- The Community. Sag Harbor is still largely a community of people who live here year-round and care about the town, its institutions and each other. There are lots of groups and organizations to get involved with -- school, fire department, historical society, library, theater, museums, chamber of commerce, churches, synagogue and more. And, whether you choose to get involved with one of these, or just to live here and walk or shop on Main Street, you'll find yourself amazed, comforted, reassured and inspired by the good people you'll meet here.
- Long/Short Beach. One of the first places in Sag Harbor I ever saw was Long Beach, and I've been drawn to it ever since. I have a photo of my oldest daughter at two years old, on the rocks at Short Beach. As far as I can remember, this was our family's first visit to Sag Harbor. We lived in East Quogue at the time, but from that day, I knew we would live near this wonderful beach someday. If you've not been on Long Beach at sunset, when the rays from the dying sun break into fiery orange-gold fragments on the choppy surface of the bay, then you're missing one of the true wonders of life on the East End.
- Narrow streets closely lined with historic homes. Suffolk, Concord, Amity, Jefferson, Garden, Bayview, Palmer Terrace and on and on. These streets hold a fascination for me that I can't explain. I can, and do, walk them over and over, never tiring of the experience, and always finding something new and fascinating to enjoy along the way.
- The real stores on or near Main Street. By "real" I mean the shops, restaurant and other businesses that cater to the real needs of most people. These are mostly "mom & pop" type enterprises that have been here as long as I can remember. A partial list follows, with apologies to any business that thinks they should be on it that I may have inadvertently left off: The Variety Store, The Ideal, the movie theater, the laundromat, Schiavoni's Market, Emporium Hardware, Schmidt's Sag Harbor Liquors, Canio's Books, Black Cat Books, The Corner Bar, Sing City, the Sag Harbor Pharmacy, Illusions, Yeisley Jewelers, Cove Deli, Java Nation, Chelsea Crossing and even 7-11. I wish there were more. There once was.
- Our proximity to "The Hamptons." This is a love/hate thing of course, but the Hamptons, by their very nature, provide us with access to culture, fine dining, beautiful ocean beaches, and all types of businesses and service providers that might not otherwise be available to us.
I won't belabor these with long explanations. If you've been here, you know what I'm talking about.
- The traffic.
- Real estate and rental prices (actually the almost total lack of rental properties) that are driving long-time residents and young families out of the area.
- The trend toward turning venerable historic structures and otherwise serviceable homes into McMansions.
- Over- and/or otherwise inappropriate development.
- The growing number of people and businesses that seem to believe that it is fine to profit from or otherwise enjoy the benefits of living and working here, but feel no obligation to contribute to or participate in the life of the community.
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