Watch the video from Northforker and Tanger Outlets: Winter Escape

Saturday, February 17 at 6pm

Jason LaGarenne owner and mixologist at the fame bars Anchor and Lazy Point on Spring Street in NYC will be mixing and teaching his recipes. Enjoy fresh takes in old classics, such as the Pistachio mule, Beets by Jay, the Volstead, the Rusty Cage and more. Jason’s home town is Lazy Point, a hamlet near East Hampton. He opened Lazy Point with the East End coastal look, great drinks, music and conversation. We will be serving bites from our Kitchen. $50 per person.

Please call 631-722-2900 to book. Space is limited.

Our favorite cozy North Fork bars for the off-season

by Grant Parpan

The Speakeasy at Jedediah Hawkins Inn

Pulling up to the Jedediah Hawkins Inn in South Jamesport, diners may be swiftly stunned by the romance of its Victorian architecture. What they might not realize is that the most special part of the mansion rests below the ground in its speakeasy, a great option for a large group reservation or private party.

13 Last-Minute Thanksgiving Getaways

Thanksgiving at your house starts with good intentions — family, friends and a bit of football. For some reason, though, it generally ends with a kitchen in disarray and foreign marks on the living room furniture. And while we’re sure your little niece had no malicious intent with her yam-covered hands, that fact does little to ease your stress.

If you’re looking for a way to keep your sanity while still holding on to some holiday traditions this year, check out what these high-end hotels have cooked up for November 23. Whether you’re in the mood for a feast in New England or an impressive spread in the middle of the desert, these properties deliver. And the best part about these elegant meals is that you won’t have to lift a finger to clean up when you’re all finished.

Jedediah Hawkins Inn
Escape to this six-room inn for a cozy holiday in the North Fork, Long Island’s underrated wine country. Sip local pours and settle in for a classic three-course Thanksgiving dinner with options like butternut squash soup with crème fraîche and pumpkin seeds, oven-roasted turkey and prime rib with Yorkshire pudding.

Stay the weekend for Jedediah Hawkins Inn Barn Gallery’s November 25 opening of “Lyrical Light” by artist Max Moran. His impressionist oil paintings (which also dot the inn’s public spaces) capture the North Fork landscape and reveal why this area is so special.

By Jadine Sayer

Fall is full of comforting pleasures like pumpkin spice lattes and cozy sweaters, but nothing beats the great outdoors this time of year. To fully experience the fleeting time when the trees turn vibrant colors and the weather is refreshingly brisk, head to one of these key destinations to take it all in.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Kick your leaf-peeping adventures up a notch with a wildlife safari in Wyoming. While staying at Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole, venture through Yellowstone National Park with a naturalist guide who will explain the ecology of the region and point out native animals like elk, moose, bald eagles and river otters.

Even better, afterward you can retire to a sumptuous room with gorgeous mountain views and a warm, crackling fireplace.

Upstate New York
You won’t even have to leave the grounds of Four-Star The Lodge at Turning Stone Resort Casino to take in some prime leaf viewing. As a guest at this bucolic spot in Verona, New York, you can partake in a slew of outdoor activities (golf, fishing, tennis) or simply stroll the property’s sprawling 3,400 acres.

Upgrade to a VIP Suite to enjoy the killer vistas over your morning coffee from a wrap-around balcony.

Philadelphia
Sure, you can travel the countryside to see the colors of the season, but you can also take a decidedly urban route, too — especially in historic Philadelphia, which is dotted with parks, rivers and lots of trees.

Book a room at Four-Star The Rittenhouse for a central location (on foliage-filled Rittenhouse Square no less) that makes the city easy to explore by foot. Opt for the especially scenic walking trails alongside the river.

The Hamptons
Located on the North Fork about an hour and a half from New York City, Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Jedediah Hawkins Inn is nestled within Long Island’s booming wine country, surrounded by miles of scenic vineyards. In fact, sipping and swirling some local vino as you travel from winemaker to winemaker is the best way to see the gorgeous scenery here this fall.

For slightly more active pursuits, grab one of the six-room inn’s bicycles to cruise around the area.

Kyoto, Japan
Kyoto is a beguiling city that feels magical come fall, making this the season to check in to The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto. The lovely hotel offers an assortment of autumn experiences for you to explore the city and its charming environs, from mountain hiking to tandem biking and even rickshaw touring.

The hotel itself is located along the Kamogawa River and overlooks the majestic Higashiyama mountains. Book the Tsukimi Suite for panoramas of the peaks and an alfresco deck made for moon gazing.

The Berkshires
A gilded Tudor-style mansion tucked away on expertly manicured grounds in The Berkshires, Five-Star Blantyre is a regal country house that oozes elegance. We imagine an autumn day here would involve hiking the property’s lawns and woodlands, having a gourmet meal and retiring to a cozy room for one of the inn’s board games in front of a roaring fireplace.

