Newsday • January 16, 2023

L.I. Boutique and Art Gallery sells work by Black artists and entrepreneurs

The new L.I. Boutique and Art Gallery, a business that puts the spotlight on Black entrepreneurs, artists and artisans, opened its doors in Mastic on Monday. “We have quite a few different things — it’s not just clothing. We have some unique pieces,” says owner Philana Aiken, a photographer and entrepreneur who also owns Phenomenal Reflections, a selfie and portrait studio in Patchogue. Noting that there are many Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs working on their own or sometimes...

Newsday • January 13, 2023

Long Island Rabbit Rescue rehomes abandoned pet bunnies

Faline and Freya are sisters from a litter born to a rescued rabbit in the care of Long Island Rabbit Rescue. Credit: Katie Scarr When her family decided to adopt a rabbit two years ago, JoAnna Nicholson went online and found Ru, a mostly gray Lionhead rabbit, through Long Island Rabbit Rescue Group. “Every rabbit’s personality is different, but Ru is a combination of cat and dog,” said Nicholson, 49, an attorney who lives in Amityville. “She’ll come and seek me out for pats and...

Newsday • January 10, 2023

Get smart: Here's how to upgrade your home tech on any budget

Since adding wired cameras to the security system of his Woodbury home, Rich Ritholtz can have neighbors pick up packages for him when he’s away. He can also see what his teenage children are up to. “My wife and I were in Europe this summer and I could see what’s going on when we’re not there,” said Ritholtz, 52. You can see the deliveries, who comes and goes, the people who are supposed to be there — it keeps your kids in check.” A home security system is just one of an ever-growing number of...

Newsday • January 5, 2023

Wellness and spa treatments to refresh for the new year

There’s no better time to renew your mind, body and spirt with a relaxing and rejuvenating spa treatment. Here’s a selection of spas that offer some restorative treatments to start your year off right: Forget your troubles and take a float in a sensory flotation tank at Floatopia in Dix Hills. Filled with 10 inches of water, the tank contains about 1,200 pounds of medical grade Epsom salt, which creates buoyancy, says owner James Michaels. “The water is also heated to the temperature of your...

Newsday • December 30, 2022

Long Islander talks love of Hollywood and its lore

Lawrence Wolff's walls are covered with movie memorabilia he has been collecting since he was a teenager. Credit: Danielle Silverman Stan Laurel, half of the quintessential comedy duo of Laurel and Hardy, was known to welcome strangers into his home. There, Laurel and his guest would typically kick back and watch a Laurel and Hardy movie or two together. Jack Benny, who, in a span of 14 years in the 1950s and ’60s, did 343 episodes of “The Jack Benny Program” on television, was born Benjamin K

Newsday • December 7, 2022

Santa photos on Long Island by your budget: Free to under $50

If your kids haven’t yet seen the ever jolly, toy-toting, white-bearded man this season, he’s making a trek from the North Pole to spend time at various spots around Long Island for the next few weeks. Here’s a list of where the omnipresent, effervescent Santa will be available to pose for photos with the little ones — and even with the four-legged kids — at various price points. Mazelis Gifts and Gardens Sip some hot chocolate, drop off your letter to Santa and take a photo with the big guy...

Dan’s Papers • December 7, 2022

End Fines: Montauk Businesses at Odds with East Hampton Town

Though it’s been a Montauk institution since 1920 and has operated as a nightclub since at least the 1960s, Shagwong Tavern has racked up a bunch of tickets over the summer because they allowed dancing on the premises. “We don’t understand why the town is fighting us to change our use, which has always been how Shagwong Tavern has operated,” says Jon Krasner, who’s owned the establishment for the past seven years. Krasner hired...

Newsday • December 3, 2022

Volunteers bring gift of companionship to LI animal shelters

Six days a week, Cynthia Egido can be found walking dogs around Freeport, as she has done for the past three years. A retired photographer and flight attendant who lives in Richmond Hill, Queens, Egido, 66, walks dogs living at Bobbi & the Strays, a no-kill animal shelter in Freeport. Because the shelter is short-staffed, Egido has been volunteering there for eight hours a day, including taking photos for the shelter’s website. “I give them quality time, giving them time outside of the kennel...

Newsday • December 1, 2022

The Whaling Museum & Education Center in Cold Spring Harbor hosts historic holiday walking tours

The Whaling Museum & Education Center in Cold Spring Harbor will kick off a new series of holiday walking tours on Dec. 10. The tours will start at the museum, where people will be welcomed with hot chocolate and cookies, notes Brenna McCormick-Thompson, curator of education for the museum. “We’ll give a little introduction into what holidays people were celebrating back in the 1800s,” says McCormick-Thompson. “The Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Company operated from the 1830s to the 1860s, so that...

Newsday • November 22, 2022

Winter light shows happening at Old Westbury Garden, Eisenhower Park and more

Melissa Famiglietti can’t wait to go back to Old Westbury Garden’s Shimmering Solstice light show. “We’ve done a couple of the local light shows and I liked the aspect of walking through it as opposed to driving through it,” says Famiglietti, 43, a stay-at-home mom from Port Washington, who describes it as an "immersive experience." "There was music playing, the lights were moving, there were things to interact with,” she says. This year, the Famigliettis will kick off the holiday season with a...

