. I had labeled the pics but they didn't come thru labeled.
I did have a really good time . The town of Riverhead has gone from just blah to a wonderful place to spend a few days. They had a water park and outlets. Now they have hotels, and aquarium, a "historic" main street with enhanced "historic", cute little parks with blooming flowers. Just now a joy to walk the town. And also a revived theater that has some tribute bands to play there. That's quite nice. Every thing from Etta James to Foghat.

I wonder if the hotels offer some kind of pass for a beach. Most of LI is locked up shore belonging to clubs or towns and require a permit. Not like Florida.

Oh and there are the vineyards on the north shore. With tasting and music of course.

It's become a really nice area that's been revitalized and worth spending a few days there. Something for everyone. And the good sense to keep the historic areas untouched, and the touristy places on the outside of town. Still humble and homey to me.

[dawg53]

Very nice and the chow looks delicious, yummy! Great pics Karen, looks like a nice place to live.