The Fall Romance Package includes an overnight stay, welcome champagne, breakfast and an elaborate picnic (think candlesticks and plenty of pillows) on the estate’s grounds — all within view of the striking red and gold foliage.

Virginia
The Blue Ridge Mountains are always a beautiful sight to behold, but come fall the picturesque peaks are simply breathtaking. Four-Star The Lodge and Cottages at Primland, located on 12,000 acres in southern Virginia, is an ideal place to take up temporary residence while exploring the property’s fly-fishing, horseback riding, golf and hiking.

For a unique experience, book one of the three private tree houses. These intimate cabins are built around soaring tree limbs with unbelievable vistas of the rolling hills, which will be blanketed in reds, oranges and golds.

Jedediah Hawkins Inn is 2017 Borrowed and Blue’s golden award winner for weddings on the North Fork

We’re thrilled to be a Borrowed & Blue 2017 Gold Medal winner. Thanks to all the vendors on Borrowed & Blue who voted for us!

Guests viewing Max Moran’s art exhibit in the barn at Jedediah Hawkins Inn

Guests viewing Max Moran’s art exhibit in the barn at Jedediah Hawkins Inn

Guests viewing Max Moran’s art exhibit in the barn at Jedediah Hawkins Inn

Max Moran presents “Salt, Sand & Solitude” in our art barn. Despite Hermine and storm warnings, Max had a great turn out in the barn. The exhibit continues until beginning October.

Painting of Kelli Newman by Max Moran was stolen and returned and is hanging at the bar of Jedediah Hawkins Inn

“This stolen painting of Kelli was returned to the artist by Susan and Bradd Martone with the assistance of the Edgartown, MA Police Department. Thanks to their cultural conscience we are happy to share the first public exhibition of this summer moment of youth and beauty that can be enjoyed by JHI guests and visitors alike.” Max Moran

The letter that accompanied the return of Kelli:

“Returning Kelli Newman”      By Susan Martone         Social Ethics

I had memorized every inch of her in the same way a parent memorizes a child.  Slight blonde waves at the top of her head, pink cheeks and slender calves.  Kelli Newman was beautiful, and for 5 years, she was mine.  She graced our home with the class and elegance only something truly fine can.  I loved her.  Now, I gaped in horror at the website photo that was unmistakably her, and the newly discovered knowledge she really wasn’t mine.  She had been stolen 5 years earlier.  In shock and disbelief, my husband and I walked in silence to the Edgartown Police Station, knowing the loss looming ahead of us represented a joyful reunion for another.

Perhaps I should have known 5 years earlier Kelli Newman was too good to be true, but at the time, it seemed completely reasonable.  It was Edgartown after all, an affluent town on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. If Kelli Newman wasn’t someone’s hasty cast away, she most probably represented the spoils of a relationship gone sour.

During the week of May 3^rd, 2008, my friend Hilda and I strolled into the Boys and Girls Club thrift store in Edgartown, MA.  There she was leaning on the floor against the usual suspects of thrift store art, “Kelli Newman,” a magnificent mural-sized oil painting of a nude.  The painting was signed in the lower right hand corner, “Max Moran, 1988.”  On the back of the canvas painted in broad-brush strokes, “Kelli Newman.”   The thrift store sales person speculated the painting hadn’t sold due to its tremendous size and nude subject matter.

This painting was stunning.  Its colors, vibrant blues, greens and yellows propelled me back in time to days gone by of a carefree existence. Gazing at Kelli Newman’s youthful abandon on the beach, I felt Edgartown’s soft sand cushioning my elbows, and the warm rays of the sun blanketing my shoulders.  A feeling of peace and tranquility transcended the canvas.  Kelli Newman inspired me, and I aspired to be just like her.  I bought the painting.  I had to have it.  The price was $25.00

My husband, Bradd, schlepped the painting on the ferry commute home pin-balling funny quips and comments with an array of curious on-lookers.  A couple of sophisticated-looking folks felt the painting was as spectacular as I, so, upon returning home, I googled “Max Moran” and found his website.

Max Moran appeared to be an artist of note, so I sent him an email requesting the painting’s value.  When no response came, I surmised Kelli Newman was an earlier inconsequential work, but my masterpiece, nonetheless.  We had Kelli Newman framed, and she took up residence in our dining room.

