Sag Harbor Is Evolving...

...and many are hoping it will retain it's standing as the "unHampton".

Sag Harbor still has a 5&10cent Store on Main Street and the beautifully restored neon SAG HARBOR sign in front of the artsy movie house is a familiar comfort to us all, thanks to Brenda Siemer, who risked going to jail to save the old sign and then led the charge to raise the funds necessary to restore it. The Sag Harbor Pharmacy is where we get our prescriptions filled and Schiavonies IGA has all the groceries we need along a great meat department. There are no national chains here except for real estate companies. No Ralph Lauren or Starbucks, no Tiffany's or J.Crew...yet.

Two of Sag Harbors most contentious icons are the focus of attention in 2006, and not just the LVIS and Letter to The Editor of the Sag Harbor Express type of attention.

The "Big Blue Ball" by the marina at the corner of Long Island Avenue and Bridge Street, which was used as a natural gas tank for years and was painted and covered up and painted again over the years by artists and community activists, will finally be removed by the Long Island Power Authority this spring. I'm not sure how I will feel about this, but I expect it will be something akin to seeing my great-aunt finally have that hairy mole removed from her chin; kind of sad and relieved at the same time.

And after years of inactivity and decay, the Bulova Watch Building has new owners. Cape Advisors from Cape may, NJ has reportedly purchased the building for $16mil. Cape Advisors has successfully restored several old and forgotten building from the 1800's and given them new life as hotel, residential and mixed use properties.