By Saul Schwartz
This was the first trip to Long Island for my wife Fern and myself. We came for a wonderful wedding and spent three days on Western Long Island.
Lodging at Marriott Melville Long Island: Located at 1350 Walt Whitman Road, this large hotel advertises itself as blending the urban style of New York City with the quaint charm of long island. Our stylish room was large and included comfortable bedding and a flat panel television. The hotel gym had plenty of cardio equipment, machines, and free weights. The hotel hosted multiple weddings over the Memorial Day weekend.
Old Westbury Gardens: We spent most of one full day at the gardens at 71 Old Westbury Road in Old Westbury. Although admission is normally $15 for adults, we purchased the package which included a yoga session called yoga in the gardens for $23 per adult. The one hour and fifteen-minute yoga session was led by an excellent professional instructor. We had to bring our own mat and towel. About fifteen individuals attended the yoga session in the shady gardens near the thatched cottages.
Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the mansion and gardens are the former home of John Phipps and his family. Completed in 1906, the magnificent Charles II style mansion is nestled amongst 200 acres of landscaped grounds, formal gardens, ponds, woodlands, statues, and lakes. The Phipps family lived there for about fifty years. The gardens were first opened to the public in 1959, to preserve part of Long Island's heritage.
We ate lunch at the Café in the Woods near the entrance to the gardens. The café offered very tasty vegetarian wraps and a wide variety of tea options. The menu included sandwiches and salads. Prices were moderate. All tables are outdoors.
We toured two floors of the twenty-three room Old Westbury house mansion. Although there is no audio guide, we were able to follow along with the written signage available on-line and in each room. Also, the docents answered our questions about the house and the Phipps family. The mansion and gardens have been used in scenes in about 25 movies and several television shows.
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site: The guided tours to allow access to the Roosevelt home must be booked in advance on-line at Recreation.gov. There is no fee to tour the grounds at Sagamore Hill, but there is a fee for the tour of $15 per adult. The one-hour tour, led by a National Park Service ranger, covered all three floors of the home. The tour guide had very detailed information to share, and she did not hesitate to answer our questions. The home contains many original items.
Sagamore Hill was the home of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, from 1885 until his death in 1919. During Theodore Roosevelt's time in office, his "Summer White House" was the focus of international attention. The grounds include 83 acres of natural surroundings, historic buildings, and trails.
Oyster Bay: We briefly walked through this cute town. The town is made up of small villages and hamlets. Oyster Bay has a shore on Oyster Bay Harbor. Many of the local stores and restaurants have portraits of Teddy Roosevelt or names related to Teddy, since his family used to frequent the town. Here there is a true small-town feel.
Food options:
Cava: Located at 880 Walt Whitman Road in Melville, this self-serve Mediterranean restaurant chain was an excellent stop for our fresh grain and green bowls, along with pita bread.
Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace: Located at 890 Walt Whitman Road in Melville, this grocery chain had excellent food options for us. It is beyond the normal grocery store. The bakery was extensive, and we particularly enjoyed their chocolate chip cookies and bread.
American House Salad: This informal restaurant is located just outside the town of Oyster Bay, on Pine Hollow Road. The salad options were extensive, and the prices were very reasonable. However, the restaurant had no atmosphere, and the staff was unknowledgeable about the area. We would not recommend this restaurant.
Southdown Coffee: Right in the town of Oyster Bay, at 49 Audrey Avenue, this small coffee shop has excellent coffee/tea and food options. We selected the tasty vegan chocolate cookies, along with drinks. There is some outside seating. There are several other locations of Southdown Coffee on Long Island. Since 2014, Southdown has earned national recognition for expert-level coffee roasting and has been listed in Food and Wine among the best coffee shops in the U.S.
Looking back:
We really enjoyed our three-days on Western Long Island. It reminded us of our trip to Cape Cod a few years ago. The weather was sunny and pleasant. On Memorial Day weekend, traffic across Long Island was heavy, but manageable. Traffic going to Long Island from the Washington, D.C. area was a challenge.
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