'I Love NY' bus to ferry tourists from NYC to LI wineries, breweries
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Oct. 1, 2014, the start of trips on an I Love New York bus, a new year-round tourism initiative that offers transportation from New York City to destinations across the state, including East End wineries and breweries. Credit: Darren McGee
More residents and tourists in New York City will likely be visiting East End wineries and breweries via bus under a new program announced Wednesday by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.
An "I Love New York" bus, to be operated by Hampton Jitney, will also offer trips to other attractions outside the city such as ski resorts in the Catskills and Adirondacks, and historical and nature sites.
Cuomo said the service aims to encourage people without vehicles to venture outside New York City, and thereby boost the economies of Long Island, the Hudson Valley and upstate.
The Island trips begin Oct. 18 with one-day excursions to either four wineries or four breweries and distilleries, all on the East End. These tours will be repeated Oct. 25 and Nov. 1.
The cost is $169 per person and includes food and beverages. Tickets will only be sold to people 21 or older, officials said.
The initiative is the latest by the state to bolster tourism in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, which generated more than $5 billion last year.
The Long Island Wine Council, which represents vineyards, hailed the new bus service. "This is something we've been trying to do for a long time -- to make it easier for people to come out to the wineries without having to have a car," said Steven Bate, the council's executive director.
He also said the council and others have established a free shuttle service, also using Southampton-based Hampton Jitney, that connects the wineries. The service, in its second year, has been supported by state grants.
The "I Love New York" bus will pick up and drop off customers at the corner of 44th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan, near Grand Central Terminal. Jitney president Geoff Lynch said, "We look forward to bringing the great destinations, craft beverages and events that our state offers to even more New Yorkers as well as the many tourists who visit New York each year."
The Jitney has a one-year contract with the state, but won't be paid by the state; ticket sales will cover the costs, according to a state official who requested anonymity.
The bus also will bring tourists to the two-day Taste of North Fork, a wine and music festival on Nov. 8-9. Tickets are $38 per person for transportation only.
More information about the new service can be found at iloveny.com/bus
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
