Thinking about retirement, probably on east coast, and trying to identify a good town for both sailing and eating. Spoiled by NYC/Long Island Sound area with a bunch of places where I could live and walk to boat and a dozen restaurants with a variety of cuisines. I'd rather spend my Social Security on food than taxes, however, so any other suggestions that fit the description?
Sailing/Eating destinations?
- Thread starter danm1
- Start date
What a great thread. And a great problem to be solving. Let the deliciousness begin!
I know you mentioned east coast but if interested in gulf coast I suggest houston (Kemah) area for live aboard with close access to seafood, BBQ and other other cuisines. Check out Waterford Harbor marina. Also best thing, no state income taxes
Sounds like I should visit, but looking for apartment my wife will join me in. She'll sail, but living aboard is a no no.
This is so easy. Greenport! Block Island, Newport, Mystic, Saybrook, Essex all easy cruises away. Restaurants in Greenport include, not in any order, Industry Standard (excellent Whisky selection noodle and rice bowls), American Beech ( Upscale cusine), Noah's (Upscale to), Frisky Oyster (Organic Upscale), Claudios (Lobsters Steak and Chops), Port (Tiki Bar on the Harbor), Front Street Station, Agava (Best Marqaritas), Lucharino's Tacoria (Mexican), a Japanese Hibachi table place with sushi bar, a Saki bar with sushi, two pizzerias, Andy's (Comfort food - Reuben is beyond the pale), Deep Water Grill, A Charcuterie Bar, Aldo's coffee and pastries, Blue Duck Bakery, Crazy Bean ( Breakfast and lunch), Bruce's, A Belgium mussel place, at least three deli's and that's all in walking distance in town. A short car ride away is Elbow East (Steaks), Caddy Shack (We don't know yet), The Halyard (Sound View Cocktails), Portabello (Italian indulgence on Sterling Harbor), Founder's Tavern (Pub Food), Caci (High end Italian), North Fork Table (High end). And that's not to mention the 15 or so wineries and two brew pubs, their food trucks and the new places popping up all over. I mean popping up. There are pop up restaurants like Thai or fusion or whatever. For cruisers all this is at your finger tips from the Mitchell Marine in the heart of town. Not to mention a laundry, movie theater, IGA and liquor stores. How can anyone just sail by?
Oh, there is that tax thing. But thanks for letting me get a plug in.
Oh, there is that tax thing. But thanks for letting me get a plug in.
Tax thing is a serious issue. There's a lot of us here who want to stay here until we're toes up. It's really a great place to live. When I go somewhere else, I enjoy coming back. But we all know our money will go a lot further somewhere else - almost anywhere else. So we can probably have a higher standard of living somewhere else, but we have great fun with our friends here. We're trying to figure out the balance. Recent health issues complicate the situation. In regard to health, our "Future" may be here now.
New Orleans has interesting cuisine choices and great sailing and the water rarely gets hard.
Jersey Shore :
Atlantic highlands marina
On The Deck great drunken clams and sunburned pasta
Sea bright
Even tide awesome bar and grill seafood stakes live bands.
Belmar
Shimp box voted best seafood platter in Jersey shore. Fried Clam strips or flounder is the way to go.
Brick town
Lighting Jacks bar & grill great lobster and live entertainment.
Barnegat bay in forked river
Captain's table. & Latitude's Tiki bar bar and grill surf and turf stakes and burgers both have amazing live local bands play almost every night during summer.
Barnegat bay
Water's Edge great appetizers like steamers, peel and eat shrimp, crap cakes. Burgers. Live entertainment plus free morrings and tender service. Recommend to pick up mooring rather than tie up to the docks, gets a little rough when the wind picks up there.
Toms River
Baker's Water's Street grill Five stars and my personal favorite. Everything from wood fired pizza to surf and turf. Live local bands play all summer. Lighthouse point marina has transient slip rental, pool, bar, live entertainment on Saturdays,
Strip mall in front of marina with deli, dinner, liquor store.
Cape may
The Boat house Grilled blackened tuna stake is out of this world good, however only available when local fishing boats are able to score a good catch.
Toms River nj. Or Bricktown nj has a lot of retirement communities and houses on lagoons for the boat worth a look see along with access to all above restaurants.
Now I can't wait for the summer to make my rounds
Atlantic highlands marina
On The Deck great drunken clams and sunburned pasta
Sea bright
Even tide awesome bar and grill seafood stakes live bands.
Belmar
Shimp box voted best seafood platter in Jersey shore. Fried Clam strips or flounder is the way to go.
Brick town
Lighting Jacks bar & grill great lobster and live entertainment.
Barnegat bay in forked river
Captain's table. & Latitude's Tiki bar bar and grill surf and turf stakes and burgers both have amazing live local bands play almost every night during summer.
Barnegat bay
Water's Edge great appetizers like steamers, peel and eat shrimp, crap cakes. Burgers. Live entertainment plus free morrings and tender service. Recommend to pick up mooring rather than tie up to the docks, gets a little rough when the wind picks up there.