Newsday • November 18, 2022

Holiday Shopping Guide: Amityville goes big on variety

Lena Slawitsky of Commack shops at Losi’s Corner, which is owned by Jackie Herzog, right. Credit: Linda Rosier Holiday happenings in Amityville begin at 11 a.m. on Dec. 3, when the Junior League of Amityville hosts a Holiday Home Tour in the village. The tour of five decorated homes runs until 3 p.m., culminating with tea and cookies at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church; tickets are $20 at amityvillejuniorleague.com. At 5 that evening, a tree lighting takes place in the village gazebo...

Newsday • October 14, 2022

Adelphi statewide breast cancer hotline seeks volunteers

As part of its efforts during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Program is seeking about two dozen more volunteers to field calls. “We need people to help people who need help, basically,” said Nina Foley, hotline and volunteer coordinator for the program, which started in 1980 and averages about 30 calls a month. The breast cancer hotline is the oldest in the country, said Foley, and serves the whole state. “If someone calls our hotline...

Newsday • October 7, 2022

Pet Peeves founder reflects on 20 years, $1.5M in giving

Pet Peeves founder Janine Dion is winding down the volunteer group she started in 2001 but hopes to continue speaking on behalf of animal welfare organizations. Credit: Linda Rosier When discussing rescuing animals, Janine Dion has been known to say, “It takes a litter.” The litter, Dion believes, are the numerous people who contribute to the success of Pet Peeves, the organization she founded 20 years ago to help animals in need on Long Island. An outgrowth of Dion’s combined love for...

Behind The Hedges • October 5, 2022

Development Debate: Neighbors Try to Stop Amagansett Project

For years, Handy Lane was a sleepy little Amagansett street with modest homes that dead ended into a densely wooded, 2.11-acre area. That all changed with the East Hampton Planning Board’s 2015 approval of Salty Development’s plans, paving the way for an eight-parcel Handy Lane Development subdivision with homes starting at 3,847 square feet and going up to 7,081 square feet on parcels ranging from 0.29 to 0.83 acres...

Newsday • September 27, 2022

New generation discovers tiny New Suffolk on North Fork waterfront

When Pat McIntyre wants her mail, she drives to the picture-perfect, stamp-size New Suffolk Post Office to pick it up. That’s because there’s no mail delivery for the 403 residents of the 316 homes in this 0.72-square-mile hamlet tucked into a bend of the Peconic River on the North Fork. “Everybody likes that: That’s where you meet everybody,” says McIntyre, 75, a retired IBM system integration partner. In 1986, McIntyre took part in the annual American Youth Hostels bicycle ride from Manhattan...

Newsday • September 9, 2022

Centerport therapist is guiding light for men's personal growth

Members of The Lighthouse Men participate in a “Spear Conflict Clearing” at their meeting in Centerport on Sept. 5, 2022. Front row, from left, John Hammer and Glenn Davidson. Back row, from left, F. Towne Allen, Bob Woody Wilson, Doug DiMatteo and Jeff Hindla. Credit: Linda Rosier As both his marriage and business were failing, John Hammer felt like his life had turned upside down. An architect who lives in Northport, Hammer, 71, said he felt betrayed, abandoned, hurt and out of control...

Behind The Hedges • September 8, 2022

Historic Artists’ Haven in Springs, Once Home to Abstract Expressionist Nicolas Carone, Now For Sale

A circa-1838 home once owned by renowned Abstract Expressionist artist Nicolas Carone is on the market for the asking price of $1.745 million. Located on Three Mile Harbor-Hog Creek Road in Springs and across from Three Mile Harbor, the one-acre property includes a 1,400-square-foot three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom cottage and an accessory structure, which Carone used as a studio. Though the home has had several...

Newsday • September 6, 2022

Water Lantern Festival comes to Eisenhower Park for the first time

If watching thousands of glowing lanterns floating along the lake at twilight sounds like the perfect way to spend a late summer evening, look no further than the upcoming Water Lantern Festival at Eisenhower Park on Sept. 10. “It’s basically a festival about healing and connection, and hope and happiness," says Shaylee Quick, east marketing specialist for the event which has planned nearly 80 Water Lantern Festials this year across the country, each drawing as many as 1,500 attendees. The East...

Newsday • August 19, 2022

LI woman goes from couch potato to triathlete

Hilary Topper, 60, displays the “Best Endurance” trophy she won last August when she came in last in a four-hour, 6-mile swim from Fire Island to Bay Shore. Credit: Morgan Campbell Hilary Topper grew up next to the ocean, but she didn’t swim in it. It wasn’t until age 48, after years of physical inertia and emotional upheaval, she immersed herself in fitness and, since 2014, has swum in waters from New York to St. Croix. She is still striving to improve her performance, but her goals now include...

Newsday • July 22, 2022

Huntington cover band The Queazles goes out on a high note

Though not earthshattering on the scale of The Beatles breakup, the end of The Queazles is giving its dedicated Long Island following the blues. “Not only is it going to be the last Queazles concert, but half The Queazles are going to be moving away, and we’re going to miss them as friends, too,” said Gerri Farrell, 69, of Huntington Station, a fan who is a retired special-education teacher’s assistant. “So, it’s going to be very heartbreaking.” After 15 years of performing at Long Island venues...