A long weekend falling just at the end of midterm seemed like a great opportunity to unwind – perhaps to start a video game, watch movies, or just sleep. For the last Veterans Day, however, I had a plan.
During an intense 40 hour stretch, I traveled to Montauk Point on Long Island, NY, where I visited a historic lighthouse, found a special seltzer water at a grocery store, and then rushed a few hours to Manhattan.
This trip was designed to be my personal lighthouse tour. Since coming to Tufts, I was fascinated by the idea of lighthouses. They are a striking and beautiful landmark of typical New England coastline. I had always loved expansive coastlines, and a tower filled with rich history and intricate construction added to the appeal.
Wanting to take advantage of the convenient transportation that is so prevalent in New England, I was eager to take a Zipcar to Montauk and then take the Amtrak train back to Medford. Driving would allow me to explore freely on the way to Montauk, and the Amtrak would be a relaxing way to return. Also, I decided to rent an extremely cheap Airbnb in Queens that would allow me to spend the night in the area and then go to Manhattan the next day.
The day started early – around 5:30 a.m. – when I woke up about an hour earlier than I had planned. My enthusiasm and my lack of fatigue were a good sign for me. Whenever this state of mind emerges, I am assured that the day will be adventurous.
The first stop on my trip was The Fresh Market in Avon, Connecticut. This is where I knew I could find Rambler Sparkling Water, a brand of water from my home state of Texas. I had discovered the company last spring at a grocery store in my hometown and caught their attention on Instagram by aggressively tagging them in my social media posts. Then in October, I visited their small office in Austin, Texas, where I was able to meet all the employees. There, the founder told me about a grocery store that supplied Rambler Sparkling Water – The Fresh Market in Avon. It was an hour into my trip to Montauk but well worth it. At the store, I found the water immediately and went to buy it. I told the cashier my story with this water, then we sat down and tried it together – the benefits of getting to the store so early.
Then the long-haul journey began, which lasted five hours, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The drive to Montauk didn’t seem long at first. I put together at least six hours of tech podcasts and a 24-hour music playlist, which kept me entertained until I reached the start of Long Island.
Turns out Long Island was a lot longer than I expected from making cursory plans the night before. At least 2.5 hours of the trip involved traveling those 118 miles to the tip of the island. I was very excited about the landmarks, however. Seeing signs pointing to places I had heard so much about like the Hamptons or seeing Manhattan across the East River was so exciting because I had never been so close to these iconic sites by me -same. I felt accomplished for being able to generate the impromptu self-motivation to take this journey.
Eventually I reached Montauk. The first thing I did was marvel at the Montauk Point Lighthouse; after all, that was the main attraction that drew me there. As with all vacations I’ve taken in the past year, I took drone footage of the area.
Then I went to the museum inside the lighthouse and looked at the artifacts, which illustrated the historic past of the Montauk Lighthouse, dating back to 1792. I would be remiss if I didn’t climb to the top as well.
At the top, I met Dan, a member of the Montauk Historical Society, who seemed to treasure introducing visitors to the lighthouse. We talked about the lights on the structure, and he explained to me how the lighthouse staircase had to be demolished to change the Fresnel lens that directs the light out to sea. We discussed my drive from Medford this morning- there and the Boston Light, which Dan thought was an inferior lighthouse to Montauk.
Leaving Montauk shortly after sunset, I needed dinner, which again meant meeting someone new. I went to a marina looking for food but only found a tackle vendor and his trailer as the nearby restaurant was closed for the season. He was so curious to know why I was there, since I was his fourth visitor that day and the only one he didn’t know. He recommended a great local restaurant – The Point – where I had my first real meal of the day, and it was the best Philly cheesesteak I’ve ever had. Sitting in this restaurant showed me that “small town America” felt the same in Texas, back home, and here in New York.
At this point, I had to walk up Long Island to my Airbnb, during which I planned the rest of my evening. When I got to my Airbnb in Queens, I realized I was only 45 minutes from Manhattan by subway, and decided I’d be a fool not to take advantage of this change to be a tourist. typical of New York.
I spent the evening in Times Square, went to the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue and visited the Plaza Hotel. At the Plaza Hotel, I asked the security guard if this was the hotel that featured in “Home Alone 2” (1992), after which he walked me through all the movie sets in the lobby. The next day, I browsed various museums, parks, landmarks, and shops in Manhattan before heading back to Tufts that evening.
Before this trip, I was not really aware of the positive impact one person can have, even in a seemingly insignificant or fleeting interaction. I wouldn’t have understood this if I hadn’t pushed myself to plan this trip and had the courage to execute it.
While taking a solo trip, I learned that people are generally open to having conversations with strangers and that such positive interactions can brighten their day as well as yours.
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