Take the train (Long Island Railroad) to premium outlet shopping

One of Long Island’s most exciting destinations to shop is the newly-opened Tanger Outlets at the Arches Center in Deer Park www.tangeroutlets.com. Nearly 800,000 sq ft of architectural arches modeled after a stucco Tuscan village made its debut in late fall of 2008 with 70 well-known name stores.

A variety of stores are open on site from fashion to home decor, books, music CDs, toys, and outdoor gear. These include Neiman Marcus Last Call, a 31,500 sq ft store featuring 30% to 75% off of apparel and accessories for men, women and children as well as plush toys, home décor, gifts and luggage. More than half of the clothes come from 40 Neiman Marcus stores nationwide, catalogs, website and Bergdorf Goodman stores. The other half is purchased from the same vendors carried at the mainline stores. A 10,000 sq ft space for Tommy Hilfiger features men's, women's and children's apparel, as well as handbags, watches, belts, wallets, perfume, sunglasses, hats, socks, men's underwear and gloves. Saks Off Fifth is a 30,000 sq ft loft-like space with accessories and clothing for men, women, and children.

If you carry an AAA/CAA membership card, show it at any Tanger Outlet Center customer service center or management office and receive an exclusive savings book worth hundreds in bonus discounts from participating Tanger stores.

Once you tire of shopping, there are a Johnny Rockets, Nathans, and Chipotle restaurant chain for a meal break or an outdoor ice skating rink and 16-screen Cineplex on site. Ice Skating at The Arches is designed for the entire family. Admission to the skating rink is $10 per session and ice skate rentals are $4. Children under 5 years of age skate for free (not including skate rentals). Hours for the ice skating rink are as follows: Monday 3:00 pm - 7 pm, Tuesday - Friday 3:00pm to 9:00pm; Saturday 11:00am to 9:00pm and Sunday 11:00am to 7:00pm. For additional information please contact the ice rink at (631) 940-8167.

What’s the easiest way to get to the newly-opened center, especially from Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn? The Long Island Rail Road www.mta.info/lirr has package pricing, which includes round-trip rail to/from the Deer Park station shuttle to/from the Tanger Outlet Center, and a voucher to exchange at the Shopper Services Center for a coupon book worth hundreds of dollars in savings. Package tickets are available at ticket offices or from gray or blue ticket machines under “Getaways & Packages.” Sample pricing from Penn Station to Tanger for adults is $17, $11 for seniors (65+) Up to four children, ages 5-11, may accompany each adult for $1.50 roundtrip ($2 onboard). Children under 5 are free.

Once you arrive at the Deer Park LIRR station, a special shuttle operated by Tanger Outlet will meet trains at the east end of the north platform, up to 1/2 hour before store opening and after store closing times. The shuttle will stop/pick up outside the Shoppers Services Center, located near Neiman Marcus Last Call. Turn in the ticket voucher for the coupon book here before shopping. Restrooms are available at this location as well. Please return to the shuttle stop 20 minutes before train time.