Flashback to 2015! New York businessmen Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass threw a campaign dinner, and made a $2,700 donation to, then-presidential candidate and always-homophobic Texan senator Ted Cruz. This would not have set the LGBTQ world on fire had it not been for a few critical facts: Reisner and Weiderpass are themselves gay, creators of the premier gay hotel in New York City, the OUT, and are the principal commercial landowners in The Pines in Fire Island, one of the largest gay destinations on the East Coast.
To say this caused mutiny in the ranks is putting it lightly. Reisner and Weiderpass found themselves in a full-fledged boycott of their properties in The Pines and still do. Some people stopped coming to The Pines altogether. This has been a boon for the OTHER gay town on Fire Island, Cherry Grove.
While The Pines and Cherry Grove are historical peers as gays destinations, the wealth and status of The Pines, and the people that went there, always made it the Mozart to Cherry Grove’s Salieri. Separated by a greenspace, the notorious Meat Rack, The Pines became richer of the two and almost entirely gay; Cherry Grove became catch-all for everybody else as the lesbian hangout, or where the gays-with-kids went, or simply where those with more modest means had a day out. Consequently, Cherry Grove is one of the most diverse gay getaways when it comes to LGBTQs in all their rainbow-waving color.
Like The Pines, the ferry to Cherry Grove disembarks from the Long Island town of Sayville, and like The Pines, Cherry Grove has its own pier. Far more blue collar and arty than its counterpart, however, Cherry Grove is primarily a tiny cluster of bars and businesses, AKA “Town,” all of it connected by a squiggle of wooden walkways. No cars are allowed on Fire Island; walking is the way to go and considering the island has a maximum width of 1,310 feet cars are at once too big and truly unnecessary.
Aside from the beach itself, Cherry’s and the Ice Palace are the bars to hit, and the Grove and Belvedere are the hotels. Because the only way on or off the island is by ferry and supplies from Long Island come in only every three days or so, be prepared for higher prices. Cherry Grove may have a different character than The Pines, but the difference only goes so far; this is one expensive island.
But if you do brave the menus and cocktail lists, look at it this way: Your money won’t be going to a Republican wingnut. Or the supporters of such.
Steele Luxury Travel
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