Toms River
Baker's Water's Street grill Five stars and my personal favorite. Everything from wood fired pizza to surf and turf. Live local bands play all summer. Lighthouse point marina has transient slip rental, pool, bar, live entertainment on Saturdays,
Strip mall in front of marina with deli, dinner, liquor store.
Cape may
The Boat house Grilled blackened tuna stake is out of this world good, however only available when local fishing boats are able to score a good catch.
Toms River nj. Or Bricktown nj has a lot of retirement communities and houses on lagoons for the boat worth a look see along with access to all above restaurants.
Now I can't wait for the summer to make my rounds
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Northeners use to come to Florida to retire but now they come and then go back half the distance to Georgia, North and South Carolina. That is due to cost of living. Consider all costs and not just taxes. Florida has no income tax but the cost of living has gotten quite high. Follow the snowbirds migration.
Florida is pretty saturated. We winter in Naples but we are getting ready to become halfbacks, or maybe fullbacks.
Why you say?
1. Tough summers here. Very hot, very humid. Naples is pretty far south.
2. Congestion. Development is back in full swing and crowding is around the corner. Traffic is dense and with the number of geezers on the road one must take care.
3. I wouldn't say that the CoL is not real high here, but it is certainly not low. Although no state income tax.
4. Health care is OK but not great. PCs are hard to find and when you find one, difficult to see. Plenty of specialists though.
5. State/county government at least in our county is very good. No buts on that one.
6. Boating is questionable this far south as the tropical sun is really oppressive. For sailing, little wind and less water.
We have been building these +/- sheets for a couple years trying to decide where to go. Hurricane Irma pushed us over the edge. Halfbacks/fullbacks we will become.
Why you say?
1. Tough summers here. Very hot, very humid. Naples is pretty far south.
2. Congestion. Development is back in full swing and crowding is around the corner. Traffic is dense and with the number of geezers on the road one must take care.
3. I wouldn't say that the CoL is not real high here, but it is certainly not low. Although no state income tax.
4. Health care is OK but not great. PCs are hard to find and when you find one, difficult to see. Plenty of specialists though.
5. State/county government at least in our county is very good. No buts on that one.
6. Boating is questionable this far south as the tropical sun is really oppressive. For sailing, little wind and less water.
We have been building these +/- sheets for a couple years trying to decide where to go. Hurricane Irma pushed us over the edge. Halfbacks/fullbacks we will become.
What a great subject.
I think it is a better time to pick a spot than ever before. Food is getting better and better every where.
DC and the Chesapeake Bay address is excellent. DC has plenty of world class cuisine from all over the globe. It is expensive, but saling can be fantastic plus the MARC will take you to Baltimore, another good place for waterfront eating. Savanna is sort of an undiscovered gem for food and, again, excellent sailing. I know the food and sailing around Jacksonville to Saint Augustine is excellent for quality and atmosphere. There are dock side restaurants all along the ICW. Some of the best seafood can be found around Big Bend and the pan handle. It is a lot less built up and very "old Florida". No one can deny New Orleans cuisine. Lake Pontchartrain is, I believe, among the better deals for keeping a boat.
Sorry, I don't have more specifics, but I have nor had trouble finding good food in any of those places.
I'm recording all the suggestions posted here
- Will (Dragonfly)
I think it is a better time to pick a spot than ever before. Food is getting better and better every where.
DC and the Chesapeake Bay address is excellent. DC has plenty of world class cuisine from all over the globe. It is expensive, but saling can be fantastic plus the MARC will take you to Baltimore, another good place for waterfront eating. Savanna is sort of an undiscovered gem for food and, again, excellent sailing. I know the food and sailing around Jacksonville to Saint Augustine is excellent for quality and atmosphere. There are dock side restaurants all along the ICW. Some of the best seafood can be found around Big Bend and the pan handle. It is a lot less built up and very "old Florida". No one can deny New Orleans cuisine. Lake Pontchartrain is, I believe, among the better deals for keeping a boat.
Sorry, I don't have more specifics, but I have nor had trouble finding good food in any of those places.
I'm recording all the suggestions posted here
- Will (Dragonfly)
Well, do I have the place for you; very low cost of living, and as far as cuisine goes, crab right beneath your boat. A short dinghy row ashore for fresh shucked oysters. Throw a line in and dinner on a hook just for the catch of it. No luck finding an eatery nearby, however. But a perfect place to get away from it all...right here. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/03/03/lasqueti-island-off-the-grid-documentary_n_6793446.html
While you all know I’m a PacNW sailor. While I was in the area around Annapolis, I enjoyed crab at Mike’s.
http://www.mikescrabhouse.com/
http://www.mikescrabhouse.com/
It's all relative. Property taxes in Maryland and Virginia can be two thirds or less than in NY/New England. Which sailing towns on the Chesapeake other than Annapolis (which I am familiar with) would have the most restaurants and variety (can't have crab every meal)?