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Local vs. "from away"

Just about every summer colony faces the same social reality: a pervasive "local" vs. "from away" attitude that pits residents against each other. The New York Times explores this phenomenon in an interesting piece on how it's playing out in the Hamptons. While visitors to many summer communities try for years or decades to become accepted and feel a part of the year-round/local social fabric, the Times points out that "East Hampton is now also home to the kind of new money and celebrity that doesn’t care if it is local or not."

Posted by Sebastian / Summer Colonies / October 5, 2007 /

First light

I was up with this sun this morning in East Hampton and caught this shot of a few boats in Acabonack Harbor. While the Hamptons may look like many New England summer colonies, the vibe is anything but -- especially with East Hampton's Main Street chock-a-block with Gucci, Tiffany & Co., and Elie Tahari.

As Hamptons Author Steve Gaines told the New York Observer this summer in a piece about the changing face of the East End -- especially all the new McMansions going up in former potato fields:

"Money validates you in the Hamptons, money makes you a big man. And the more insecure you are in real life, the more important these kinds of representations are in the Hamptons. It’s like a guy who has a small penis who has to drive a flashy sports car."

"This is what the Hamptons are, and I make no apology for it, nor is one entitled to make an apology for it. If you don’t want a peacock walk, where people are driving expensive cars and people have houses that are inappropriately big, you should go somewhere else. This is what the Hamptons are, and this is what people enjoy out here. It’s a stage where nouveau society can show itself."

Posted by Sebastian / September 29, 2007 /

Last light

I'm out in the Hamptons for a quick trip to hang out with friends, play silly parlor games, drink a few beers, and also help out at Saturday's inaugural Hamptons Marathon. I snapped this shot Friday evening around 7 p.m. on the roof of the house we got for the weekend -- it was actually quite dark out, but I set my camera for a long exposure, and it sucked in all the day's remaining light for a cool blue photo. The view here is looking south out into the Atlantic.

Posted by Sebastian / September 29, 2007 /