The Long Island Blog

It was reported in yesterday’s Newsday that Donald Trump and Steve Carl (of Carlyle on the Green in Bethpage) will be opening a new restaurant at Jones Beach to replace the old Boardwalk Restaurant which closed down years ago and was recently demolished.

Donald Trump on Long Island? I’m not sure I like the idea…

Pros:

Anything built by Trump is top notch. This won’t be a half-baked sham or under funded project.

Plans call for a 36,000-square-foot facility on 6 acres, which could handle groups up to 1,400 people. In addition to the restaurant the three story building will also house a nightclub.

According to Mr. Trump, “When it’s finished, there will be nothing like it anywhere in the world.” Of course…

The facility will be open year round and includes an outdoor dining facility for beachgoers.

Cons:

Probably not too much in the con section. Anything is better than what was there.

My only concern is that the facility will be “marketed towards an affluent clientele,” not the everyday guy like you and me. According to Trump and Carl however, it will be accessible to “those who aren’t Rockefellers.”

Is it just me or does that not sound encouraging?

Jones Beach was built for the masses and I think that tradition should be observed. To plop down a haven for the affluent in the middle of it seems just plain wrong.

Most Long Islanders work pretty darn hard for a living and places like Jones Beach offer a great escape from the week’s BS. I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want when I’m relaxing is a reminder of how not rich I am.

Well, the place isn’t even built yet so maybe I’m overreacting. We’ll see.

Back on the Pro side, Donald Trump is against the LIPA proposed wind farm. Good man, Donald! Although he’s against it purely for aesthetic reasons I’m still glad he’s against it.

Tangent

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In my opinion the wind farm is a bad idea. It’s going to cost us a fortune to build and is not going to save us ratepayers a single cent.

Not only will it ruin the view all along Long Island’s south shore, but you’ll hear it as well. That’s right, the windmills make noise.

For a preview of how bad this is going to look check out these pictures on the LIPA Offshore Wind Park website. Click on each link below and when the picture opens scroll back and forth a dramatic panoramic view.

Jones Beach | Cedar Beach | Gilgo Beach | Robert Moses

Then read this eye opening article opposing the LIPA Wind Farm by Long Island resident, Richard Moore.

(Note: the links non longer work, so they were removed)

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Construction of Trump by the Ocean is scheduled to start this year with a completion date sometime in 2008.

Regardless of the targeted clientele, this project is a much needed improvement to Jones Beach. I just hope it’s not so pricey we can’t even afford an anniversary or birthday dinner.

A friend of mine is planning his retirement. He’s looking at places in the Midwest. Ugh. I could never live so far from the ocean. I need the smell of the salt air, fresh fish, a place to sail my boat, and the sound of crashing surf.

I guess living on Long Island has spoiled me. I’ve spent my entire life on the water and I still can’t get enough of it. Take me away from the coast and I feel somewhat less than whole.

On my way to work this morning I noticed a beautiful full moon setting over Main Street. Six and a half minutes later I was on the shore of the Great South Bay taking pictures of it, and the rising sun.

Both of these pictures were taken at the same time.

The first picture is of the moon setting and was taken looking West towards Robert Moses Causeway.

The second picture was taken looking East towards Heckscher State Park.

It’s scenes like this that keep me in love with Long Island.

Looking West at 5:55am. The full moon sets over Long Island's Great South Bay. The barely visible lights are the Robert Moses Causeway leading to Fire Island.

An early morning glow envelopes Heckscher State Park while the Great South Bay, flat as a mirror, reflects lights at the East Islip Marina launching ramp.

One of the great things about Long Island is its magnificent coast—literally hundreds of miles of it. No matter where you happen to be, you’re only a few minutes drive from the water’s edge.

If you happen to be there at sunset, there’s nothing more beautiful. If you miss the sunset you might catch a moonrise, which occurs at sunset or just after when the moon is full.

A few nights ago I was at the East Islip marina. I had wanted to do some sailing under the full moon, but it was just a little too windy for me.

Instead of taking my boat out, I took pictures of the moon rising over Fire Island. From my vantage point at the west end of the marina the moon appeared to rise over Sunken Forest. You can see a light or two at Heckscher state park to the left.

The moonrise was a beautiful sight. My picture does not do it justice.

I use Picasa, the free photo software from Google to organize and “fix” my pictures. I used it on this moonrise picture to brighten the image somewhat and straighten the horizon.

Photo Specs:

Canon PowerShot A510
ASA 50
1S f5.5
23mm (35mm equiv: 147mm)

Read more about Long Island here.

An incredibly detailed and well written account of Long Island’s commercial fishermen, Men’s Lives is a book that I find hard to put down.

But then again I am a fan of all things nautical and there’s a part of me that wishes I could have been part of that nostalgic era.

I remember back in the late 1970’s when I graduated high school; you could almost walk across the Great South Bay from clam boat to clam boat.

A lot of people I knew then where buying boats and clamming. But I had a “real job” and was trying to build a career in engineering.

How I wish I had taken a year off and spent it on the bay. That experience would have been priceless and now, thirty years later would there be any noticeable difference in my job status?

My teenage son, Joe who has taken several years off (these kids today…) had the privilege of working with one of Long Island’s noted baymen, Frank Sloup.

Frank is unusual in that he is thriving rather than starving. His main fishery, crabs is still viable on Long Island and Frank is a true bayman, working the bay all year long.

Each season brings its own catch and Frank is master of them all.

I’m sure the time Joe spent with Frank will be a treasured memory in later years and, as I said, the experience is priceless.

Interestingly, an unsolicted confirmation of the hardship Matthiessen writes about in Men’s Lives came when Joe told me his new job in construction is easier than working with Frank.

Carrying wood up ladders is not as hard as hauling crab traps by hand for 12 hours a day on a pitching boat. And, 2×4’s don’t bite.

But enough of my rambling…

Read my review of Men’s Lives.