Long Island Comes Alive In Comprehenisve, New Guide

By Skye Holly

Now that the weather is finally warming up, it’s obvious that the dog days of summer are close behind.

With the release this month of Long Island ALIVE (Hunter Publishing, $17.95), author Fran-cine Silverman (above) proves that there are plenty of places to get away to when you can’t get very far. And her 592-page comprehensive guide has ‘em all, from the gilded-age mansions of the North Shore to the wide Atlantic beaches on the South Shore, from North Fork’s wineries to the Hamptons on the South Fork. In each chapter Sil-verman focuses on a particular region and presents highlights from an insider’s viewpoint.

A former newspaper reporter, Long Island ALIVE is Silverman’s second travel guide. Her first, Cat-skills ALIVE (also by Hunter Publishing) is now in its second printing. A resident of the Bronx, she wanted to write about someplace closer to home.

Although Long Island is home to tens of thousands, Nassau and Suffolk counties are more than suburbs of New York City. The island’s history is rich and many-layered, with dozens of quaint towns dating back to Dutch and English settlements over three hundred years ago.

Considering Long Island is such an interesting travel destination, Silverman noticed that there were only guides in print about the Hamptons.

"Nobody wrote about these fabulous places—the restaurants and golden mansions," Francine recalls.

This guidebook, however, is packed with listings and facts on over 100 museums, dozens of health clubs, many hotels and inns, waterfront restaurants and various sites for shopping. Sec-tions on festivals and boating opportunities show that Long Island’s recreational opportunities stretch all the way from the North to the South Shore.

Families will be pleased with the references to many child-friendly events, especially in the city of Montauk. There are also many theaters for the performing arts throughout the island and an active nightlife scene. All in the ‘burbs. You can’t get more alive than that!

Michael Hollander, president of the Long Is-land Convention & Visitors Bureau & Sports Commission, commented, "Though this guide will not make Long Island even longer, it will most certainly broaden the horizons of its appreciate readers."

Long Island ALIVE!is available at bookstores nationwide or directly from the New Jersey-based publishers at www.hunterpublishing.com, or 1-732-225-1900. Online orders receive a 30 percent discount.