Island Time

“The general knowledge of time on the island depends, curiously enough, on the direction of the wind.” ~ John Millington Synge

Yes Island time really is a real thing! A thing that even this Type A personality adores to pieces. I honestly had no idea what to think or expect before I arrived in the community of Ocean Beach on Fire Island. With in moments of stepping off the ferry my mind was blown blown and it was truly love at first sight. I found myself contemplating moving there and being blissfully happy!

In the weeks prior, every time I told someone where I was headed, they would exclaim how jealous they were. I had only heard good things, which comforted my wanderlust soul. As exciting as it is to travel to new places and experience new cultures it can still be nerve wracking. Especially if you are doing it along. Since this was my first time I definitely had the travel jitters.

I traveled by foot, train, car, and finally ferry. It might have been an arduous journey but it was well worth it. Alas by the time I reached the ferry which also was the last leg of my journey, the clouds were threatening to throw a tantrum as I boarded.

As I looked out onto the ocean, I silently begged the tantrum to go away. The combination of light clouds, dark clouds, and even some pillowy clouds, mixed with the setting sun was exquisite and definitely foreshadowed how wondrous my trip was going to be. I was glued to the window the entire time, playing with Boomerang and the new features on Instagram.

Stepping off the ferry was like arriving in another world. Ocean Beach is such a cute eclectic neighborhood. The houses are all artfully and creatively decorated giving it almost a Caribbean vibe in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. It was a mixture of Castaway with a vibrancy and culture. It even had a school house!

Yes! A school house! It reminded me of Little House on The Prairie. No vehicles, except emergency, are allowed on the island. The majority of people either bikes or walk everywhere. Though I did see a few lucky ducks ride in golf carts.

While my aunt had told me we could use wagons, I had images of the little red wagon I use to ride in as a kid when my parents pulled me to Schouler Park for fireworks or the one my brother uses with his kids when they go apple picking.

These were not as cute and definitely did not bring to mind the nostalgic memories. They were built to be effective. And lord do people take them seriously…I kid you not the police would put out APBs for missing wagons. The wagons were like over sized plastic crates with wheels and a lock. Yes you can even lock up your wagon. I will say it was perfect for lugging stuff around the island. I had packed light but on an average day I would walk ten miles and that doesn’t even account for my runs, strolls on the beach and dancing the nights away.

Now it being island time I would have expected for everything to close, or for them to have odd hours. Especially since it was after Labor day. Nope, aside from a field day prior to when I arrived, Fire Island is the island that never sleeps.

Truly! I was googling places for coffee, hoping to grab a decent cup o’ joe to get me through the week and came across a bakery that said their hours were six AM to four AM. I was sure it was a mistake until I stopped by and saw a sign they had. Low and behold it was no glitch they were open almost round the clock!