It was very interesting listening to Donna Geraghty, associate broker at Brown Harris Stevens Commercial Services of Long Island. She addressed members of the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce at their Sept. 18 meeting at the Homestead restaurant and said many of the things we have heard over the years as being important to improve the retail area of the hamlet.

She mentioned that the store hours should be consistent. She mentioned having retail stores on the first floor of the buildings along Audrey Avenue. She mentioned that it would mean working harder, too.

What was new was the creation of different locations for different types of businesses. It is intriguing to think that we might have furniture stores and antique shops lining South Street. We are fascinated with what is happening and are looking forward to see what will evolve.

Last weekend we visited Port Washington and enjoyed sitting on a wall near Louie's restaurant. There is a little landscaped park with benches in what was an empty and overgrown lot on the water. Now it is part of the walkway around the harbor created with EPA funds.

It was delightful to see how popular the spot was as many people came and went. The view of the harbor was wonderful. It was great to see people taking advantage of the walkway. Louie's newly renovated restaurant is a great place to visit. We had a superb time, sitting in the sun, watching the water, the people and eating. We wondered when Oyster Bay will have a similar destination.

We hope a restaurant on the water is in the plans for the revitalizing Oyster Bay. We've been waiting a very long time for one.

-DFK