Visiting Jamesport, NY and Seafood Paella!! Our family is enjoying Jamesport, NY, or the NorthFork area or NoFo as the locals call it. Beaches, the bay, Greenport, a short drive to Southampton, this area is truly paradise and so much fun.
Visiting Jamesport
“Jamesport is a lovely alternative to the Hamptons. Situated on the North Fork of Long Island, this small community has expansive farmlands, mellow beaches and quiet rural roads, all suffused with that soft fabled light. Plus, Jamesport is at the western edge of the East End, making it an easy trip from Manhattan — less than two hours by car.
It’s also the perfect antidote to the city — a tiny, farm-filled hamlet of the huge Town of Riverhead, which has sought to stave off development with plans that favor open space. And then there’s the water, Long Island Sound to the north and Flanders Bay to the south, which succeeds in making the four-mile-wide flank of Jamesport feel a bit like an island.
The five-minute strolls to the beach and the down-to-earth feel of the area. “It’s not strictly a vacation community, and it doesn’t have that theme-park perfection. There are real people living there, doing real things. It’s not about showing up in a place that’s surrounded by New Yorkers.” From The NY Times.
An Invitation from My Friend Jane
Most of you know, we are new-ish to the east coast. We moved to Pennsylvania back in August of 2019. Moving to the east coast meant being closer to cities like NYC, DC and being able to drive to lovely places like Long Island. North Fork, South Fork, the Hamptons, I didn’t know anything about this area. Well, I take that back. I did know about the beautiful houses and beaches in the Hamptons and the occasional celebrity siting. So, when my friend Jane reached out and asked us if we wanted to spend a week here, I jumped at the opportunity and immediately said yes.
If you follow me on Instagram, you know we just got back from California, where we reunited with my family and Paul’s brothers. It was so much fun! We boarded Coco and Cinnamon during that time but for this trip, since it would just be me and the girls and a car drive, we brought Coco along for the trip. Cinnamon is at home with Paul, keeping him company.
What Happened with Coco
Let me just tell you this: Coco is having the time of her life. She is truly living her best life here in Jamesport. I shared that she gets a little car sick so we got some anti-nausea medication from her vet. I gave it to her with food, as per the directions, two hours before leaving and she threw up right before we got into the car. This does not happen with most dogs but it happened with her. We had to get on the road so we just got into the car and started driving to Jamesport. We did stop once along the way for water, to let her get out and get some fresh air etc. During the drive, she didn’t throw up again but her mouth was drooling and she was salivating a lot. I immediately called her vet while in the car and she told me, that unfortunately, dogs do this a lot right before they are about to throw up. She said just keep driving and try to get to your destination as soon as possible. So that’s what we did.
Coco didn’t throw up again but she was very uncomfortable during the drive here. It took us about 3.5 to 4 hours to get here. On a more positive note, we have been taking Coco around to lots of places while visiting Jamesport and I think she is getting better in the car. She is also having the time of her life. Running around on the beach, exploring Jamesport and discovering so many new things! She loves it here.
Visiting Jamesport
A lot of you have asked me to document the great places we have visited. I highly recommend all of the following. This was just from the first few days! Look for a part TWO!
Main Road Biscuit Co. We loved the Biscuit Sampler, Oat pancakes and the fried green tomatoes
Greenport Village for shopping, walking around and the antique carousel
Briermere Farms for their corn muffins, produce and fruit and chocolate pies!! So good! We got the Strawberry Rhubarb and Chocolate cream pies.
Bayview Market and Farms for their roasted corn. It’s incredible!
Lombardi’s Love Lane Market: This is a great spot to pick up food, groceries, focaccia and everything you need to make a cheese and charcuterie board.
Duffy’s Deli of Jamesport : We picked up sandwiches before heading the to beach one day. We had the Duffy’s Deluxe and the Dugout sandwiches. So good!!
Gemelli Gelato of Hampton Bays
Making Seafood Paella: The Recipe
While in the Hamptons, we stopped into Cor-J Seafood in Hampton Bays, NY to pick up some fresh seafood to make seafood paella. We picked up some fresh shrimp, mussels, squid and scallops. Here’s the recipe, for SEAFOOD PAELLA. Enjoy!
