East Enders soak up 'Tumbleweed Tuesday' after exodus of summer tourists, traffic and crowds
A quiet Coopers Beach on Tumbleweed Tuesday in Southampton on Tuesday. Credit: /Randee Daddona
A few dozen people sprawled out on beach chairs and blankets Tuesday morning near a vacant lifeguard stand at Coopers Beach in Southampton. The only sound came from the ocean breeze and crashing waves.
"It’s like having your own private beach," said Ron Gentile, who owns a home in Hampton Bays.
The crowds that flooded the beach over Labor Day weekend gave way to vast stretches of empty sand on what Hampton locals refer to as "Tumbleweed Tuesday." The unofficial end of summer marks a chance for locals to exhale and enjoy a reprieve from the heaviest of traffic woes.
Southampton resident Dianne Melodia, wearing a "Hamptons" hat, said she considered heading to Coopers Beach Monday but thought better of it.
"I was like, you know what, let’s just wait a day," said Melodia, who hosted three friends on a cloudless, sun-soaked, 70-degree day.
In the last decade and especially during the post-COVID years, the proverbial tumbleweeds blowing down Main Street have been fewer and fewer, residents say, as the year-round population increases and out-of-towners extend vacations into September.
But there’s no denying the drop-off that arrives the first Tuesday after Labor Day as many vacationers pack up and head west.
"It definitely shuts down," said Margaret Donohoe, who works at Sunrise to Sunset Surf Dive & Sport in Southampton Village. "That has been like that forever."
Donohoe, who lives about a mile from the shop, still runs the day-to-day operation after selling the business to nearby Flying Point Surf. She said the hardest part for her after summer is the boredom. The benefit, though, is reconnecting with familiar faces.
"They stay away all summer for the most part," she said. "Like today I saw maybe five locals and they said the same thing. They don’t come to town in the summer."
Andy Drake of Southampton has turned Tumbleweed Tuesday into a family tradition and said "it's the best day of the year."
Drake and his two children, Sadie, 9, and Easton, 7, write down different activities on pieces of paper, fold them up and then pick out of a hat. This year they pulled: go for a bicycle ride, visit the local surf shop and go to grandma and grandpa’s.
"It’s just such a cool way to celebrate the last day of summer," he said.
Brittany Torres, a Southampton native who now lives in Springs, commemorates the day each year by creating a limited edition candle for the company she founded, Hamptons Handpoured.
The Tumbleweed Tuesday candle — a fan favorite, she said — features a "bright and grassy" scent, created with herbs and sandalwood, that "features a little bit of spice leading you into the cozy season."
She said the candle is a way to connect to year-round residents.
On the North Fork, residents let out a similar sigh of relief Tuesday.
But any tumbleweeds that formed would soon be blown away with apple and pumpkin picking just around the corner.
"We kind of take over in the fall," said Mycki McKay, who runs Helen’s Farm in Riverhead with her husband Donald. "People that beach during the summer will do the wineries and the pumpkin picking."
In Cutchogue, Tom Wickham is switching gears from peaches to apples, with 25 varieties ripening in the coming weeks.
Wickham, 85, said fall traffic poses unique challenges for farms farther east. "There’s some people that just get fed up with all of the traffic and turn around and go back, and just take the closest thing they can find," he said.
Traffic across both forks continues to be a worsening problem. In the Hamptons, even as the tourist season winds down, the "trade parade" of contractors heading east still continues into fall, residents said.
Shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday, traffic backed up along Route 27 between Hampton Bays and Shinnecock Hills. Pockets of traffic emerged in Water Mill, Bridgehampton and Wainscott.
Southampton Town Councilman Michael Iasilli has been leading a traffic mitigation and safety task force that grew out of residents' frustration.
"I think since COVID we've seen sustained traffic after Labor Day, so there definitely is a need to start thinking about more systemic solutions that can help address some of the issues," Iasilli said.
Kathy McGraw, who lives near Sound Avenue on the North Fork, said it becomes impossible to make a left turn anywhere on the popular thoroughfare.
McGraw, who is vice president of the Northville Beach Civic Association, said there have been some improvements. Riverhead officers block off some back roads so only residents have access. The traffic flow near the Harbes properties has improved, she said.
But McGraw, and most residents, don’t want to see Sound Avenue changed or widened to accommodate more cars.
"We’ll survive," she said. "We’ll just hunker down for those weekends up until Halloween."
A few dozen people sprawled out on beach chairs and blankets Tuesday morning near a vacant lifeguard stand at Coopers Beach in Southampton. The only sound came from the ocean breeze and crashing waves.
"It’s like having your own private beach," said Ron Gentile, who owns a home in Hampton Bays.
