Day Trip: Montauk, New York

Sometimes you just need to get away for a day. That’s exactly what I did yesterday, as the car got packed for a little road trip. I didn’t stray off Long Island, but being a mere 50 miles away from my town and familiar sights made all of the difference.

This week we had a heat wave, and I tried my best to keep cool by taking a dip in a pool or heading to the beach. And since I love Long Island’s East End, once the pool and beach had been crossed off my list, a trip out East was in order.

Apparently, everyone else had the same idea, and the traffic was brutal for mid-day on a Thursday (actually, the road congestion in these parts will be brutal all summer long from now until Labor Day!). So I braved the heat and the traffic, and after way too long in the car, arrived in Montauk.

The weather looked threatening all day, and combined with the oppressive heat, Montauk was covered in a thick blanket of fog. The famed Montauk Lighthouse was barely visible from the road, which made the view less spectacular than normal.

After a quick lunch at The Gig Shack (the colossal shrimp skewers were excellent), it was off to Sag Harbor, just west of Montauk. You may remember that I’ve posted about Sag Harbor before (you can catch up here), but the quaint town is one of my favorites to visit. There are tons of cute local shops, great places to eat, and incredible yachts to see.

On this visit, I tried a restaurant called Muse in the Harbor. The ambiance was nice and the dining area featured a large fish tank that can be mesmerizing. I ordered the scallop mac and cheese, which was every bit as good as I hoped it would be.

In the evening, the rain finally came and cooled things down a bit. Here’s hoping for clear skies this weekend — and slightly cooler temps.