Memories of Visits to the East End

Waking up the morning of a trip to the Hamptons is one of excitement and curiosity as to what new adventure or place will be discovered along the way.  No matter how many times or how long or short the trip, we always walk away from the East End with great memories and our regular catch phrase “there’s always something new we get to see and do”.  For that reason, the places and people we get to see again on our revisits make each trip memorable in its own special way.  When we drive to the East End, the 2 hour drive goes by fast as there are familiar landmarks along the way to look out for to make our Hamptons destination arrive even quicker.  Along the road trip, we will tune in to the local Radio Station in Sag Harbor.  Once the station comes in clear and we are able to hear the songs, jingles, and familiar radio personalities, then we feel we’re inching ever closer to the Hamptons.   It has been fun to see the East End during different times of the year.    In the Fall, we have enjoyed Harbor Fest and the Ragamuffin Parade in Sag Harbor and viewing the colorful Hamptons Fall Foilage.   In the Winter,  we have seen the Holiday Decorations in the surrounding towns that magically transform the East End into a festive and sparkling  place at night with decorated evergreen trees aligning the sidewalks.  We love seeing  Santa and his Sleigh with his Reindeers perched high above the Main Street overlooking Southampton.  This past Harbor Frost in Sag Harbor, we saw from the Long Wharf the water frozen as far as one could see.  It almost seemed looking at it that time in the village had stopped and would only restart once Spring came around   When that Season finally did arrive, we would start feeling Spring Fever and a visit to the Hamptons was always a good cure for it.  Trips would include participating in the annual Katy’s Courage 5K in Sag Harbor which was a great way to see the village and be part of a great cause.  Also, we love to look at and photograph the beautiful  East End landscape containing a wide variety of blooming  flowers and trees.   Lastly, in the Summer, we look forward to visiting friends and familiar places, such as Cooper’s Beach in Southampton and Farmer Markets and Festivals throughout the Hamptons  that often offer items unique to the East End.

One place we particularly like to visit is Sag Harbor with its hometown friendly atmosphere.  Seeing the first glimpse of Main Street with its shops, landmarks, especially the Flag Pole and Windmill at the end of the street and the yachts sitting in the Harbor at the end of the Long Wharf, envelopes oneself with a sense of familiarity as if we had never left.

One memorable day was last summer during a visit to Southampton. We went one weekday and shared some of our favorite places in Southampton with Family.  We stopped along the way at the Big Duck in Flanders and took some nice pictures.  After walking around the shops in Southampton, we ate at Sip and Soda and then headed to Cooper’s Beach.  We arrived there in the mid afternoon and it seemed a lot of people were leaving since the sky was overcast,  windy, and chilly.  It did not deter us from visiting the Ocean.  Often that day, we felt that we had the Beach all to ourselves, since there were so few people on it.  The kids had a great time building sandcastles, looking for seashells, writing in the sand, and jumping over the little waves near the shore.  Towards the end of the day, the sun even came out and warmed us up and was a perfect way to end the day.  As I left the Beach, I gave one last look at the Ocean and promised to come back and visit again soon.   Until then, I hold onto my Memories of the East End with fondness and looking forward to the next adventure that the Hamptons has in store for us.