it took a 3 1/2 hour monster highway drive,
a 2 hour wait in LAX (ambassador's lounge!),
a six hour red eye flight (with no meal..),
a testing experience @ jamaica station,
a saturday night lives version of a train ride,
a black shiny car &
a check in that involved 3 huge flights of stairs..
a check in that involved 3 huge flights of stairs..
....but finally. i was on vacation -in the HAMPTONS!!!
for an australian to imagine a quiet country town on a beautiful beach coastline is pretty hard.. but this was exactly what it was like. ancient wooden houses on massive blocks of land, ratty old fences falling down around the beach, 1 lane main st (deserted...), local shops only open in spring/summer, & less variety than an express servo.
usually all of the above would be a pretty massive reason NOT to go somewhere.. but i guess living in one of the worlds busiest city's shifts desires a little.
if you want a quiet escape - this is surely the place!
for an australian to imagine a quiet country town on a beautiful beach coastline is pretty hard.. but this was exactly what it was like. ancient wooden houses on massive blocks of land, ratty old fences falling down around the beach, 1 lane main st (deserted...), local shops only open in spring/summer, & less variety than an express servo.
usually all of the above would be a pretty massive reason NOT to go somewhere.. but i guess living in one of the worlds busiest city's shifts desires a little.
if you want a quiet escape - this is surely the place!
*****
i was relaxing.. i was vacationing.
balcony overlooking endless miles of untouched sand, horizon ontop of horizon & quiet, hmmmmm delicious.
over the next 5 days i did nothing but relax.
it was perfect.
read a book, ate pancakes (from a true diner), ate monster pizza slices, tried pretty much every sweet the local bakery had to offer, watched movies in bed, sat for hours just staring off my balcony into the endless horizon & strolled the beach, a beach so deserted i could close my eyes whilst walking & just enjoy the feeling of having nothing to my left & nothing to my right -a feeling that i sure wasn't going to get in manhattan...
i even spent a good 10mins every morning & night on the balcony stretching & breathing, desperately trying to encapsulate the wide open space. every breath deeper than the last, as if the harder i breathed in, the more space i could bottle up & take with me...
*****
on my last afternoon i was all packed & based on appearances, i was ready for the big city. pity my insides couldn't be folded neatly & locked away in a massive wheelie case.
i won't say i was scared, but i will say i was cautious.
there was no excitement, but no real panic.
i had no fear of being mugged, no fear of getting lost. the caution was all to do with space.
space, how will i find the thing i need the most in such a compact little island...
over the next 5 days i did nothing but relax.
it was perfect.
read a book, ate pancakes (from a true diner), ate monster pizza slices, tried pretty much every sweet the local bakery had to offer, watched movies in bed, sat for hours just staring off my balcony into the endless horizon & strolled the beach, a beach so deserted i could close my eyes whilst walking & just enjoy the feeling of having nothing to my left & nothing to my right -a feeling that i sure wasn't going to get in manhattan...
i even spent a good 10mins every morning & night on the balcony stretching & breathing, desperately trying to encapsulate the wide open space. every breath deeper than the last, as if the harder i breathed in, the more space i could bottle up & take with me...
*****
on my last afternoon i was all packed & based on appearances, i was ready for the big city. pity my insides couldn't be folded neatly & locked away in a massive wheelie case.
i won't say i was scared, but i will say i was cautious.
there was no excitement, but no real panic.
i had no fear of being mugged, no fear of getting lost. the caution was all to do with space.
space, how will i find the thing i need the most in such a compact little island...
No comments:
Post a Comment