How my family found a quiet slice of one of the East Coast’s most popular summer destinations.
Our son, shaded by the wide umbrella, played happily in the sand.
Theres nothing better than this, my husband said.
From left: Fresh seafood for sale at Gosman’s; surfers gather at Montauk’s Ditch Plains on early summer mornings.Credit:Justin Kaneps
Most importantly, it still manages to feel raw and unspoiled.
The hamlet has a permanent population of around 4,000, though that number swells to almost 40,000 in summer.
Most importantly, it still manages to feel raw and unspoiled.
From left: Loaner bikes at Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa; the swimming pool at Marram Montauk.Justin Kaneps
I was also intrigued by its cultural history.
Montauk was ahaven for artists in the late 1960s and ’70s.
It is not Greece different vegetation entirely.
Sunset over Montauk, as seen from the dunes near Gin Beach.Justin Kaneps
All the same, he thinks of Greece, then again of the island of Sylt.
I understood what Frisch was getting at.
In its strange wildness, Montauk manages to conjure other parts of the world.
From left: Airy interiors at Montauk Marram, a recently converted 1960s motel; a lunch spread from the hotel’s Mostrador restaurant.Justin Kaneps
There is not much to do at Marram except relax, but for us, that wasnt a problem.
For the next few days, we gave ourselves over to the rhythms of the sun and the sea.
As night fell, the vibe shifted.
Horses live alongside fine art at the Ranch, in Montauk, New York.Justin Kaneps
I was born in Montauk, she said.
Ive lived here my whole life, so I cant really imagine marrying anywhere else.
The bay water was just as cold as the ocean, but calmer and easier to swim in.
The beach at Gurney’s is one of Long Island’s finest.Justin Kaneps
My son made rock pile after rock pile.
He stuffed my sandals with more rocks, then tossed them across the sand, laughing joyfully.
A dog chased a frisbee into the bay as two kids splashed around nearby.
From left: Cocktail hour at Gurney’s; a cocktail by the beach at Gurney’s.Justin Kaneps
These picturesque villages became sources of inspiration for great minds and movements, from Abstract Expressionism to Pop art.
I came out here during the pandemic, Levai told me.
Initially, it was a short-term plan.
One of the original residents of the Ranch, which also houses an ambitious art space.Justin Kaneps
Then I realized I didnt want to leave.
And it just kind of made sense to show art.
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He gestured to the vast fields around us, where horses were grazing.
Several Frank Stella sculptures had been installed on the property for the summer.
Or would they have all been leveled out to make way for something far more generic?
Well never know, Levai said.
Montauk has never quite conformed to one idea of itself.
I hope it never will.
