Happy Wednesday! I hope you enjoyed last week’s post on our getaway to Shelter Island. As promised, I wanted to share a few spots located to the north and south of the island that should not be missed.

The North Fork

Shelter Island is nestled between the North and South Forks of Long Island. And the two couldn’t be more different, which we realized the moment we got off the Cross Town Ferry in Orient Point. Driving along Route 25 to Greenport to catch the 7 minute ferry to Shelter Island, we felt like we were in a place where time stops. Farm lands, vineyards, a lavender farm. It was just so peaceful. Between Orient Point and Greenport is East Marion, where we decided to stop at Fork & Anchor, a delightful general store, to grab a sandwich before heading to the island. I ordered the green goddess chicken salad and instantly regretted not getting the crispy chicken with sriracha mayo. Oh well. In addition to pastries, sandwiches, coffee and provisions, F&A offers adorable picnic boxes that you can order ahead to bring to the vineyards or the beach. While waiting for our sandwiches, several customers were picking up their orders. What a great idea!

Greenport seems to be where much of the activity is on the North Fork. They have a wonderful carousel on the water, a traditional NY style bakery, and a delicious coffee shop.

Our favorite find on the North Fork was The North Fork Table & Inn in Southold. We have our waiter at Vine Street Cafe to thank for the recommendation. Our meal was delicious and the setting, just beautiful to toast our last night of vacation.

For more ideas on places to visit in North Fork, make sure to check out GoNorthFork and check out their Instagram feed as well.

The South Fork (aka The Hamptons)

Our last day on Shelter Island was a bit overcast so we decided to hop on The South Ferry to go explore the South Fork. After our 5 minutes boat ride, we arrived in North Haven, a short 10 minute drive to Sag Harbor, the first destination on our itinerary. Sag Harbor has a super cute downtown with great shops, restaurants and a retro cinema. A few favorites include: The Styleliner by Joey Wolffer {she also opened up a small shop on Nantucket this summer} featuring some of the best boho dresses and jackets and sylvester & co. , MONC XIII and Jayson Home for some incredible finds for your home. We also stopped by the recently opened Grindstone Coffee and Donuts. The coffee was delicious but the brioche style donuts a bit too greasy for my taste. The one spot we wanted to try was Wölffer Kitchen but sadly we had to catch our ferry back to reality that night.

After walking around Sag Harbor, we got in the car and headed east to Amagansett, which may just be my favorite town in The Hamptons. From lunch at The Lobster Roll to shopping at The Line, to exploring the farm lands at Amber Waves, this little town has everything.

Sadly, we had to cut our visit short to catch our ferry in Orient Point back to New London so we couldn’t head into Montauk to visit The Surf Lodge and Navy Beach. However, we were able to squeeze in a quick stop at the Bhumi Farms farm stand in East Hampton to load up on some fresh produce to take home. The blueberries were out of this world delicious. And the photo opps, plentiful. I swear, I see this place in nearly every editorial spread these days!

So there you have you it. A little bit about both forks at the end of Long Island. So close yet so vastly different in terms of people watching, shops and real estate prices. I think that Shelter Island, though, may just be the perfect mix of both.