Town Focus: Day 1 in Orient

It will be a long drive to get to Orient every day this week, but worth it to walk the picturesque streets, chat with the friendly residents and get to know what makes the small community unique.

On Day 1, I’ll meet with Andy Binkowski, who is the manager at the Orient Point dock of the Cross Sound Ferry - probably the most familiar part of the North Fork community for many Long Islanders who pass through Orient just to get there.

I’ll talk to Binkowski about working for the ferry company and life in Orient. He’s a resident here and also president of the Chamber of Commerce.

You’ll also find a story posted today about a library outreach program that takes place twice a month at the Orient Country Store. Poppy Johnson, assistant director at the Floyd Memorial Library in Greenport, brings a hand-picked selection of library materials to the community so they don’t have to leave Orient to be active members of the library.

I sat with Johnson for a couple of hours last week as she’s working to get the relatively new outreach program on its feet.

For the rest of the day, I’ll be wandering around town, taking photos and video and chatting with anyone I meet. You can follow along and include your thoughts by email, Twitter and in the comments below.