An unexpected spring out East became my personal calm in the middle of the great global storm of the century.
Spending time in the Hamptons has always been a desired escape from city life, but as the way of busy schedules go, it typically ends up being limited to summertime and the random fall or winter weekends when work doesn’t pull me back to the city. It’s always been the dream to have more time out here to relax and enjoy. Never would I imagine that it would unexpectedly become my home base starting in March, by way of unusual circumstances: the coronavirus.
On March 11, my family and I quickly packed our car withas much as we could fit to headout of the city to Southampton. We thought we would spend a few weeks out East at most, but I guess in the back of my mind we had no real idea when we’d return. Social distancing was only a buzzword we heard in the news, but it quickly became our new abnormal way of life— one that was incredibly hard to adjust to. Being in the Hamptons was the one thing that brought some comfort in an extremely uncomfortable situation. For one, having more space and the fresh air helped. I’ve never been more grateful to be part of the Hamptons community than during this crisis, with local stores and restaurants available to help us and residents being there for one another, although a little differently via virtua lcommunication.
Socializing wasn’t the only thing that took a turn. My wardrobe also shifted during these times. Suddenly, dressing for staying in became the new dressing up. With a desire to be comfy and cozy, my new corona uniform mainly consisted of soft sweatpants and sweatshirts; anything else didn’t make sense for our required hibernation. Leading up to all of this, I had a sense of what was to come. I stocked up on athleisure looks from Bandier and Southampton’s Xanadu: tie-dye sets, neon tops and other fun printed looks, which I’m now grateful for to brighten things up on days that felt, well, gray.
On the workout front, I was grateful for FaceTime sessions with my personal trainer, dance cardio classes on the Obé website and, most helpful, long walks around my neighborhood. I also had to adjust my beauty routines to DIY, which was never my expertise. I’ll never take being able to run over to 27 Hampton Salon to get a blowout and a spray tan or a manicure at Pure Nail & Spa for granted. I literally turned my bathroom into my own mini salon of sorts, with my own spray-tanning device from St. Tropez (thank you, SkinStore!), multiple hair tools and at-home manicure sets. I’m still not sure how I took off and reapplied my gel manicure.
There’s been something oddly enlightening about all of this craziness as I realized how dependent I have become for everything I do and howbeing self-sufficient is far morerewarding. Suddenly I was forced into doing things for myself and learned that I’m capable of doing anything I put my mind to. Likewise, I’ve had the luxury of time to do all of the things that were always on my wish list, like reading books that have piled up, organizing my closet and spending unlimited hours catching up with loved ones. It’s cleared my mind in some very basic ways, and the Hamptons has been the ideal backdrop for it.
Photography by: Jonathan Bartlett; Courtesy of Sydney Sadick
