Amagansett- “place of good water” was named by the Montaukett Indians due to the water source which today is Indian Wells Beach.
It is a small historic hamlet of East Hampton founded in 1680 and is the most charming seaside community set between the Atlantic Ocean and vast farmlands. It is incredibly rare for these two things to so closely coexist. The town works very hard to conserve the farmlands to ensure that they are continued to be farmed for local food and are protected by the Peconic Land Trust. The beaches, just as treasured, are considered to be some of the best in the world. To me it is the most beautiful because it encapsulates all of the best qualities of being a beach town remaining rustic and easy going. And the location can not be beat being the closest to Montauk which is one of my favorite places in the whole world.
We bought our beach house a few years ago.
Before this though we had always stayed at my sister’s house which was amazing and so fun especially when our kids were really little. It was a special time for all of us. That lasted close to 20 years. It was incredible because my sisters and I (and mom!) were able to bring all of our kids together for one month every summer for the most magical time. But we had always dreamed of having a place of our own. Where we could set down roots and create lasting memories of spending summers by the beach.
It was fortuitous that it finally happened right before the pandemic. (It was actually the second time that this house has saved us. The year before our city apartment flooded and we were displaced for almost 1 year.)
HOUSE I LOVE YOU EVEN MORE!
Literally the day after we found out that school was closing because of Covid we packed up and headed east. I will never forget that it was March 12th 2020. I thought that we would be away for a couple of weeks and then back to the city when everything cleared. I had packed two suitcases for everyone. One for being out east and one for going on our planned spring break trip. In hindsight I can’t believe how naive I was. This is where we stayed for the many, many months following. It was a remarkable time really for my family because we were all here living together for the first time in years. My older kids had moved out long ago and now we were all under one roof.
Such a dream for me and I cherished every moment. Don’t get me wrong. It came with many complications due to all of the time spent together without any outside interaction. We didn’t see anyone for months. While there were challenges for sure and some days were a struggle, looking back I wouldn’t change a thing. We also saw up close the effects of COVID and how awful the illness was/is.
And just like that our beach house became our HOME. Not just where we looked forward to spending our weekends and summers. It became my refuge. Our refuge. Truly a safe place protecting us from the scary and unpredictable times that we were living in. It was already our happy place but it became so much more. So much so that we enrolled Parker at Amagansett Elementary (built in 1936). With so much uncertainty at least here he would be in school every day in person.
Currently we have one foot in NYC and one foot here. I think the dichotomy is one of the things that I like most. The city is almost back to it pre-Covid state. It’s amazing to see it on the road to recovery and reclaiming it’s glory. At the same time I completely appreciate the slower pace of the country with practically nothing on my calendar besides sporting events for my kids and the occasional date night, daily visits to my barn to ride Groovy, beach walks and trivia night at Stephen’s Talkhouse. I’m all about trying to keep my inner circle small and I’m happy that it is much easier to do out here. Lots of people have said to me that wait until it gets cold in the winter. “ It’s so depressing”. I haven’t found that to be the case. Not even close. Just quieter here. And still beautiful. I like that. It’s not for everyone. I like that too. Sometimes you need to disconnect to reconnect.
That’s my new philosophy and I’m sticking to it!
There’s always a fire going and it’s super cozy. I’ve always considered myself a country girl at heart who loves the big city. I will forever love NYC but this is good for me now and we are doing our best to make this work. So far so good. And Groovy is down the street so that is a huge bonus for me. I couldn’t feel more blessed to be able to be here, so grateful for the amazing community who has welcomed us so warmly, and being able to call Amagansett HOME.
Thank you Amagansett for giving me the opportunity to connect with different parts of me.
*Life lesson* be ready to take advantage of opportunities when life unexpectedly presents them.
