July 15, 2009

DAY THREE: ...Do As The Romans

East Hampton is another world. One which I feel both equally a part of, and fundamentally opposite from. Sure, crab cakes for lunch and a quick cruiser ride to the beach seems to fit in rather nicely, but the sheer amount of money being tossed around like drunk junior highers playing monopoly, has me thrown for a bit of a loop. I live in LA, I see it, but I think there is something about being on vacation that is an aphrodisiac for the consumer. Either that or the E. Hampton Board of Tourism sprays WD-40 in your pockets when you step off the train, cause those wallets sure don't seem to stay tucked away for long.

A woman flipped an illegal u-turn, cutting cars off, then stopped in the middle of the street so she could pop the rear of her Rover and have three sales associates bring out the mountains of merchandise she had just, no doubt, put on her black Am-Ex. It was one of the most beautiful displays of gross consumerism I have ever witnessed. I loathed and loved her at the exact same time.







People watching here is like watching an hour of NYC Prep or The Hills. It's excruciatingly draining due to the internal battle being fought inside your head of good ("God, I hate these people. They're bad people and should be punished for their hideous actions) and evil (God, I wish I had that money. That vacation to the South of France sure does look like fun).













The highlight so far has got to be the RRL store. Yeah, I know, we've all seen the pictures and heard all about how great the store is here. We understand it's amazing. But the thing is, you don't. I get a little bored with the constant swinging on the RRL proverbials, but then you go and walk into the East Hampton store, drop to your knees... and weep. Excuse me while I grab a hold and swing away.



Although usually very liberal and carefree with the iPhone photos, the risk of being banned from RRL stores for life seemed to be enough for the camera to stay in the pocket. Some old photos of the place exist here from the mostly decent people at ACL. The store has changed a lot since these were taken, but it's enough for you to see what I'm talking about if you don't already.