When it rains it Whores
Surely it won’t rain for six days in a row on Fire Island. Surely it won’t be any fun if it does. Well, I was wrong on both accounts. Let me tell you something, it blew and it blew. Joining the Manhattan masses on the LIRR, a group of quaffed young men stood under the awning at the Pines Ferry dock grumbling through their cocktails that it better get better out. After heading across the bay on the ferry, downstairs no less because the rain made riding atop the ferry impossible, it did feel a bit like the beginning of that movie 28 Days Later…narry a fairy in sight along the generally bustling harbor strip where the bars, booze, boys and lone restaurant are.
But there is a silver lining behind all these clouds. A drizzly Fire Island can serve up its own heat to rival the barely there or not there at all bathing suits of a sunny day at the beach. During six days of clouds and cool temps (at the end of June!!!) I found out that Fire Island still beats the heck out of a rainy day in NYC, or most places for that matter. First of all, rain might be the best conversation starter out there since cigarettes, especially since most people have quit lighting up and can no longer bum a smoke. Instead, between teas and dinners, from under the roofs and canopies at the bars we watched the damp scene unfold. The boys make a run for it, getting drenched, carrying drinks, and giving each other knowing looks, as if to say, “we’re getting wet already, what’s a little more wet?” You won’t find this sense of camaraderie during the sweltering heat when it’s more like “I’m drenched in sweat, out of my way bitch.” Something about the rain makes everyone let their guard down just a bit more, the boys smile a little more often, and the sense of community in the Pines shines through it all.
Oh, and the parties do NOT stop because of a few raindrops. With just about one square miles of land in the Pines, there’s no excuse not to brave 10 minutes of rain for an evening of high, low, and perhaps middle tea too. If a wet tee shirt clinging to your body sounds like a drag, just take it off while dancing away at the Pavilion. And if it gets lost, which it probably will, think of the trek home as a way to shower off whatever sins may have transpired that night. Even the house parties went on as planned, with one featuring a clown nose for patrons, like it needed to be any zanier, and one gorgeous house party featuring DJ Lina, who you can check out regularly at Sip N Twirl where she spins Twirlina. She cranks out the best tunes on the Island, rain or shine. I mean really, you thought we’d all just catch up on our reading in this rain?
All in all, there’s a bit of sadness to realize that one of your precious weekends on Fire Island will be waterlogged. But once you put away the sunblock and pull out the umbrella (ella, ella) you’ll embrace the community for what it is, and the rain makes it easier for it to embrace you back. While you might want to die from all the rain, with the shenanigans of the Island going strong, you’ll realize, what a way to go.
