Bellport is only 90 minutes outside New York City, but it couldn’t be more different.
“It's beautiful little town with a big preservation culture,” Guja said.
There’s no shortage of gorgeous scenery. “You can just walk out on the street and take a photo of almost anything and it's just so ridiculously charming,” he said.
“There are times when I think I'm taking a lot of pictures of the same thing again and again, like the sunrise with the sailboats…
...but it looks different every day.”
Some locals worry that Guja’s Instagram will make Bellport too popular.
“I've had people say to me in a way that I think is only half-joking, 'You’ve got to stop promoting this place so much, because you're gonna ruin it,'” he said. “What I tell them is that the reality is Bellport is very self-limiting.”
This means that there are no commercial properties, nothing in Bellport’s historic district can be knocked down, and only residents and their guests can access Ho-Hum Beach by ferry or private boat.
“Part of the beauty of it is that it's mildly inaccessible,” he said.
And besides, he enjoys helping other people fall in love with Bellport.
“The more people we get here who appreciate it and understand how special a place it is, [the more it] it adds to the value of the whole place, you know?”
Life in Bellport has always revolved around the water.
In the 19th century, Bellport was a whaling and shipbuilding port. When a shipwreck clogged the ocean inlet with sand deposits, those industries died down and it became a summer resort. Then Hurricane Sandy swept through in 2012.
“Sandy, with all its destruction, opened up the inlet again, so now we have this ocean water flowing into the bay, and there's these beautiful sandbars,” said Guja.
“In the summer you'll see people will anchor their boats and sailboats in the bay in the shallow waters by the inlet, and it looks like the Caribbean. The water is so crystal clear, and the swimming is great.”
Guja enjoys cruising around the historic district and sampling The Bellport Restaurant’s renowned cuisine, but his favorite spot in town is the ocean inlet.
“I'm a water guy,” he said, “so my favorite place to be is either sailing or paddle boarding on the water. I'll choose that over pretty much anything else in town.”
The quiet town may be too sleepy for some, but it suits Guja just fine.
“If someone is looking for some sort of scene, Bellport probably isn't for them,” he said. “But if they appreciate the natural beauty of the area, coupled with the preservation culture and the historic homes, they'll love it.”
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