My Perfect Day: Springs

Springs. Those who don’t know call it “The Springs,” but they’re wrong, it’s just Springs.

From the era of Jackson Pollock to today, Springs has always been a creative, unassuming East End community that includes many artists. It’s referred to as “God’s Country” by locals because it’s filled with so much natural beauty. It doesn’t have a Main Street. It doesn’t even have a post office. But what it does have is character.

It’s also the area of the East End where I grew up. My family first came to Springs in the 1950s when they built a house on Gerard Drive that was used during the summer; now it’s one of the many that sits on stilts.

When I was five, my family moved to Springs full-time. It’s bittersweet writing this column this week, because after selling their house later this month my parents will leave Springs. And although I haven’t technically lived there since college, Winterberry Lane has always been the place I call home. (We’ve actually lived in four different homes on the same lane!)

Artists and the like have always said that the light in Springs is magic. Growing up with photographer parents, I was always very aware of that special golden hour hue. During the early days of The Independent, there were many photo shoots with friends at Maidstone beach. Springs is a great place to be when that golden sun hits.

So, for “My Perfect Day: Springs” I would start with coffee at the S & S Corner Shop in the ART Bldg on Fort Pond. This café offers hot coffee and local pastries as well as Stanley & Sons Apron and Bag Co. gourmet pantry items for your home. Perfect for unique gift items.

It’s a Saturday in summer so I’d stop by the Springs Farmers Market to pick up lunch. Some of the best summer days are the ones when you don’t have to leave Springs at all. No need to deal with the traffic that can cripple the rest of the East End, you won’t find that in Springs. The farmers market has wonderful vendors and live local musicians.

We’d bring our purchases out on our boat and putt around Three Mile Harbor. Swim, eat lunch, and enjoy watching the other boats go by for a few hours. Another way to get on the water is to rent kayaks at the Springs General Store or take a stand-up paddleboard class from Paddle Diva. It’s also always sunny in Springs. Driving into Springs in a fog-filled ocean mist will many times clear once you arrive.

Later in the day I would visit the Pollock-Krasner House. The Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center is located at the home and studio of abstract expressionist painters Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner. Visitors can explore the home, grounds, and studio. The studio, which is fascinating to see, is filled with evidence of Pollock’s poured painting process. Visitors can wear a pair of protective booties and walk into the studio, which is a work of art itself.

Springs is known as the cradle of the abstract expressionist movement, which also included artists Willem de Kooning and John Ferren, among others. Visit Thursday to Saturday from 1 to 5 PM, from May to October.

An art show at Ashawagh Hall or The Art Center at Duck Creek would be next. This weekend, Ashawagh Hall hosts the 24th annual Artists Alliance of East Hampton Members Art Exhibit and Duck Creek opens “Bonac: Letters From Home” with photographs by Tara Israel (read interview elsewhere in this issue of The Independent).

Dinner would be at Harbor Bistro, one of my favorite restaurants. The family-owned waterfront location boasts a wonderful sunset view and some of the best menu options on the East End. Enjoy live music and BBCs on the lawn every Sunday from 5 to 8 PM.

Drinks at Moby’s would happen after. Moby’s opened this summer in Springs at East Hampton Point.

@hamptondaze
jessica@indyeastend.com