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I don't know whats so special about Fire Island. Unless you own a house there and can vacation for weeks or weekends its not worth the visit at all.
Its just a small island water all around. A few restaurants here and there and that's that.
Again if you own a home and can stay there say all summer and work from home, then yes marvelous. Other than that, there are plenty of great places, cheaper, less crowded and gay free if that bothers you so much.
Same goes for Hamptons. A getaway destination for higher class people. Unless you own property there I see no reason for strolling around. Its an artificial hype created by celebrities.
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Its just a small island water all around. A few restaurants here and there and that's that.
It depends on what part of FI you go to. Some are party areas, some are quiet and family-oriented, all are quaint. Had it occurred to you that the beaches, the small island with water all around and the restaurants are exactly why people go there? Some places on FI feel like a world away, which is what a lot of people are looking for.
It depends on what part of FI you go to. Some are party areas, some are quiet and family-oriented, all are quaint. Had it occurred to you that the beaches, the small island with water all around and the restaurants are exactly why people go there? Some places on FI feel like a world away, which is what a lot of people are looking for.
exactly. that was just a rambling of a bitter person jealous of the wealthy
I don't know whats so special about Fire Island. Unless you own a house there and can vacation for weeks or weekends its not worth the visit at all.
Its just a small island water all around. A few restaurants here and there and that's that.
Again if you own a home and can stay there say all summer and work from home, then yes marvelous. Other than that, there are plenty of great places, cheaper, less crowded and gay free if that bothers you so much.
Same goes for Hamptons. A getaway destination for higher class people. Unless you own property there I see no reason for strolling around. Its an artificial hype created by celebrities.
You are in luck, my family, yes FAMILY, have been going to Cherry Grove and owned homes and businesses there for over 100 years.
It became popular with Gays during the depression when families couldn't afford summer rentals and "theater" people, many gay or lesbian, some with independent means, started taking the rentals.
Some speculated, as my family did, in damaged properties after the 38 hurricane and did very well. WWII was still tough for families to come who did not own so rentals were going largely to gays. We had some very famous ones as tenants, though their lifestyles weren't widely known to the public back then.
When my mother was growing up, families owned, gays rented, but that started to change after the war and by the 60s, 90% of the homes were owned by gay men. Lesbians did not come in meaningful numbers till the 80s.
During the war: no electricity, no phones, kerosene lamps, ice boxes, blackout curtains, 1 telegraph line, Army and Coast Guard patrols hourly. No bridges yet, so if you wanted a beach vehicle, usually a model A with the fenders stripped off and airplane tires bolted on, you paid a guy with a barge or drove it across the ice in winter.
60s/70s counterculture hit hard, drugs, nudity, and nightlife. Many straight people from the mainland and the straight communities would come for the better restaurants and nightclubs, where you could really cut loose. Some hostility to families with children, and straights visiting. The latter not always unwarranted.
80s AIDS took a toll on real estate, nightlife, and lives
Just spent a week there with 3 generations of family. Lot's of kids around again, and half of them have 2 Dads or 2 Moms. Some minor intra-gay hostility to gay parented families, but generally a very mellow and tolerant environment by all. Nightlife there if you want it, but not the dominant theme, and 2 great restaurants, one on the bay, one on the ocean.
The 3 most beautiful communities on FI, each in it's own way are Cherry Grove, Fire Island Pines [gay], and Point O'Woods. The latter being very family oriented and controlled by an association like a co-op or country club. To me the rest is generic barrier beach type development. My top 3 also benefit from isolation compared to much of the rest of the island. Which with the first 2, is what attracted gays to begin with.
incidentally, the Pines was founded in the late 50s as a family oriented alternative to what Cherry Grove had become. That notion didn't survive the 60s.
I recommend a mid week rental, beaches and restaurants wont be crowded, nightlife tame, you'll really enjoy it. No place like it and truly beautiful and relaxing. Just 20 min on the ferry and most people on LI have never been.
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