Thursday, April 24, 2008

Not the North Fork



LM (Montauk Morning)

2 comments:

GMC said...

Actually, Montauk is a hamlet (and census-designated place) on the South Shore of Long Island. Strategically located on the tip of the South Fork, Suffolk County, New York peninsula, it is the easternmost area in the state. (Population: 3,851 in 2000). Newsday listed 47 hotels in Montauk in 2007, representing 2,030 rooms. However, some city slickers still choose to pitch tents there. None of the hotels are operated by a chain, as East Hampton town zoning regulations forbid chains. Likewise there are no fast food restaurant chains in the hamlet. However, it is home to the largest commercial and recreational fishing fleet in the state, the first lighthouse in the state (the fourth oldest active lighthouse in the country, whose construction was authorized by George Washington in 1792), the only underwater park in the state (the site of the HMS Culloden, scuttled in 1781 after trying to intercept French ships and meeting with severe weather), six state parks, the oldest cattle ranch in the U.S. (The Deep Hollow Ranch), and Frank’s (or Fred’s) famed RV, The Arctic Fox, whose generator mimics the sounds of the Atlantic. In 1614, Dutch explorer Adriaen Block encountered the Algonquin-speaking Montaukett tribe at what is now Montauk Point, which he named Hoeck van de Visschers (“Point of the Fishers”). In 1839, slaves who had seized the Amistad came ashore in the hamlet looking for provisions after being told by the white crew that they had returned to Africa. They were recaptured and ultimately freed in a much-publicized trial. There are still white men in Montauk who believe certain products are “ethnic.” Montauk is mentioned in the 2004 movie "White Chicks. Nelly Furtado sings that she has "Bangkok to Montauk on lock" in the 2007 song ‘Give It To Me’ by Timbaland. It is also known as “The Last Resort” or “The End” and boasts $1 local drafts ($4 for out-of-towners) all day at the Shagwong Tavern.

GMC said...

I stand corrected!