East End Daydreams

East EndDaydreams

by Lillian Kleinman-Litvack

 

I started out as aFire Islandgirl.  No car, no worries!  I partied on the beach in a half

 

share with my best friend for years. Train or Tommy’s (taxi) to the ferry,Fire Island

 

was easily accessible, an uncomplicated haze of friendship, bikinis, and dancing till

 

dawn.  A night out meant cutoffs and flip-flops, walking arm and arm in the dark

 

and singing at the top of our lungs.

 

 

Then I “graduated” to theHamptons.  A half share in Amagansett dunes meant a

 

walk to the beach but a trip to the market was impossible without wheels.  Getting

 

anywhere was a problem so my best friend suggested I call my now husband who

 

picked me up for a drive in his black BMW.  That was 26 summers ago.

 

 

 

Since then, I’ve since spent nearly every summer out East, commuting weekends

 

from the city, babies in tow. We feel like original East Hamptonpioneers, although I

 

know there are many generations before me. Many years ago the green fields

 

outnumbered the houses and the population was sparse. When we first came here,

 

most of the town’s shops were unique and you could buy something that you may

 

not have easily found anywhere else.  I still walk around in my workout gear but I

 

feel like an outsider.

 

 

Now the town is full of the same stores you find in any upscale shopping center and

 

the shoppers dress up to shop the same designers you see everywhere. Weekend

 

parking and driving is outright scary and it seems like everyone is in a rush. The

 

town is overrun with up and comers, coming and going it seems, to see and be seen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It really is sad that the culture here has become like so many other places –

 

superficial. I know this is an unfair generalization but I find it hard to relax in a place

 

that places so much unabashed emphasis on wealth.

 

One sad thing for me is that my dance class is no longer available.  Summer Kicks

 

was originally housed in an old church with no a/c and portable mirrors. Some of

 

New York’s best talent came out to teach and the mirrors steamed over with sweat

 

and the music was hardcore.  The energy in the room was so dynamic it was

 

impossible not to feel it.  How can a summer resort so close to Broadway theatres

 

not have dance class?  I don’t like to cycle indoors when the sun is shining and I

 

know I am not alone….

 

 

But where else can you find so much appreciation of fine art in all its forms?  The

 

artists need patrons and there is no better market. The galleries are open to

 

everyone … it is a visual feast unmatched anywhere.

 

 

The vistas, their lush landscapes and nearly psychedelic floral displays are ever

 

present.   The vibrant summer colors are abundant and free for viewing and make

 

up for the emphasis on the synthetic.  The fruits and vegetables, freshly picked from

 

the local farm are expensive, but well worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week, my girls and I and their Dad went to the bay to stand up paddleboard. It

 

was a gloriously gorgeous day. The water was clean and clear and still, the sky was

 

cerulean blue and endless.  Our fellow water enthusiasts were happy to share this

 

day. Our smiles were genuine; what mattered was this moment in time being one

 

with nature.  It is good to be alive. This is why we make theEast Endhome.