I originally thought I could cross off East Hampton in a day trip, but I am so glad I decided to spend a night there, primarily because it always takes 5000 hours to drive anywhere the even peripherally involves New York City. The highlight of my drive to Long Island was going down the BQE (that's the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway for you westerners) and suddenly BOOM! the entire Manhattan skyline is out your window, from the famous downtown skyscraper skyline, to the Chrysler Building and a washed-in-pink Empire State Building it was AMAZING; it was also the only place that we never came to a complete stop so I didn't get a picture. You'll just have to take my word for it (or brave the BQE after dark). Oh, also, it rained most of the way, just as an added bonus.
Saturday dawned nice and sunny. The weather reports were calling for mid-60s, but windy, and windy it was. When I started planning my trip I was looking up some stuff that (not rich, but still fancy) tourists could do in the shoulder season of October. I discovered the Pollock-Krasner House and just like that, I had the cornerstone of my itinerary.
The drive from the hotel to East Hampton didn't take quite as long as I thought it would so I did a lot of driving around. I stopped at two beaches:
Very Punny, Indeed!
I couldn't believe how blue the sky was, how perfect the clouds were. It was gorgeous, but also windy. The waves were really crashing at Indian Wells.
Despite being famous as a beach community, I was utterly shocked by how woodsy the Hamptons are. In my mind, I always envisioned the beach communities of the west coast, and to see these beautiful beaches and huge house surrounded by trees was kind of strange.
After the beach it was off to the main event. It was truly just a fantastic experience. They let you walk around the studio over the actual floor stained from Jackson Pollock's work. It is a powerful experience for any art-lover. Just so you don't get to overwhelmed by your coolness at being there, they make you wear these goofy little shoes so you don't actually ruin the floor. After Pollock's death, his wife, Lee Krasner, moved her studio into the barn and continued working there for another 28 years. The paint on the walls is her; the paint on the floor is him.
