The town is famous for its long days of fishing and surfing in the sun
However, the harmony of what began as a hobby anglers retreat -and that evolved into a surfing hotspot that, miraculously, maintained a low profile until well into the first decade of the 2000s - has been in danger for a few years due to the flood of young hipsters who have taken over the place as a wild vacation colony, as if from a spring break very long and summery it was.
Things have gotten to the point where it is not uncommon to find posters with a fedora hat -mark of the millennial hipster- crossed by a forbidden sign, under the inscription Save Montauk . What the hell, there are even those who dare to wear t-shirts that say death to the hipsters, or Defend Montauk, the latter accompanied by an illustration of a shotgun.
As if that were not enough, these new springbreakers, which, as such, seem to leave a whirlwind of alcohol and garbage in its wake -or so they claim at neighborhood meetings- have turned the area into a hotbed of new Starbucks-like coffee shops (we say "type" because business chains are not allowed in the area, only unique businesses), as well as modern beach clubs.
'Save Montauk!'
The result, according to publications such as the New York Times, is a rise in restaurant prices of the area that "corner" the middle class that lives there during the rest of the year. However, it may not be for long gentrification it's doing its job and mortgages are skyrocketing. The phenomenon is well illustrated by the fact that chain of luxury shopping malls Neiman Marcus has been inspired by the style of the area to design a skinny jeans, baptized as "Montauk".
Carissa Pelleteri, Brooklyn photographer who has worked with Random House and whose work she has been Exhibited in galleries around the world , she has documented this transition in Surf + Turf: Montauk , a book of interviews and portraits of the oldest inhabitants of the area. Some as PhilBerg, narrate the discovery of the place.
" This town is very special And what's also special is that everyone around my age came here in their 60s and 70s and fell in love with the area. We did whatever it took to stay and live. We become fishermen. I worked with heavy machinery, others became carpenters. The girls worked as waitresses just to be able to be in Montauk. We were a lot: a huge gang of boys and girls who fell in love and they stayed for, simply, make this landscape our home . Everything has been special since then," recalls the neighbor in the volume.
Who wouldn't do anything to stay in a place like this?
The funny thing is that even those under 30 shy away from these little "invasions." Leif Engstrom, a 25-year-old surfer, remembers the much emptier place before , a small surf shelter where one could do pretty much what i wanted without anyone else caring. An even younger girl, Bailey Donovan, says that what she likes best about the area is the being able to go barefoot and fills everywhere with sand without anyone seeing it as a problem, which she continues to do despite everything: "Here there are more and more people, but it is still a very relaxed place" she says.
Artists have also noticed that carefree spirit and its magnetic appeal, choosing Montauk as a landscape for film products such as Forget me!, Friends, The Witches of East End or The Affair... Even the writer -and screenwriter of Miami Vice- Allan C. Weisbecker decided to settle in the area, becoming one of the best-known characters in daily life. In addition, in the town -with less than 4,000 registered inhabitants- they have up to your own culture and surf magazine , heavily involved in communal life, as well as its own clothing brands and even **craft beers** brewed right there.
Peletteri, who has also always felt attracted by the bubbly local vibe , she defines it like this: "There is a feeling of freedom, of emotion, a raw energy , an attitude in the air that right now is good and bad, because there is some anger regarding the changes. But there is also this invigorating feeling that comes from the ocean and of so much virgin land. Even with the massive number of visitors that come in the summer, it is possible to find peace and quiet in nature ", she recalls.
Allan C. Weisbecker, an institution in Montauk
His favorite places to do it are Ditch beach, Kirk Park Beach, Hither Hills , and the top of the cliffs of Shadmoor (near Ditch), where it is the lighthouse , which was the first installed in New York and the fourth oldest in the United States.
When you want to mingle with the madding crowd, go to ** Gosman's , "a classic"**, Jonis "their wraps and smoothies are great", ** The Dock ** "Montauk's most eclectic restaurant" -and one of the oldest - and to South Edison, Salivars, Crows Nest and Duryea's, all with lobsters on your menu -although he warns us that he hasn't been in the last one since it changed hands-.
When it comes to drinks, the photographer chooses ** Montauket , Sole East and Surf Lodge ,** places, by the way, where you can also sleep. To shop, Share With... art gallery, Montauk Mainstay, vintage **Melet Mercantile** showroom, Captain Kid Toys, Cynthia Rowley designs, Air & Speed Surf Shop avatars of the sea and ** Whites Drug and Department Store **, one of those stores where there is literally everything.
The Surf Lodge has been one of Montauk's cultural revitalizers
Also, when we ask what what montauk sounds like (how else can we get a real idea of the vibe of the place?), he gives us this list to help us travel in space and move to this humble eden of weed and surf Which may not be for long.
Montauk Stamina
Only ten copies of *Surf and Turf** remain, available for shipping for a flat rate of $25.