Logo's Fire Island

[Jane2]

You think I seem angry? ok, you're entitled to your opinion.

"I can't imagine spending an entire summer there, quarter-sharing a sh*t shack with five other people, sounds like a real blast."

You sound like something didn't go very well for you, writing that sarcastic reply to my having a good time there.

To be clear, I am not a rich girl. We were guests of our friends who paid for the rental of the house. One of the houses we stayed at was built and designed by our friend, who could afford it. The house still stands, it is on the beach, but with time, and the passing of our friend, additions were built onto the house and it no longer has the charm it once had.

I didn't know there was a Pines/Cherry Grove war going on.

p.s. You said you prefer the Hamptons? That's where the 1% go. It makes Fire Island look like Cannery Row.

[BobbyBubbi]

"You think I seem angry? ok, you're entitled to your opinion.

"I can't imagine spending an entire summer there, quarter-sharing a sh*t shack with five other people, sounds like a real blast."

You sound like something didn't go very well for you, writing that sarcastic reply to my having a good time there."

My sarcastic reply was in response to the show "Fire Island" and not your experience. 

I am a person who needs a lot of space. So spending a lot of concentrated time (a week or more) with anyone (best friends or otherwise) in my living space, on an island with not /that/ much to do, would make me stir crazy. 

"To be clear, I am not a rich girl. We were guests of our friends who paid for the rental of the house. One of the houses we stayed at was built and designed by our friend, who could afford it." 

Sooo, you proved my point. And like I said, fantastic you had that experience, but perhaps if you had to pay for your own trip, your housing experience would be . . . somewhat different. 

"I didn't know there was a Pines/Cherry Grove war going on." 

The Pines is the much more affluent side and Cherry Grove is the more approachable side but to me it seems if you can afford a summer share on FI in a decent house, its all gravy. I met a few of people from the Pines who, when I told them I was staying in Cherry Grove, looked at me like I just farted. 

"p.s. You said you prefer the Hamptons? That's where the 1% go. It makes Fire Island look like Cannery Row."

Please re read. To each their own. I said if I could afford a house on Fire Island, then might as well go buy a home in the Hamptons and muck it up with Ina Garten. 

 

[Steve C.]

Honestly, been there...done that, and grew up a little. But really, this show portrays everything that we are still fighting to change in regard to stereotypes, lifestyles and more.

Naturally, programs showing positive examples of adult, sharing, caring, motivated lesbians, gays or our entire LGBTQ community will never get the exposure or attention that these lurid "Temptation Island" soaps get. 

[RippedMan]

I'm still trying to get to Fire Island. Maybe one summer, ha. 

[newintown]

LIRR to Jamaica or Babylon, change for the train to Sayville, hop in one of the waiting vans to the ferries, take a ferry over to the Pines or the Grove, and there you are. Or drive/get car service to the ferry. Or take a seaplane (I've heard some wealthy folk have done this, but never witnessed it personally).

[Jane2]

I took the seaplane twice. This was back in the 80's and it was only about $100 one way. I wouldn't do that again. I remember there was no door to close after you got in. It was all open. Never again.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

I have no desire to watch this show, but I was curious about Jeff Self's Vulture recap, and those recaps are everything. I agree with whoever said we'd probably get a richer experience reading the recap than the actual show.

[Kad]

I didn't even know there was a seaplane.

[Jane2]

I just googled it out of curiosity and it seems now to be only $70 each way.

[RippedMan]

It just sounds like so much travel. But I so want to go. Any of you lads going let me know! 

[nealb1]

I'm enjoying it for what it is......and we have to remember without the drama, no one would watch.  

[Jane2]

If anyone's interested, this was our typical day on the Pines.

Wake up whenever, and totally lounge around the pool or the deck with coffee and dish about the night before, until afternoon.

Afternoon activity - whatever we wanted to do. Could be take a long walk on the beach, plan dinner and go shopping at the one store (the Pantry), lay in the sun by the pool or on the beach, go over to the Grove, go visit some friends.

5 o'clock - back then it was tea dance. Spend an hour or more selecting the right outfit, which was anything that looked like you "just threw it on" rather than having spent hours trying everything on that you had with  you. Or-wear something of someone else's. Walk over to tea at the dock, on the deck. Tea dance was for drinking, dancing, but mostly for lining up an evening date.

Come back to the house and whoever's turn it is, makes dinner. Before dinner,  is hanging out, maybe drinking. Dinner is around 8 or 9.

After dinner, everyone goes to sleep. One person is delegated to wake up around midnight to maybe 2 am, and wake everyone else up to take drugs, get dressed, and go dancing at the disco.

Come home around 5 am, jump in the pool, and go to sleep.

Yes, very hedonistic, but that's how it was back then. I had the time of my life.

 

[PalJoey]

 

I had a share in the Pines. Every year for a decade when I was younger.

We used to love getting on that ferry, knowing that once on the other side, there was a paradise with no cars, just little red wagons, and no straights except some very,very cool ones who didn't judge us and would never beat us up. We felt safe there. Maybe too safe.

We danced and we drank well and we ate well and we did drugs and had sex, but we also did things like discuss books and politics and history and how to fight for equal rights and how to fight for our lives. and the lives of our friends.

