Transportation issues are on everyone's mind again even though the worst of the summer season is over. (So, you're thinking, "what's that got to do with affordable housing? -- wait, I'll get there.) The much hyped South Fork Commuter Connection (SFCC), comprised of extra Long Island Railroad trains between Speonk and Montauk, and feeder buses to take commuters from the ...   more »

What's the one constant in Sag Harbor's 300 year history? Change. Starting as the port for the farmers in Sagaponack, Sag Harbor went on to become a bustling center of trade, home to one of the country's largest whaling fleets, and an industrial center producing everything from watchcases to parts for the lunar landing module. As you walk the village, ...   more »

There's a new and very active group in our community calling itself Save Sag Harbor. Its primary mission is to preserve Main Street's traditional look and business mix -- mostly small locally-owned stores and restaurants -- by preventing national chains and big box stores like CVS from moving in and driving up commercial rents to the point where they are ...   more »

This post is only about Sag Harbor and the Hamptons in the most tenuous of ways. It's certainly obvious that our region is under a lot of stress right now. Most folks I talk to either say we're rapidly approaching, or have just passed a tipping point, and that the very natures of our communities are, or will soon be, irreversibly changed...and not for the better. Community groups are working overtime, to try to stave off this undesirable future. Politicians, and would-be politicians are promising to change things if only we help them get elected. New committees are forming every day, and I applaud (and often join) them. Save Sag Harbor! Stop CVS! Stop LIPA! Stop the condos! Support affordable housing! Support open space! Fix the traffic, goddammit! Anyway, that's not what I'm writing about. I'm writing about me, and how all that has affected me.   more »

Two Sundays ago my wife and I were in Richmond, a city of approximately 200,000 people, and the capital of the State of Virginia. We were visiting friends, and as it was our first time in the city, they offered to take us on a quick tour of some of the main attractions. We soon discovered three things about Richmond: ...   more »

I've been on vacation, but now I'm back. So where were we? Oh, yes...the Town of Southampton has approved a study, to be conducted by its planning department, of the gateway to Sag Harbor along the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike. This has been a little slow getting off the ground, but in the interim, local hero Priscilla Ciccariello has spearheaded an effort by a group she calls "the coalition" to prepare a comprehensive document detailing the reasons the study needs to be done, what specifically needs to be studied, the areas of concern for the surrounding community, the hoped-for outcomes of the study, and the reasoning behind those hopes. It's an amazing document   more »

This is an actual and honest question. If anyone knows the answer, please let the rest of us know by posting a comment.

The question is: Why are there no Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi or Hyundai dealers anywhere in Sag Hampton? Don't tell me they're in Riverhead, that's 50 minutes away when there's no traffic. We have Ford, ...   more »

Besides the longer days, warmer weather, and flowering trees, I have noticed a few other harbingers of the summer season. The very first sign occurred at work about a month ago. I work in a public library. Generally speaking, our patrons (people who use the library's services) are a wonderful group of people. We, the library staff, and the public ...   more »

It's hard to believe, but I've been writing this blog for a year now. The first post was published on Saturday, May 20, 2006. Since then I've published 82 articles and received 101 reader comments. As near as I can tell, on average, about 15 people a day stop by. Some days, usually after an article has been republished in ...   more »