It's true: 'You don't have to go far to get away'

Winter seems a good time to dream about summer. Years ago, after a glorious July 4 weekend vacation in Newport, Rhode Island, close to dusk with our car in tow, my husband, Bala, and I ferried back across the Long Island Sound to Orient Point. Within minutes of hitting the road, a quaint, frozen-in-time village emerged on the North Fork. It was Greenport, a  place I had not heard of.

The shops had closed for the day, and dinner patrons were already indoors. The area still exuded an arresting vibe that tempted us to park our car, get out and stroll arm-in-arm through the neighborhood’s leafy streets and peek into its corners to discover its other magical facets. However, the next day’s work compelled us to keep moving. We were returning from an exhausting trip. Marveling at the Newport mansions had tired us out.

Once we reached our home in Oceanside, we calculated the distance to Greenport: about 80 miles east. We began visiting the bucolic village once every summer despite the season’s beastly eastbound traffic. Last year, we happened to make the trip a week before Memorial Day and were pleasantly surprised by the dramatically reduced flow.

Greenport’s business improvement district welcomes visitors with the line “You don’t have to go far to get away.” How true. Settled in the mid-1600s by the British, Greenport has had success as a whaling, fishing and oystering community.

The reasons for falling in love with a place, a person, an object, or anything for that matter, are an elusive mystery. Is Greenport’s secret a 1920 carousel at the marina, the one that seduces kids, adolescents and adults alike, including me? The gentle circles it makes accompanied by simple, happy music assure visitors that all is well with the world. What more could one ask for?

A favorite haunt of mine is Lydia’s Antiques & Stained Glass on Main Street, where, during every visit, I buy at least one unique, affordable object to cherish forever. Years ago, I bought a set of four glazed ceramic measuring cups, which I still use despite the measurements being off a bit.

A couple of years back, the beguiling charm of the Blue Duck Bakery and Cafe on Front Street, wrapped in its wooden signage and the pleated buntings hanging from the raised front porch railing, beckoned us. Since then, this has been our afternoon stop for coffee and pastry. Sitting on the porch, sipping a latte while people-watching punctuated by glimpses of the carousel and the Peconic Bay across the street makes for an extraordinary experience.

Last year, an online search for vegetarian fare directed us to Erik’s, an unpretentious, family-operated, rustic-looking breakfast and lunch place in nearby Southold. The yam fries with honey-mayo dip is our favorite delight.

Those interested in vintage outfits would find The Times Vintage shop on Main Street a treasure trove that also sells other goods. At nearby Natali Fine Art Services, my son Karthik bought a coffee table book on Leonardo da Vinci published in 1956 with copies of the master’s architectural drawings and notes, paintings and more. It’s so hefty that it could itself serve as a coffee table.

Forbes magazine, in 2011, picked Greenport as one of the prettiest towns in America. What took them so long?

 n READER ROHINI B. RAMANATHAN lives in Oceanside.