Due North

Go HERE for more of the North Fork

I drove out to Orient Point the other day, and though it took a while, the scenery was so beautiful that I scarcely noticed. Vineyard after vineyard after Victorian farmhouse after farm stand... we're talking miles of bucolic perfection. The north fork isn't understated elegance or overstated wealth the way the south fork is; it actually reminds be a lot of the old seaport towns that dot Massachusetts' north shore.

Houses are simple, mostly shingled capes and painted Queen Annes, with driveways whose luxury car quotient is often nonexistent. There are a fair number of churches, and old-timey pubs and little squares where slightly grubby kids scatter ice cream droplets and chase each other on skateboards. Orient Point itself is quite charming, with a pebbled beach and wooden moorings, and a lighthouse in the distance. I don't know when I'll next have a chance to return, but I'd love suggestions on what can't be missed.