The wealthiest residents of the Hamptons often leave for New York City in early May. Despite their absence, traffic jams persist during rush hour, and people can be seen in the houses, preparing them for their owners’ arrival.
The southeastern end of Long Island features two distinct populations. The first is the residents, who are infrequently present. The second is the workers, who are usually around but never feel at home. These two groups traverse the same streets and enter the same houses and rooms, yet they seldom cross paths. Workers are paid to clean the clear glass windows in beachfront mansions but must finish before the homeowners arrive to enjoy the ocean views. People hired to maintain homes bookend someone else’s summer weekends.
In Southampton, day laborers frequently gather in a grassy field near a 7-Eleven, awaiting work. On weekends, only patches of dirt remain where the grass has been worn away by their feet. As buses carrying visitors head east from the city, the roads leading out of the Hamptons fill with pickup trucks and vans from landscaping services, construction firms, and cleaning companies. Locals refer to this phenomenon as the ‘trade parade.’