The crowds that flooded the beach over Labor Day weekend gave way to vast stretches of empty sand on what Hampton locals refer to as "Tumbleweed Tuesday." The unofficial end of summer marks a chance for locals to exhale and enjoy a reprieve from the heaviest of traffic woes.
Southampton resident Dianne Melodia, wearing a "Hamptons" hat, said she considered heading to Coopers Beach Monday but thought better of it.
"I was like, you know what, let’s just wait a day," said Melodia, who hosted three friends on a cloudless, sun-soaked, 70-degree day.
In the last decade and especially during the post-COVID years, the proverbial tumbleweeds blowing down Main Street have been fewer and fewer, residents say, as the year-round population increases and out-of-towners extend vacations into September.
But there’s no denying the drop-off that arrives the first Tuesday after Labor Day as many vacationers pack up and head west.
"It definitely shuts down," said Margaret Donohoe, who works at Sunrise to Sunset Surf Dive & Sport in Southampton Village. "That has been like that forever."
Donohoe, who lives about a mile from the shop, still runs the day-to-day operation after selling the business to nearby Flying Point Surf. She said the hardest part for her after summer is the boredom. The benefit, though, is reconnecting with familiar faces.
"They stay away all summer for the most part," she said. "Like today I saw maybe five locals and they said the same thing. They don’t come to town in the summer."
Tumbleweed traditions
Andy Drake of Southampton has turned Tumbleweed Tuesday into a family tradition and said "it's the best day of the year."
Drake and his two children, Sadie, 9, and Easton, 7, write down different activities on pieces of paper, fold them up and then pick out of a hat. This year they pulled: go for a bicycle ride, visit the local surf shop and go to grandma and grandpa’s.
"It’s just such a cool way to celebrate the last day of summer," he said.
Brittany Torres, a Southampton native who now lives in Springs, commemorates the day each year by creating a limited edition candle for the company she founded, Hamptons Handpoured.
The Tumbleweed Tuesday candle — a fan favorite, she said — features a "bright and grassy" scent, created with herbs and sandalwood, that "features a little bit of spice leading you into the cozy season."
She said the candle is a way to connect to year-round residents.
Pumpkin traffic
On the North Fork, residents let out a similar sigh of relief Tuesday.
But any tumbleweeds that formed would soon be blown away with apple and pumpkin picking just around the corner.
"We kind of take over in the fall," said Mycki McKay, who runs Helen’s Farm in Riverhead with her husband Donald. "People that beach during the summer will do the wineries and the pumpkin picking."
In Cutchogue, Tom Wickham is switching gears from peaches to apples, with 25 varieties ripening in the coming weeks.
Wickham, 85, said fall traffic poses unique challenges for farms farther east. "There’s some people that just get fed up with all of the traffic and turn around and go back, and just take the closest thing they can find," he said.
Traffic across both forks continues to be a worsening problem. In the Hamptons, even as the tourist season winds down, the "trade parade" of contractors heading east still continues into fall, residents said.
Shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday, traffic backed up along Route 27 between Hampton Bays and Shinnecock Hills. Pockets of traffic emerged in Water Mill, Bridgehampton and Wainscott.
Traffic solutions
Southampton Town Councilman Michael Iasilli has been leading a traffic mitigation and safety task force that grew out of residents' frustration.
"I think since COVID we've seen sustained traffic after Labor Day, so there definitely is a need to start thinking about more systemic solutions that can help address some of the issues," Iasilli said.
Kathy McGraw, who lives near Sound Avenue on the North Fork, said it becomes impossible to make a left turn anywhere on the popular thoroughfare.
McGraw, who is vice president of the Northville Beach Civic Association, said there have been some improvements. Riverhead officers block off some back roads so only residents have access. The traffic flow near the Harbes properties has improved, she said.
But McGraw, and most residents, don’t want to see Sound Avenue changed or widened to accommodate more cars.
"We’ll survive," she said. "We’ll just hunker down for those weekends up until Halloween."
Tumbleweed Traditions
With the unofficial end of the summer season, East End locals emerge after months of packed beaches, shops and restaurants that jammed up traffic.
The Town of Southampton is studying traffic calming measures.
On the North Fork, residents anticipate another period of intense crowds and traffic with the onset of apple and pumpkin picking.
'I don't know what the big brouhaha is all about' Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman plan to deputize gun-owning county residents is progressing, with some having completed training. Opponents call the plan "flagrantly illegal." NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
'I don't know what the big brouhaha is all about' Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman plan to deputize gun-owning county residents is progressing, with some having completed training. Opponents call the plan "flagrantly illegal." NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
