The Bridge

As I mentioned yesterday, we attended a function last weekend at The Bridge, which is a private golf course built on and around the old Bridgehampton Raceway. It was an experience.

When we were young the Bridgehampton Raceway was a nationally recognized racetrack and when there were races scheduled the whole area was hopping with race teams and spectators and it was very exciting. The garage across from my house often had a high-end race car in-house and we would walk over and "ooh" and "aahh" over it, Most often they were porsches and we were fans. We never attended the races there but would watch them on tv, which was a treat for us, seeing our hometown area on television! We were proud of that track.

Well. the racetrack no longer operates and instead a very expensive private glf course has been designed on the property and we were looking forward to seeing what the property was like now. We were pleasantly surprised.

First, there was no sign that a golf course even existed: no identifying markings at all, only a number out front to clue you in to the address. We turned into the non-desrcipt driveway and wound around the turns and curves of the original racecourse looking for the clubhouse. Along the way we passed the preserved remnants of the tract, fuel signs, towers, underpasses - all reminding us of the property's history. When we turned the corner and the clubhouse came into view there was another surprise. Here on this historic property, with remnants of an historic past, was a lovely, modern clubhouse, as contemporary as they come. It was sleek and low-slung, with vertical boards and steel trim. Inside it was white and open and the decor consisted of memorabilia from the race course's storied past: photos, trophies, racing flags and scorecards, each one perfectly displayed against the stark white contemporary walls. And outside was a deck overlooking the bay with the most incredible views I've seen out here.

Although it would be nice if more people were able to enjoy the beautiful grounds and incredible view, I'm grateful that it's been preserved and left open to the vistas surrounding it. It was a brief look at a ver special place.