When I was a kid, Montauk was home to fisherman, a place where surfers would congregate to ride the waves and locals would take day trips. It was a tourist destination with it’s mysterious lighthouse, even for those of us who grew up on the east end. When I brought my Italian there five years ago, this was the place he found most charming and authentic. A sleepy village just steps away from gorgeous sandy beaches, considered to many ‘The End’. There was nothing chic about it, until now. But it’s not simply Brooklyn’s hipsters who discovered this surfer haven, it’s Manhattan’s social elite too, who have made this their summer home, thus creating Montauk into a surfer chic enclave. (Cap Ferret, where we recently spent a summer holiday, is often called the ‘Montauk of France’.)
Just after Labor Day we drove the length of the island, eager to see the village’s evolution.
What we found were designer boutiques and chic hotels, seemingly abandoned after a full season.
Montauk was left to the locals once more, just as I had remembered it.
The once trendy but now tranquil Surf Lodge was an ideal spot to enjoy an end of summer sunset.
Isn’t it so much nicer visiting Long Island as a tourist? (When it is NOT snowing?) I’m glad you captured the exhausted look Montauk seems to take on after the summer crowds and before the cold sets in. Many people think of it simply as a lighthouse out-and-back destination, but it is nice to see your perspective of the town and the (ever-so-small) community that exists out there on ‘The End.’ Growing up on the North Shore, I always felt a little sad for the dinky Orient Point lighthouse. Montauk gets all the attention!
It is wonderful to have the freedom to be in places like Montauk off-season, I often find that I prefer them more than when everyone else is there. I envision it in the winter, cold and chilly and perfect for reading a good book!
The Hamptons and Montauk are loveliest in the off-season! I actually prefer it there after the chaos of the summer subsides and I can enjoy the natural beauty, walk the beaches, meet local friends… During the week in the summer is nice too. Winters are indeed best for curling up by the fireplace, another sort of charm.