Long Island Info

We%26#39;re going to be on Long Island for a week in July; what should we be sure to see, do? Any hotels %26lt; $200 that would be recommended (we%26#39;ll probably be in the Jones Beach area)? Thanks for the help!

Long Island Info

Just curious - why are you going to be in the Jones Beach are for a week? Touring with Kelly Clarkson?

tickco.com/venue_schedules/jones_beach.htm

Also, being that it%26#39;s June 28, you might be a little late to find lodging for an entire week near a beach town during the summer, which is when it is most popular.

Are you planning on renting a car? Public transit is available, but a little ungainly.

The more info we have on your situation, the better we can advise you.

Long Island Info

My husband has to be in that area of Long Island on business and we were planning on visiting Jones Beach (he is an %26#39;old%26#39; beach bum and insists on hitting every beach possible). I was looking for something else to do, especially during the weak. I think he has a room at the Residence Inn (?) in Plainville.

I%26#39;ll skip on Kelly Clarkson - I%26#39;m old enough that she%26#39;s not my style BUT I do know who she is.

Just the read the rest of your msg - we are from KS and we will have our car and spending a month in the NYC area (parking is going to be a bear,, right?)

Parking on Long Island will be not problem. Where will you be for the remainder of the month?

The client booked us at the Holiday Inn Martinique (where conference is being held) for most of the time. We%26#39;ll be in Bellmore (on LI), Elizabeth, NJ, Waldwick, NJ and back to NYC for a long weekend.

Want to see Jersey Boys but looks like the only way to get reasonable tickets are to get a hotel pkg. Saw one for the Beacon Hotel which looked different than the steady diet of Hiltons, Holiday Inns, etc.

I%26#39;m open to knowing what to see w/out the car in NYC (think we%26#39;ll park it since I%26#39;m sure driving is different than in Kansas City and it seems that you have to pay to park!

Annie,

I grew up on LI and if your husband is an old beach bum you%26#39;ll be hitting the right place.

Yes to Jones beach, You%26#39;ll be very close to it.

Also, drive a little further out to Robert Moses State Park. It is another public beach about 1/2 hour drive east. it is really beautiful. If you park in feild 5 you can walk east and see the Fire Island Light House.

You can also take a day and go over to Fire Island. There are many different communities, some more suitable for daytripping. You can take a ferry from Bayshore. Farther East there are ferries from Sayville and Patchoque.The ferry ride across the Great South Bay is about 20 minutes and is very relaxing.

On the eastern end of Long Island you have The Hamptons and montauk Point.

There are wineiries out east as well.

First dealing with the NYC portion of the trip, there%26#39;s nothing great about the HI Martinique but if it%26#39;s convenient for your husband, so be it. The Afffinia Manhattan is nearby and much nicer if you%26#39;re able to make a switch. It is near Macy%26#39;s if you want to do some shopping and a lot of the other stores are around there too. At Macy%26#39;s, if you stop at the customer service dept. they%26#39;ll give you a card to get an 11% discount on almost everything.

The Beacon is a good hotel on the upper westside, a nice residential area. If you can get the Jersey Boy tickets that way, do it. ;)

As to Long Island, the hotels in the suburban areas of Long Island are usually nothing great although some are newer than others. In terms of things to do/see, the gardens at Old Westbury are beautiful

http://www.oldwestburygardens.org/

and also near Teddy Roosevelt%26#39;s home, Sagamore Hill.

http://www.nps.gov/sahi/

Makes for a nice day in a nice area not too far from where you%26#39;ll be, but on the north shore closer to the bay than the ocean.

If you like shopping, there is a good mall not far from Jones Beach called Roosevelt Field. It has Bloomingdales, Macy%26#39;s etc. BUT, if you%26#39;re going to be in New Jersey, there%26#39;s no sales tax on clothing there so may be a better shopping place.

If your husband is a beach bum, it would be nice if he could get to see the Hamptons or Montauk, but the beaches further west are also very nice.

I should have also mentioned the Empire State building is not far from the Martinique. If you want to go up, buy tickets online in advance. The newer Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center is also great for views. While your husband is at the conference, you might want to take one of the bus tours. NY Party Shuttle or Marvelous Manhattan are both good and in enclosed buses with a/c.

nypartyshuttle.com

kingofnyc.com

There are also some good walking tours including some food tours

foodsofny.com

bigonion.com

RE: Driving and Parking in the City

1) parking is expensive, figure $30-$40 a day. Check with your hotel to see if they have any parking deals with nearby lots

2) There is NO TURN ON RED anywhere withing the 5 borougs of NYC unless there is s sign saying it is allowed. (this is the opposite of the rest of the country). And if caught you most likely will get an expensive tickets. (some cops may take pity on you but don%26#39;t chance it.

Robert Moses is definitely nicer than Jones Beach if you want to drive just a little further... Keep in mind that between Field 5 and the first town in Fire Island (Kismet, where I%26#39;ve spent the last 20 summers) is a nude beach.

There are no public facilities in Fire Island, but the restaurants are good about letting people use their rest rooms. The restaurants are a 3 block walk from the beach.

The towns vary greatly but are all basically straight if you take a ferry from Bayshore. If you want to see the gorgeous almost Hampton-y lifestyle of the gay rich and famous, take the ferry from Saville to the Pines.