Located on the North Shore of Long Island, Port Jefferson, New York, USA, was developed in 1797 as a ship-building town. Today, the Incorporated Village (1967) of Port Jefferson is home to approximately 7662 people.

Located 56 miles from New York City - and right on a calm harbour of the North Shore - Port Jefferson is a relaxing place to visit or live. It is surrounded on its three sides by Mount Sinai, Stonybrook, and Port Jefferson Station. It is served by the Bridgport-Port Jefferson Ferry, which transports commuters and tourists to and from the neighbouring states of New York and Connecticut, and the Long Island Rail Road's Port Jefferson Train Station. Trains travel to and from Penn Station, New York City, several times a day in a two-hour trip.

Today, the town is a comfortable array of the new and old, speckled with groups of shops, which could almost be called strip malls, among restored buildings, most of which house stores or businesses. The town is small and quiet and the fairly affluent young locals, often complain that there is nothing to do, and head out to the Hamptons for more upmarket excitement. Still, somehow visitors often find much to do, especially in the summer, when the quiet streets become crowded with the boat owners and tourists who provide the town with much of its revenue.

There is no real public beach to speak of in the village itself, there's simply a shoreline dotted with piers to walk along as the water laps up along the wooden piles. The people who live in Belle Terre however, often have private beaches along the harbour. There are boats to be rented on the Danfords pier and The Port Jefferson Yacht Club is where many people dock their boats in the summer.

For more history, check out the Port Jefferson Website.

Things to Do

Shopping in Port Jefferson is very easy to do and fun. There are a variety of shops available, clustered on Main Street, which are often quite crowded on summer weekends, with visitors picking over the 'antiques' on sale there.

Some Shops of Note

The Harbor Square Mall is home to a number of interesting shops, including:

• Sea Creations - a novelty store of sometimes tacky, sometimes not sea-related paraphernalia.

• Out of this World - a fun and interesting 'science' toy store that has a tendency to be overpriced, but there is always something to look at or play with.

• Pepperheads - has a great staff who sell all sorts of hot sauces and salsas.

• And I Quote - the new stationery store that has a great variety of notes, journals and cards; some custom made.

• Tabu - has a fabulous variety of clothing and accessories.

• The Good Times Book Shop - has an excellent selection of well organized used books at reasonable prices.

If Christmas shopping is your thing, there are two equally good Christmas stores: The Christmas Shoppe and The Red Sled, providing the maximum Christmas shopping experience in July.

Food

There are many wonderful places to eat in Port Jefferson:

• The Tiger Lily Café is a small but amazing alternative sandwich shop on East Main Street that has an excellent vegetarian selection and a fun, modern decor. There's live local entertainment that takes place some evenings too. The falafel is highly recommended.

• Z Pita, located on Main Street, has a great variety of Greek food at semi-expensive prices.

• Pasta Pasta is an elegant Italian eatery with yummy foods and fabulous desserts. Try the fried ice cream.

• Salsa Salsa is owned by the Pasta Pasta people, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Salsa Salsa sells affordable burritos and tacos in a modern industrial setting.

Of course, if you're by the sea shore, you might as well be eating seafood. The best places for seafood are:

• The Steamroom - a good spot for quick, cheap - but great - outdoor dining with a variety of seafood.

• The Village Way - priced in the mid-range, has a large menu and features elegant indoor and outdoor dining.

• Danfords Inn - resides closer to the upper end of the price scale, and has a menu that is to die for (as the saying goes). The dining is either indoors, looking out over the water, or outdoors on the pier.

There are a variety of gourmet delicatessens, which serve a variety of sandwiches and other yummies for quick meals. Moore's is a popular choice.

As for the usual, more mundane, choice of fodder there is a Starbucks coffee shop, which is a good vantage point for people-watching, as it is located right on a busy pedestrian corner.

Ice Cream

Well, first and foremost, and not to be overlooked, is the Frigate, which has been taking over stores in its strip. It is now the biggest ice cream parlour in the area, with a delightful array of ice cream, candies, and fudge. It is stocked with Hershey Ice Cream.

There are what may seem to be a million other places that serve Italian ices¹, and only one that 'does not mix flavours', namely Incredible Ices. The others all delightfully mix to your heart's content; ideal for the perfect chocolate peanut butter grape jelly ice.

Bars

When going out in Port Jefferson, it is important to be one of two types: a girl or a male over 23 years of age. This is because some of the bars in the Incorporated Village do not allow men into their establishments unless they are 23 or over. The best bars to go to are:

• Billy's Pub - where you can get a drink at a reasonable price, and which also has an excellent menu for quick bites.

• The Back Yard - a small dance floor and a deck, which is a prime spot for people-watching, despite its out-of-the-way location.

• The Village Way - has good drink specials and a quieter, more mature atmosphere. There is, on occasion, live entertainment.

• Danfords - has a bar which is intended to draw in the older crowd.

Play

Rocketship Park is a large park located right across from the harbour and behind Harbor View Mall. It is a haven for all four to 12-year-olds during the daytime and a great place for naughty older girls and boys to indulge their glands after dark. The park technically closes at dusk; so you have to be prepared to leave if the police tell you to.

There are swings, slides, assorted climbing apparatus, basketball courts, handball courts and, of course, the rocketship slide, after which the park is named.

Local Events

Around the holiday season there are lots of events in Port Jefferson, more for the locals than the tourists. Theater Three, the community theatre in Port Jefferson, hosts a performance of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It is usually an excellent production, and locals often get a chance to see people they know on stage. Auditions are open: there is one cold reading and a cold song; but people who live by the sea don't easily lose their nerve.