DESTINATION: THE OYSTER BAY OYSTER FESTIVAL; Part Two

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On the Friday before the Oyster Bay Oyster Festival was to begin I had a day to wander around Oyster Bay. After doing the laundry I spent the day meandering. Beside Oysters one thing becomes clear this is Teddy Roosevelt's town:

His name and image are everywhere and rightly so being as Oyster Bay was the place where he settled down. His home Sagamore Hill is part of the National Park system which was one of the things he created while he was President. I did not go visit the site not because it was closed because of the Government shutdown. I am saving that for another cruise sometime in the future. I read the biography of Roosevelt called Theodore Rex  by Edmund Morris and he was a fascinating individual who did some amazing things in his lifetime. My girlfriend has also recommended I read The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey about Roosevelt's exploration of that river. I plan to read it before I return to visit Sagamore Hill sometime in the future. In the meantime I'm content sit and enjoy the harborside park named in his honor in all it's autumnal beauty:

There are still many buildings to admire in Oyster  Bay that were built when Roosevelt was still living here. Like this former drugstore:

Then there are some specialty shops springing up. Like 20th Century Cycles a motorcycle shop owned by Billy Joel:

Which has some beautiful vintage looking motorcycles on display:

After wandering around most of the day around five o'clock  I started to head head back toward the marina but, sat for a while and watched one of the first booth's being set up for the next day's Oyster Festival with many more to come:

I also passed some of the all important portable toilets that would have to handle the needs of the crowd that will be filling the streets:

So it looked like things were all in place for the Oyster Festival and I was looking to returning to these same streets in the morning to partake of the festivities. In the meantime I headed back to the BIANKA and got there in time to enjoy a beautiful full Harvest Moon rising over the harbor:

And as if that wasn't enough to enjoy that evening the Tall Ship MYSTIC worked it's way through the channel to a dock on the western side of the harbor to be part Oyster Festival event:

Then to top things off the retired New York City Fireboat John J. Harvey entered Oyster Bay a little bit later entering the channel with it's rear deck lights on and pumping a just a fraction of it's capabilities:

What an impressive show one that many on land probably missed. I felt lucky to be among the few to enjoy the show. More on the John J. Harvey in a future post on the Oyster Festival. After the entertaining evening harbor show it was time to head to bed and get ready for the Oyster Festival that would begin in the morning.
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For part three of the Oyster Bay Oyster Festival click here.

For part one of the Oyster Bay Oyster Festival click here.