Charity Robey

Island hopping/ Long Island Pulse

Shelter Island

It’s a good thing there’s no bridge to Shelter Island, because when you go someplace this special, you should arrive effervesced, with the wind in your hair and mist tickling your skin. Pebbly beaches perfect for walking or swimming, 2,000-plus acres of forest and field for hiking and plenty of places to view beautiful bodies of water are just the beginning.

Eat

At 18 Bay on North Ferry Road, chefs Elizabeth Ronzetti and Adam Kopels have raised the bar on Shelter Island fine dining with an Italian-inspired, four-course chef’s menu that showcases the pristine ingredients of the North Fork’s top producers. 18 Bay serves dinner and, depending on the catch, a crudo bar that opens at 3:00pm for sliced raw fish, small bites and cocktails on the red and white porch.

Down the road, Maria’s Kitchen is a Mexican café with a bright dining room/market, a three-stool lunch bar and guacamole that has earned its creator, Maria Schultheis, cult status. The chalkboard menu lists Maria’s signature enchiladas, empanadas, salads and smoothies. If it all seems homey, it is. Except that no home delivers the consistent excellence, year after year, that Maria’s does.

On the Dering Harbor coast sits Marie Eiffel Market, the go-to spot for take-out, or for enjoying breakfast and lunch with a waterfront view. The baguettes actually shatter (a good thing), and the soups are great, especially the carrot ginger.

If it’s libations you crave, Shelter Island Craft Brewery, open Friday-Sunday, always has several of their creations available for tasting.

Sleep

The Ram’s Head Inn is the only commercial business on Big and Little Ram Islands (aka, The Rams) and has been welcoming guests since 1929. The dining rooms, patio and the sloping back lawn of this well-maintained house have magnificent views. And the rooms offer the cozy charm of a New England B&B.

The recently renovated Chequit has been around since the 1870s when it was the center of a cluster of cottages and tennis courts known collectively as Shelter Island Heights Methodist Camp (a 19th century form of glamping). Its location in the heart of the Heights is ideal for walking the hilly streets lined with Victorian homes and small town shops.

Hot tip: Union Chapel is lit each evening at sundown for strollers to see the stained-glass windows that make it glow like a jewel.

Play

The 280-year-old house at Sylvester Manor Educational Farm is fascinating to tour, with many acres of grounds and gardens to explore. The adjourning farm offers workshops and programs for people of all ages, as well as concerts, dances and other events that highlight local food and culture. Mashomack Preserve has numerous guided walks and a range of trails for hikers ranging from toddlers to mountaineer enthusiasts and all levels in between.

In 1994 the Peconic Hotel, a beachfront cluster of bungalows and ramshackle buildings, was transformed into the Perlman Music Program, a camp for musically gifted children. The program holds a series of free concerts on Friday and Saturday nights throughout the summer.

Sobering Thought

 

Published in Long Island Pulse on November 23, 2016

Joe McKinsey grew up in South Ozone Park Queens, got a high school education and managed to land a series of good jobs…then proceeded to lose every one. By the time he was in his 30s, he was living in Los Angeles with a wife, a 5-year-old daughter and an addiction to drugs and alcohol that would nearly destroy him.

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Remembering the day he finally called a treatment facility for help, McKinsey said, “They told me it would take 21 days to break a bad habit. Well that was an understatement…but it was a great start.” In the course of his recovery, McKinsey made a discovery: when he was open with others about his problem, they would describe their own struggles with substance abuse. “I’m not very anonymous about my recovery,” he admitted. “If you are with me for more than 10 minutes, you’ll find out.”

McKinsey soon found a calling to help others with the same problem. This often meant assisting them in finding treatment, something most addicts never receive. According to the most recent data published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2013 about 8.6 percent of Americans needed treatment for a drug or alcohol use problem, yet less than 1 percent received it at a specialty facility.

As McKinsey helped more people into recovery he “became a go-to guy on both coasts” and began to notice unaddressed need: “People who have some wealth want a place where they are going to be comfortable.” In 2010, years after moving back East and building a successful computer business, he founded The Dunes, a high-end addiction treatment center in East Hampton that accommodates up to 10 people in a family-like live-in environment.

Although The Dunes is a luxury rehab center, McKinsey has made its services available to those who cannot afford the full cost. He estimates that these “scholarships” have amounted to about $3 million over the past six years. When McKinsey first had the idea to open the center, he sought advice from Dr. Howard Shaffer, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and expert on addiction. Shaffer eventually became the senior project consultant for The Dunes and is now conducting a five-year study of program outcomes.

McKinsey said it’s these outcomes that have helped bolster his own recovery. “It’s amazing the change in people. When they come, they are nervous and angry. They start to turn back into the person they should be. That is the thing that gives me the most pleasure. When it works, it’s magic.”