I STILL CAN’T HEAR YOU… CITARELLA IS GOING WHERE?!

Voice mail a day late, dropped called, unsent text messages and lots of screaming “Can you hear me now!?” Yes, phone service is that bad in the Hamptons.     If you’re curious how bad, look no further than the map right below.  It’s from a website called Open Signal  (you can click here)and it details just how difficult it is to get a call through on the East End.  To add more fuel to the fire, consider the surge of summer visitors (all with smart phones) which tax an already inadequateScreen Shot 2018-08-01 at 4.28.30 PM number of cell towers to the point where communicating is virtually impossible.  But it’s more than just a problem with AT&T, Verizon or T-mobile.    We the residents of the Hamptons need to speak out to our elected officials and say, allow new towers to go up.    It’s not a matter of cell phones being a luxury, they are a necessity not only in business and basic communications but in safety as well.   So many residents out here don’t even have land lines and the spotty service is now endangering lives.     Our officials are doing what we on the East End tell them to do.  But enough is enough, we need to bite the bullett and run the risk of having towers in our own back yards so perhaps we can avoid a tragedy before it happens.

Meanwhile, there is a big rumor floating around Sag Harbor.   Unfortunately, I’m having

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Citarella East Hampton

a hard time confirming but several well placed sources have told me Citarella will soon be landing in the village.    I don’t want to say where it will be going but thank heaven you folks don’t need me to tell you.      So, is it a good thing or bad thing?   That depends upon who you ask.   I will say it’s almost as controversial as when CVS was coming to town.  Look for some shuttered doors in the fall and the market to be going into the vacant spaces after a major renovation.

 

 

A FEW IDEAS FOR AVOIDING THE CROWDS…. PLUS, MY CHALLENGE, IF YOU SEE IT PICK IT UP!

Who would have thought that one week we’d be wearing parkas and the next in shorts and prepping for the fourth of July!   That being said, we all know this holiday week is the beginning of Carmageddon in the Hamptons.     Traffic is everywhere and the lines will be looooonnnnnng for the next few days.     But as some of you may or may not know,  there are short cuts to avoiding the crowds.     Here are a few of my personal faves to staying sane when the Hamptons go crazy.

Skip the aggravation at the supermarket and go online for all your grocery shopping.

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WHY GO TO THE MARKET WHEN YOU CAN BRING IT TO YOU!

King Kullen in Bridgehampton has a great online site and then they’ll deliver to your house for a minimal charge if the order is over $50.   The first delivery is free if you use the code “firstdelivery” at check out.     If the delivery thing doesn’t work for you, you can also go online and then pick it up!   Just go the website click on the link and go to town.   Orders can be placed up to a week in advance or as little as four hours.    How cool is that?!   If you’ve ever been to “Stop and Shop” in East Hampton (or as I call it “STOP, WAIT, WAIT, SHOP”) or the mosh pit known at Citarella, you know this is a great option.

If cooking isn’t your thing and you want to just hang at home there are finally a few options that will help you with restaurant deliveries.    Starting last week, UBER EATS started servicing the Hamptons with a limited but decent number of restaurant options.  Some of the participating venues include Highway Restaurant, Grindstone Coffee and Donuts and Yama Q Asian Fusion.   Delivery time seems to be about 30-40 minutes so not bad when you consider traffic on 27 plus parking.

Another option is 123delivery.net!    A great site (AND APP) that offers a little bit more than UberEats in that it’s also a concierge service.     The service will fetch just about anything from any restaurant, store or other business on the East End.   Started by

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LTBURGER.COM – LT BURGER – SAG HARBOR

Montauk native Mark Ripolone the service started last summer and operates even in the winter.   Some of the participating businesses include Rowdy Hall, Cilantro Mexican, LT Burger and Dopo La Spiaggia.    Estimated costs for the delivery range from about $6 to $10 depending on how far the drivers have to travel.

 

So with more people in the Hamptons there’s another issue besides the traffics and the crowds…  THE TRASH!    Yesterday, I took my every other day stroll on Georgica Beach with Bella and Russell.   Normally I focus pretty much on picking up poop but lately I’ve started picking up more.   The amount of balloons, plastic bottles and cups lying on our beaches and killing our marine life is astounding.      My friend Michael (pictured) who is much more versed in the dangers of this stuff to our environment encouraged me to just pick up a few things.

From a 20 minute walk,  we picked up a small garbage pail of debris.   So, here is my challenge to everyone.    If you can pick up one or two items when you stroll on the beach and make a difference.   Don’t walk on by… I know it sounds preachy but it’s really no big deal and it will make a world of difference.    Especially those folks who live on Lily Pond and stroll right by this stuff every morning!

Happy July 4th WEEK EVERYONE!

 

SIGNS OF SPRING!!!

I feel it!  Spring has finally arrived on the east end.   How do I know?  Because Round Swamp Farm has reopened.  YES!   Now, I no longer have to drive by longing and

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Elastic waistbands optional… ROUND SWAMP FARM!

slobbering in vain for my Mexican Layer Dip,  Sour Cream Coffee Cake or Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad or cinnamon rolls or guacamole or Lisa’s Oatmeal Raisin cookies or Claire’s Lemon Pound Cake or BBQ chicken or … no, I must stop.  Lucky for us they don’t publish the calorie counts on anything they make!

Another sign of spring is the Roses are in bloom!   By the way,  I’m not talking about the flowers I’m talking about Wolffer’s Summer in a Bottle.     After a shortage last year when supplies went dry at the end of July, production has been upped and everyone will be able to enjoy their Rose for breakfast throughout the summer!    The colorful

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THE BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS?

bottle which is a work of art itself hasn’t changed since last year but it is a new vintage.  In case you’ve been out of the loop, Summer in a Bottle retails for about $25 and is available at Wolffer Estate Vineyard or virtually every spirit shop in the Hamptons.        Remember, life may be a cabernet but rose is better!

 

 

LULU REOPENS!

It started with a spark and became a night of blazing suspense!    Lulu in Sag Harbor which was the site of a fire last month will reopen it’s doors today at 6pm!   In case you

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Lulu Kitchen Sag Harbor is back in action!

 

missed it, the fire started in a small storage closet on the 81st floor and jeopardized party goers on the top floor “Promenade Room.”    But thanks to the quick thinking fire chief O’Halloran and the architect Doug Roberts who evacuated the party goers by rigging the scenic elevator, a breeches buoy and finally by exploding water tanks on the roof lives were saved!   Wait, err… that was the Towering Inferno!    Ok, after a kitchen fire and repair for some smoke damage, Lulu in Sag Harbor will be open once again to diners starting tonight at 6pm.

I like the Towering Inferno version better.