From the Desks of: Our four archetypes share their Ode to Summer missives
Jamie Drake | As winter gives way to spring, I inevitably begin to have thoughts of summer, the season that is the most poetic for me. I long for an excursion to faraway shores in the warm months, where I can stroll in leisure, savor the sites and flavors of another culture, and while-away the hours blissfully far from the urban hullabaloo. In the past few years my wanderlust has taken me to various destinations, including Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Marrakech, Venice and Dubai. One of my favorites was a week spent blissfully alone on Sicily, secluded in a fantastic hotel directly on the sea. With the windows thrown open, the smell of salty freshness was a true tonic. Every day I took the funicular up to the center of Taormina and wandered without a plan, window shopping the ceramics shops and fantasizing about taking a job manning the counter of a pasticceria!
Lindsey Coral Harper | Summer is impatiently waiting for Fridays, with the hope of getting to leave New York City a little bit early to beat the crowds. It usually means sitting in hours of traffic as everyone from the City has the same summer agenda. I grew up on the beaches of the Southeast; think Sea Island, Georgia and Fernandina Beach, Florida. Now I drive north for four hours to frigid albeit gorgeous waters and the crashing waves of Weekapaug, Rhode Island. Summer is fresh lobster rolls and crisp, cold rosé. It’s sailing a Beetle Cat out with my husband at sunset. It’s long walks on the beach and playing fetch in the front yard. This summer is going to be driving around in our new, vintage convertible, top down, with a salty dog who takes up the entire backseat. I’ve never heard such a large dog whimper and shake two blocks from the beach, with the anticipation of jumping off the dock to make a huge splash!
Matthew Patrick Smyth | The reality that summer is finally here kicks in for me when I drive out to the Hamptons just before Memorial Day weekend to make sure my clients are all set up for the season. I spend two or three days driving around from project to project to push furniture back into place, re-style tabletops, oversee deliveries of new furniture and straighten up bookshelves. I head out to my favorite shops to fill in voids or to find something new and amusing for them. Mecox Gardens in Southampton, Comerford Collection in Bridgehampton, Neo Studio, Bloom and Sylvester’s in Sag Harbor are my favorite go-to places. Mid-week is a great time to be out there before everyone heads out. I get up early each day to walk on the beach. Early in the evening I drive out to Montauk by myself to have dinner at Navy Beach restaurant. It’s a great spot and a wonderful way to end the day. On my last day I head out of town watching the traffic build up on the inbound lane. I then drive to Port Jefferson and put my car on the 6:30 pm ferry to Bridgeport, Connecticut. I always aim for this departure, so I can time it with the sun setting over the Long Island Sound. It’s the best part of my trip! At the other end I drive up Route 8 to my house in Salisbury, Connecticut, and at that point the summer and Memorial Day weekend are officially on!
Tamara Eaton | My personal ode to summer is when I remember traveling to the south of France as a child each August. My father frequently worked in Aix-en-Provence during the late summers, so we would rent a house and stay for several weeks while he worked. Although it was a time most kids went camping, my sister, mother and I explored tiny cute towns in and around Aix-en-Provence. I loved being outside and exploring most of the day, but my favorite memories are having late dinners (way past my bedtime!) in the casual countryside and eating fatty French cheese for dessert on gorgeous Provençal linens.
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