Purl By the Sea. Some of you may be stunned to learn that Todaysfrase is a passionate knitter. (Okay, this may not be quite as stunning as learning about some of John Edwards' passions, but I confess it, all the same.) Purl By the Sea is an amazingly well-stocked knitting store, with a wide range of gorgeous and unusual yarns including my current favorite, Manos del Uruguay, which is a pure Peruvian kettle-dyed cotton -- I know, I know, that's more than I needed to tell you. But, trust me, it's great. Best of all, there's a 25% off sale going on throughout the month of August. That's irresistible.
Purl By the Sea is owned by the woman who used to own Montauk's Four Oaks deli during its heyday as a purveyor of truly great home-made baked goods. They're pretty mediocre, now. But I will confess that I would trade PBTS with all its kettle-dyed yarns for the recipe to Four Oaks' long-gone prune danishes. The owner tells me that she doesn't have that recipe anymore, though, so I have accepted the necessity of moving on.
The place to avoid, under any and all circumstances, is a loathsome (trendy, but truly loathsome) place called Surf Lodge. Because this new restaurant/bar clearly has a team of publicists flacking for it morning, noon, and night, Surf Lodge is filled to over-capacity all the time. But it is the total antithesis of everything that makes Montauk great. Women go to it wearing high heels and cocktail dresses. Rumor has it that people get chosen from the waiting line based on what they look like. That says it all. If you come to town and decide to give this a whirl, you're probably not born to be a TF-er, after all. That thought hurts me. It really hurts me.
I can't believe that's the case, though. So instead, I'll tell you about a secret place (a fairly secret place) that's worth a detour: The Walking Dunes. If you're heading east, between Amagansett and Montauk, turn left at the Hither Hills tennis courts (if you get to Cyril's, you've gone too far). Take the road until it dead ends. This is a breathtaking place for a small hike, with dunes that shift each year along with the winds. The dunes are surrounded by Napeague Bay and the Long Island Sound. You'll love it here.
TF-ers, any recommendations from you? I'm always looking for new ideas.
2 comments:
I LOVE PURL BY THE SEA. Todaysfrase, I confess that has gotten onto the list of the best yarn stores ever anywhere. I plan on starting a "cropped cardigan" (I got the pattern from a wonderful book a friend of mine gave me) in pink and purple yarn. It is some of the most gorgeous yarn I have ever seen, gotten, of course, from Purl by the Sea. Knitting is wonderful!
Ladyv, thanks for your endorsement of Purl by the Sea. It is definitely a terrific place and that August sale of theirs simply cannot be beaten. That said, I have learned about a (relatively) new knitting store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan (on Amsterdam, near 109th St.) that I plan to check out after Labor Day.
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