Shelter Island Cottage Rental thru Labor Day $7K

NEED AN 11th HOUR VACATION PLAN?

Dear friends of mine are renting out their cottage on Shelter Island, the idyllic island-that-time-forgot, tucked between the North and South Forks of Long Island, N.Y.

It’s peaceful and private, with a double-height living room and huge screened porch, on a large lot full of mature shade trees. The house is very near Wades Beach (pleasantest on the island, if you ask me), the Mashomack Nature Preserve, the acclaimed Vine Street Cafe, Marika’s Antiques (always fun to look around), and South Ferry. (Be in Sag Harbor in 10 minutes!)

In fact, if you’ve got a book to write, or just like fall and winter in the country, the 3BR cottage is also available year-round; $2,000/month, negotiable.

For all the details, contact jeszwe@gmail.com

Marika’s of Shelter Island

EVERY DAY’S A FLEA MARKET AT MARIKA’S, a mad jumble of used furniture on Rt. 114, the main artery through serene and pretty Shelter Island, tucked between Long Island’s North and South Forks.

Truth to tell, I have never bought anything at Marika’s, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. I check it out every time I pass through the island — most recently yesterday, when my quest was for a set of six matching dining chairs to go around my new 1940s X-legged table. I didn’t find what I wanted, but I totally enjoyed the browse.

There are a couple of outbuildings and several tents next to an ordinary split-level, spilling over with used furniture, kitchenware, framed pictures, and kitschy lamps, much of it in rough condition. Outdoor furniture is a specialty.

Marika’s is one of those places where you can’t help but think, there’s so much, surely there must be something…I may not yet have found anything at Marika’s, but that doesn’t dim my hopes for next time.