It’s midnight and seventy-four degrees and the top is down. The moon is full and the night sky is clear, full of stars. You have your special someone next to you in the other seat. You can hear the gentle surf just off the edge of the road. Almost sounds like dream, but it is the reality for all those with a convertible car in the Hamptons. If you have never experienced it, put it on your bucket list.
Before my divorce in 1999, I owned a chorus line of SUV’s. One after another as the two-year leases ended. Four-wheel drive was necessary for the ski weekends. Those vehicles had lots of space for the two children. In fact, the Mitsubishi Montero had two jump seats in the very back for my daughters, it seemed when they were buckled in those seats they always behaved. After the divorce I lived for a while in NYC with no car. Then on a lark I went and bought a VW Cabrio convertible; it seemed a small car would be easy to park on the upper east side, and quite frankly, it was.
Within months of buying this white car I moved permanently out east. The VW convertible became like a jeep, going days with the top remaining down. I swear there is nothing like driving around the Hamptons in a convertible all year ’round. You see stuff. You smell stuff and you feel the environment. In a regular car the windshield is like a big screen TV, whereas when you drive a convertible it’s like always being at the planetarium. It actually got to the point where I had the top down into November before I consistently left it up. I loved to look up at the big pines of the Northwest Woods. The dunes off of Hither Hills in Montauk. Driving around the Montauk Lighthouse in a convertible is a different experience than in a roofed car.
There are a few places everyone should experience on the east end in a convertible. Both Louse Point and Gerard Drive are a must. It’s great at sunrise, sunset, full moon nights and dark sky nights when the stars take over. Another driving area with the top down is Wainscott Main Street. The big trees, the farmland, the ocean and the big sky all at once is fabulous. Dune Road from Hampton Bays to Quogue is another drive a convertible brings to the next level.
My favorite of all on the east end has to be Ram Island Drive off of Ram Island Road on Shelter Island. There is a reason Jimmy Buffet rented on this road while they built his Sag Harbor compound. He still talks about it sometimes during his concerts. I used to bring friends to this spot at night. Then stop the car and stand on the seats parked along the narrow part of the road that literally separates Coecles Harbor from Gardiner’s Bay. This is where the iconic Bug Lighthouse sits at the entrance to Orient Harbor. If you have never done this, do it. I used to walk my dog there at night; the beagle, God rest his soul, loved that road.
I drove my convertible during my busiest reporting days for the largest weekly free magazine in the Hamptons. Folks knew me, would shout out my name as I drove by or yell my dog’s name. Eventually a problem with getting the check engine light to stay off became a huge issue. That issue made it impossible to pass inspection. It seems the car had a faulty fuse box design and was discontinued. In the end I had to trade it into a VW dealership because no one else would touch it. In a moment of weakness, I bought a VW Passat with a sunroof. Now I drive a Sonata.
Driving a convertible is not for folks with allergies or wives with hair issues. It is not for everyone. However, once a ragtop driver forever a ragtop driver in your soul.