We took care of our sick and dying housemates, lovers, friends, crushes, tricks. Young, young men, too young to be so sick, too beautiful and smart and talented to be taken so soon. They died so swiftly at first, then they died long, excruciating illnesses. I don't know which was worse. Either way, it was unthinkable.

We buried them and scattered their ashes and mourned their untimely deaths--and their un-lived lives. And we worried about our own mortality and wondered why they were dead and we were still alive. And so we drank a little too much and smoked a little too much and partied a little too hard and tried to forget. We cried ourselves to sleep and woke the next morning to the same sunlit beaches and the same long, lazy summer days, the same twilight cocktails and the same all-night barn dances. But something was missing, maybe someone, maybe too many someones, something was gone that would never be the same.

So we stopped taking the ferry, and never looked back. And, soon, others took our place.

But before we stopped, I met my partner waiting for that ferry. So did others. We know eight other couples who met that year, 1994, all of them still together. It was a good year, a very good year. It was the best of times, and the worst of times were ending. Sometime around 1995, 1996, our friends stopped dying. Well, dying in droves, at least. And the world changed. Next thing we knew, there were gays in the military and gays in sitcoms and gays getting married and gays having babies. Things we never dreamed would ever be, things our dead friends would never see.

Maybe we were as vacuous as the boys on this reality show; maybe we were deeper. But somehow, I just can't bring myself to judge them. I wish them happiness and love and good food and good wine and good sex--and good friendships!--and, above all, the good sense to wake up one morning and take that ferry across the bay and never look back.

And then others will take their place.

 

[Steve C.]

Pal Joey

Thank you for such a poignant and moving post on this topic. It is very evident that you have experienced quite the life that some of the younger LGBTQ community can know only through history, video documents of the time and friends, like you, that lived through such turbulent and also, tempered times of happiness. My much older brother was one of the guys that got sick before there were answers and treatments, no cocktails and relatively little hope. He and I were ostracized by much of our family, including our mother. His death was devastating to me. My husband's lifelong childhood friend was also taken. They were among those that suffered that terrible end of life struggle. You are truly a great role model to younger BWW members, LGBTQ people and everyone else. I suppose Fire Island remains a rite of passage for those of us fortunate to experience it. Your description is the best I've ever heard or read.  

 

[Jane2]

The years I spent at the Pines were between 1974 and very early 80's. Before AIDS. Things were still pretty wild and carefree.

Pal Joey's story and mine may serve as an example of what the pre-and post AIDS appearance lifestyles were like.

I got to be there for the hey days on the Pines. Once the AIDS epidemic struck our little group with vengeance, our lives revived around loving and caring for each other and there was no more fire island for us. I have lost over 20 close friends and I'm so grateful for the one or two who are still with us.

[Cat Guy]

Jane2 said: "If anyone's interested, this was our typical day on the Pines.

Wake up whenever, and totally lounge around the pool or the deck with coffee and dish about the night before, until afternoon.

Afternoon activity - whatever we wanted to do. Could be take a long walk on the beach, plan dinner and go shopping at the one store (the Pantry), lay in the sun by the pool or on the beach, go over to the Grove, go visit some friends.

5 o'clock - back then it was tea dance. Spend an hour or more selecting the right outfit, which was anything that looked like you "just threw it on" rather than having spent hours trying everything on that you had with  you. Or-wear something of someone else's. Walk over to tea at the dock, on the deck. Tea dance was for drinking, dancing, but mostly for lining up an evening date.

Come back to the house and whoever's turn it is, makes dinner. Before dinner,  is hanging out, maybe drinking. Dinner is around 8 or 9.

After dinner, everyone goes to sleep. One person is delegated to wake up around midnight to maybe 2 am, and wake everyone else up to take drugs, get dressed, and go dancing at the disco.

Come home around 5 am, jump in the pool, and go to sleep.

Yes, very hedonistic, but that's how it was back then. I had the time of my life.

 

Glad I missed it.  I was kinda busy back in those days.  No hedonism.  Serving on active duty in the U.S. Military, doing my bit to protect and defend America, took up all my time.

 

 

[Someone in a Tree2]

^ Not sure you intended it, but wow, that came off as very defensive and snarky. I appreciate how much bravery it took to buck the trend and serve in the military back in the 70's/ early 80's when it was NOT the hip thing to do, but you seem to have a bone to pick with those who took a different path all these years later. Is that what you meant to convey?

[Jane2]

Cat Guy said "Glad I missed it.  I was kinda busy back in those days.  No hedonism.  Serving on active duty in the U.S. Military, doing my bit to protect and defend America, took up all my time."

Sorry that wasn't exactly a fun time of your life, but you aren't going to make me feel guilty that it was for me.

[Jane2]

Cat Guy is one of those who doesn't accept messages. So, here's what I was going to say to him:

I thank you for your service to our country. I'm in awe of all those who are serving or have served.

And thank you for your post, reminding me that I'm so often put on the defensive on this board, and find myself,once again, having to explain myself. We have enough of this in real life, who needs it on a chat board?

Once again, this place had stopped being fun. This is a good time to leave, yet AGAIN!

p.s. I've had some really rough times in my life, narrowly escaping death and dealing with a very sick sister her entire life, so the hedonism was welcome.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Never apologize for living YOUR life.

 

[darreyl102]

^^This.