Jaunted - Tag: Beach Houses

ME: Beach House Spectacular: Maine-ly Lobster

AVB — 2006-08-04T09:31:43-05:00

Lobster Roll round-up! Before we go any further, we'd like to state for the record that we like our lobster roll cold and with mayo. Want to have it with warm butter? That's for when you do the work yourself and eat the lobster with your hands. Feel free to comment to the contrary, but it will be very difficult to disabuse us of this notion.

Nonetheless, the New York Times Escapes section has seen it fit to go up the coast of Maine in search of lobster roll goodness. In addition to the never-ending debate over how it should be served, they manage to find some interesting spots.

One of note was Red's Eats, in Wiscasset. Open since 1938, they serve the roll with mayo and warm butter on the side, allowing diners to pick their poison. It sounds tasty, even if they are sidestepping the issue. Another tasty locale is Shaw's, in New Harbor, near Darmiscotta. It's far larger than the average clam shack, with a huge (buggy) outdoor deck, but it's still one of the prettiest places to sample a lobster roll in Maine. And they serve it with mayo--the right way.

[Image via Sophie's Mind/Flickr]

Related Stories:
· On a Roll, for Lobster [NYT]
· Maine Beach Houses [Jaunted]

NY: Beach House Spectacular: One Ocean View

AVB — 2006-08-01T12:51:40-05:00

Click here to go straight to the Long Island Beach Houses Map

File this one in the Things We Do For You category: Here's a recap of last night's One Ocean View. OOV is a short reality TV series by the same production team that does the Real World. In it, a bunch of heavily waxed singles spend the summer in Fire Island (mostly weekends, as some are working New Yorkers) and do all the things one would expect from reality TV housemates. The show is kind enough to give one line descriptions for the cast members, and we'll do the same:

Miki and Rhada: Twins that own an organic pizza shop in New York City. Tastefully crunchy.

Mary--A handbag designer that lives in both New York and L.A. She's got L.A. attitude and New York looks. Uh oh.

Lisa--The "shy" one, who is also a "dancer". A shy dancer, we assume.

KJ--Originally from North Jersey, he owns a gym. Guido.

John--Described as the romantic one, he's a broker of some kind. Sensitive Guido.

Usman--Ethnic and horny, much like if Fez from That 70's Show was a wealthy lawyer. Metro Guido.

Zach and Lauren--Formerly a couple, Lauren is keeping Zach on the hook (she was his only girlfriend) while she sluts around with other men. He's a delusional Guido, she's mostly evil.

Beach House Spectacular: Links

AVB — 2006-07-21T15:50:02-05:00

From Maine:
Best Maine Chow [Worchester Telegram]
Best Blueberries in Years [Boston.com]
Maine Snorkel Challenge [Maine Today]

From New Jersey:
Best Jersey Shore Chow [nj.com]
Best Boardwalk on the Shore [NYT]
Hot and Cold at the Shore [APP]

From Long Island:
Where to Park Your Yacht [NYDN]
Harry Potter in the Hamptons [Times of London]
B&B on the Sea [News 10]

ME: Beach House Spectacular: Mainline Maine

AVB — 2006-07-21T10:09:13-05:00

Rosecrans Baldwin over at the Morning News has an excellent essay today on how to tell if you're on vacation in Maine. Thanks to the ever-expanding technological envelope (and the increasing availability of good wine) it can be hard to know when you're finally in Vacationland proper. There are, however, ways to tell. Here's one:

Crystal Meth is easier to obtain in rural Maine than it is back home. So are crystals, and posters of wolves kissing dolphins in outer space.

Forget anything with a lobster on it; the next time we hit Bar Harbor, we want wolves kissing dolphins. Can we get that airbrushed on the side of a van?

[Image via FJCsar/Flickr]

Related Stories:
· The Maine Attraction [TMN]

Beach House Spectacular: Fire Island Nickel and Dime

AVB — 2006-07-14T09:40:45-05:00

Click here to go straight to the Long Island Beach Houses Map

How many happy couples dream of the day when they can have their wedding on a beach? Sure, it can be a logistical nightmare, but think of the memories! And, of course, those gorgeous photos of the smiling newlyweds.

But wait--if you have your wedding photos taken on a beach in the Fire Island National Seashore on Long Island, you'll have to pay another $100 to $300 to the Parks Department for the privilege. For their part, they claim it is to control the flow of large groups moving through, and the funds do go to maintaining the seashore. Still, local photogs have a point:

"We're not crawling all over the dunes," said Bob Ruymen, co-owner of Visual Concepts in Islip. "I'm probably more careful than park visitors who throw their junk around."

Jeez, Bob, get in the wedding spirit--a bouquet isn't junk.

[Image via SpunkyMonkey/Flickr]

Related Stories:
· Fire Island for a Fee [Newsday]
· Long Island Beach Houses [Jaunted]

Beach House Spectacular: Links

juliana — 2006-07-07T14:17:53-05:00

From Maine:
· A man talks about his walk to a Maine beach [Magic City Morning Star]
· Too many tourists can ruin the fun [Morning Sentinel]
· Maine beaches that allow your best friend [Dog Friendly Beach Guide]

From Long Island:
· Party pics from the Hamptons [Hamptons Magazine]
· Wilmer Valderrama Hits Up Stereo, Place Officially "Over" [TMZ]
· People finally realize that its ridiculous to pay $1,000 for a summer share where you sleep on the floor [NY Times]

From the Jersey Shore:
· More bad smells hit the Jersey Shore and its not just Drakkar Noir [NBC10]
· Europeans are visiting Cape May [Press of Atlantic City]
· Park Model RVs sure to make Jersey Shore classier [Courier Post Online]

NJ: Beach House Spectacular: Jersey's Dirty Waters

juliana — 2006-06-28T17:47:18-05:00

Click here for Chasing Jersey Shore Beach Houses map.

When the rain comes down like it has been on the East Coast, the ocean is likely to get a dump of sewage and other stormwater run-off. But it wouldn't be a Jersey Shore Summer if the beaches weren't closed because of excess fecal matter or elevated bacteria levels. (To be fair, this happens quite a lot in California too.)

You can check which beaches are closed at NJ Beaches. Today's report says:

Brown and York Avenue beaches in Spring Lake and The Terrace beach in Sea Girt are closed today as a precaution due to recent rainfall and the resulting stormwater discharge from Wreck Pond. All other lifeguarded ocean beaches are open.

If you want to learn more about what's in the water ("Know before you go") then Earth 911 is the official beach and water monitoring service for the Jersey Shore. There's even a nifty Google Mash-Up (pictured) for each monitoring station so you should always be informed.