76-Second Travel Show: 'America's best beach'

Episode #036
F E A T U R I N G * 4 2 * B O N U S * S E C O N D S

Dr Beach, aka Stephen Leatherman, has picked America's best beach for 20 years, based on all sorts of factors like sand condition, temperature and whether you can smoke on it or not. Over the years Hawaii has dominated like a German bobsled team, taking the honors 12 times. Florida has six gold medals, North Carolina one and (this year) New York one, as Coopers Beach in Southampton* took the honors.

It's worth pointing out what this means.

Sorry Brian Wilson, but New York is a better beach destination than California. It's also better than more commonly considered beach destinations like Texas, Oregon, New Jersey, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Alabama.


I went to Southampton a few days ago to talk with year-rounders about the effect of the news ('surprise!' was a word I heard a lot, even the mayor said so). But one guy -- my favorite -- was not moved by it all. In fact he was disgusted.

Sitting on a giant chopper in the center of Southampton Village, outside Dunkerley's stationery store (travel rule: never go past a stationery store without stepping in), on Main Street between (Ted) Nugent Street and (Mick) Jagger Lane, he had the single most-impressive Viking helmet of all time. Triumphant horns -- closer to tusks -- shot out either side, and a swoop of plastered-on Mohawk hair ran between. And his dog -- a sweet collie with a Jimmy Buffet bandana on -- was in the bike's back basket.

I asked him about Coopers Beach being America's best. 'You kidding? I'm from Montauk. Come to Montauk and I'll show you real beaches.' I told him I believed he would. 'Really, come out there and we'll BS awhile.'

I'm guessing it won't be hard to find him.

* That's right Coopers, not Cooper's. No one seems to know when the apostrophe dropped. Fewer care. The Cooper in question is John, an original settler from 1640 -- and the guy who ran the lone tavern, fish-drying and whaling business. Quite a Cooper, that one.

76-Second Travel Show: 'Billy Joel's Long Island'

Episode #034
S P E C I A L * 7 . 6 - M I N U T E * V E R S I O N

One of these days we'll all go through a Billy Joel renaissance -- making amends for the delay as a 'Joelky' and pour with fervor through his catalog to find the nuggets that didn't reach MTV, like 'Vienna' or 'Laura' -- then debate whether the Innocent Man record is even listenable? (It is.)

The problem with Billy's legacy is that he's a bit of a 'shlubby guy' -- he said so himself at one of his two 'last night' shows at Shea Stadium. It doesn't necessarily help that he touts a working-class area New York City likes to make fun of -- Long Island, or 'guyland.' And unlike Bruce Springsteen, who successfully translates the wastelands of Jersey -- a catapult shot over the Big Apple -- into the enduring hearts of rock fans, Billy's never been cool. And he never will be.

But that, as Chuck Klosterman writes in Sex, Drugs & Coco Puffs, never meant he wasn't great.

I'm naturally inclined to the overlooked places in travel, and Long Island's heartland (on/off the Long Island Expressway, in neither here-nor-there towns like Hicksville where Joel was raised) strikes me as something of 'New York's Kansas.'



Also, Joel seems like he kinda deserves a break too.

So the SSSTS staged a Billy Joel roadtrip contest, and three Brooklyn-based winners -- Sherry Wasserman, Andrew Hickey (aka BrooklynNomad) and Matt Watt -- shrugged off the B-Jo critics to join me on Billy Joel's 61st Birthday Eve.

But where to go? Simple, just follow the ultimate Long Island guidebook: Billy's songs.


As part of the exercise, we ranked each of the stops on a zero to five 'fires' system. The results, shown above, show a deep valley in places with no local interaction (eg 'Miracle Mile') while it peaks in places like Hicksville home to many Joel-linked characters. Says something about what sorts of 'travel' works best.

Now, 'Billy Joel travel' -- ie, with devoted 'Joelkies' hanging out in suburban streets of middle Long Island -- may not transform the travel landscape for good, but having done a Joel trip now, I can attest that I'll never hear 'Scenes from an Italian Restaurant' the same way again.


Billy's high school, where he finally got his diploma in 1992.




Is Syosset's Christiano's the 'Italian Restaurant' from 'Scenes from an Italian Restaurant'? Many say it is. In the June 1977 concert in the bonus CD of the 30th anniversary edition of The Stranger, Billy dedicates the song to Christiano's. Though some say, including David Fricke in that album's liner notes! -- that it's based on the now-closed Fontana di Trevi in Manhattan. You decide, but my vote is with Christiano's.


Billy's former neighbor Bob Hess tells us Billy's home (shown above) used to be red.

76-Second Travel Show: 'Billy Joel Winners'

Episode #030

The love we're seeing at the SSSTS studios regarding the emerging notion of 'Billy Joel Travel' has been astounding. And pleasing. But only three winners could be chosen for the first-ever 76-Second Travel Show Road Trip, on Joel's 61st birthday -- Sunday May 9.

And those winners are 'Rutila,' 'Brooklyn' and 'Matt.' I seriously hope you can do this. We'll be back before dark.

Email reidontravel[at]gmail[dot] com for details.

Trip in brief:

* we'll get a Cold Spring Harbor breakfast
* track down the 'village green' Billy sings of
* see the 'Miracle Mile' from 'It's Still Rock'n'Roll to Me'
* maybe see a Billy Joel car-wreck site
* see if we can find someone Billy Joel beat up (he boxed) or other Billy Joel experts
* AND grab either a bottle of red or white at the restaurant which MIGHT be the 'Italian Restaurant' from 'Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.'

Meanwhile, check back for more Billy Joel Travel updates, including a road video and theme song 'We Didn't Invent Travel.'

76-Second Travel Show: "Billy Joel Roadtrip Contest"

Episode #029
F E A T U R I N G * 3 1 * B O N U S * S E C O N D S

The 76-Second Travel Show wants to take you on a Billy Joel roadtrip in New York's Long Island to celebrate the 'guitar man's' 61st birthday on Sunday, May 9, 2010.

The trip begins from Brooklyn, NY, that morning and should be back around dusk.

The itinerary is mostly a secret (ie still being formed) and will include some food, a look at Cold Spring Harbor (which Billy named his first solo album after in 1971 -- though it was released too fast, by accident), the 'village green' where Brenda and Eddie hung out at in 'Scenes from an Italian Restaurant' (see this video done by Mexico City students) and a look at the 'miracle mile' from 'It's Still Rock'n'Roll to Me.'

To enter, just tell us what you think Billy Joel thinks of travel.

Two random winners will be picked on April 20.