Looking Up In The Hamptons

We live in one of the most beautiful areas in the country. Those who are able to come and spend time in the Hamptons seem to come back year after year, generation after generation. Everyone from architects, to home builders, to landscape designers, to pool builders, and even our beach attendants try to create the most welcoming environment and access to even more beauty. It is truly a future shock, as ours is the first generation to see less than one hundred percent of this beauty. As summer approaches, I suspect that many of us will be looking down at our cell phones quite a bit. We will be texting, emailing, posting to Facebook, and taking the focus off of the moment. As Alvin Toffler once said, “You can use all the quantitative data you can get, but you still have to distrust it and use your own intelligence and judgment.”

Today, as we are building a beautiful backyard setting, it is my hope that the folks that come to this home will put down their phones and enjoy it. Before long, in some yards … there will be a gorgeous luxury gunite swimming pool and spa. Soon, after we finish construction of the pergola for an escape from the sun, there will no doubt be some incredible music playing in the background. By then, an outdoor kitchen will be in place, a fridge built-in with cold drinks at the ready. There will even be a fireplace for cuddling up with your spouse on a cool late August night. Families will come together, friends will gather, and memories will be made.

Those who are able to come and spend time in the Hamptons seem to come back year after year, generation after generation. (Photo: Stacy Wickham Photography)

When I was growing up, I was a kid from Jersey that was lucky enough to come to Sag Harbor for the summer. It wasn’t really “The Hamptons” back then (and on some days I wished I was down the Shore in Manasquan). Looking back, I was a fortunate kid, and the kids that come here today are fortunate as well. I spent days at the ocean with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. We went fishing. We had BBQs. We walked down Main Street in Sag Harbor with my grandmother to Paradise for an ice cream. I even met my wife in Southampton. It wasn’t that long ago, it wasn’t in black and white as you might think; the colors were vibrant.

I’ve veered off topic a bit in this week’s commentary. You’ll usually read about landscape design, luxury gunite pools, and real estate hints on ways to profit from an upgrade to your outdoor living space. Today, I looked out at the ocean as I wrote this article, saw all the beauty that I sometimes ignore, and looked down at my cell phone (without the slightest bit of irony) for quite some time to “pen” this article.