Five years later, almost to the day, my husband and I were again relaxing in Edgartown.  It was mid-afternoon on Monday, May 6, 2013, when I discovered Kelli Newman was a stolen painting.  My husband was putting together a puzzle, while I sat harbor view conducting random Safari searches on my iPhone.  I was considering another painting seen earlier in the day at the same thrift store, so I searched that painting’s artist, “Atwell,” but no website appeared.  Enjoying the rarity of free time, I typed in “Max Moran,” and clicked search.  With curiosity, I opened one of the first links that appeared, “Max Moran Stolen Art.”   http://www.maxmoran.com/index.html#/stolen-art/

Max Moran’s Stolen Art webpage opened displaying a $10,000 reward for information leading to the return of the stolen paintings featured.  As I scrolled through the dozens of magnificent stolen paintings, I choked on my own breath when Kelli Newman appeared captioned, “Stolen, Reported to FBI, July 2008.”

“Braadddd!”  My husband rushed over and witnessed the unbelievable-ness appearing on my iPhone.  “Our nude painting was stolen!”  “Oh my gosh!”  “We have to go to the police,” I exclaimed.   Completely flustered, the two of us walked up Main Street to the Edgartown Police Station.

We arrived at the Edgartown Police Station a few minutes later and met with Detective Christopher Dolby.  Unlike us, Detective Dolby was cool and calm.  He carefully reviewed Max Moran’s Stolen Art webpage.  When he arrived at a photograph of Max Moran standing next to Robert Whitman, he identified Mr. Whitman and said, “I just read a book written by this guy.”  The book, “Priceless,” is a detailed account of Mr. Whitman’s career as an FBI agent working in the FBI’s Art Crime Unit.  Detective Dolby then pointed to two postcards tacked on his bulletin board; each one depicted a painting stolen from the Gardner Museum.  He had a special interest in art theft.

Detective Dolby made several unsuccessful phone calls to the FBI Art Crime Unit while we were at the police station.  When it was clear an answer would not be forthcoming that day, he sent us on our way and promised to follow up.

The next day, Detective Dolby called us with the most unusual news.  He had finally spoken to the artist and the proper FBI agent, but the 5-year statue of limitations had expired, so there was nothing he, the police or the FBI could do.  Detective Dolby did his best to explain the limitations of the U.S. art theft laws, but the laws seemed unfair and unethical.  Since 5 years had passed, I could keep the painting if I wanted to.

While it was perfectly legal for me to keep my beloved painting, was it morally right or ethical?  In making my decision, the answer to only one question mattered to me, “was the painting really stolen?”  When Detective Dolby replied in the affirmative, my answer was simply, “then Max Moran is getting it back.”  Only a person without character or virtue would keep a stolen painting.   “Thou shalt not steal,” had been instilled in me as a core value as a young child.  In my world, keeping a stolen painting was essentially the same as stealing it.

Upon hearing my commitment to return Kelli Newman, Detective Dolby provided Max Moran’s contact information.  I promptly penned an email to Max that detailed the painting’s thrift store provenance, ideas for its return, and last but not least, how much Kelli Newman had meant to me.  Within an hour, a delighted and enthusiastic Max Moran called me on my cell phone.

Max and I talked at length, mostly about his on-going, relentless efforts to recover the paintings stolen from him.  “These paintings are like my children,” he shared.   He was at that time in Ohio attempting to recover a stolen painting donated to a well-known private, non-profit organization.  Unfortunately, the organization had its own double-effect type of ethical dilemma.  They were unwilling to return the painting for fear of “embarrassing” and damaging the reputation of its high-profile donor.

Max repeatedly offered me compensation for returning Kelli Newman, including painting my portrait or gifting another painting, but I appreciatively and respectfully declined. It didn’t seem morally right to be compensated for doing the right thing.  Reuniting Kelli Newman with her rightful owner was compensation enough, and it brought me great joy.  Max Moran loved her even more than I did.  A virtuous person does the right thing, because it’s the right thing to do.

If you are like everyone else who has heard this story, perhaps you too want to know what the painting was worth, but does it matter?  From a moral and ethical standpoint, it doesn’t matter whether the painting were worth the $25 spent or $50,000, it wasn’t mine.  For me, the only ethical thing to do was to return it.

TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence

Jedediah Hawkins Inn today announced that it has received a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence. Now in its sixth year, the achievement celebrates hospitality businesses that have earned great traveler reviews on TripAdvisor over the past year. Certificate of Excellence recipients include accommodations, eateries and attractions located all over the world that have continually delivered a quality customer experience

“With the Certificate of Excellence, TripAdvisor honors hospitality businesses that have consistently received strong praise and ratings from travelers,” said Heather Leisman, Vice President of Industry Marketing, TripAdvisor. “This recognition helps travelers identify and book properties that regularly deliver great service. TripAdvisor is proud to play this integral role in helping travelers feel more confident in their booking decisions.”

The Certificate of Excellence accounts for the quality, quantity and recency of reviews submitted by travelers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months.