There are places in the world you find comfort, you feel at ease, you can relax and breathe and these places become familiar, they become a part of you. Maybe you grow in these places, or you venture there for a purpose, for a reason that stays with you. Maybe you find home in these places. Here are 5 places that feel like mine.
1. Little Compton, Rhode Island
My home away from home for the summer. Small and tucked away in New England where my mom’s family settled 40 years ago, Little Compton gave us a permanent vacation destination that is unparalleled. Warm sunny beach days, characterized for its old farm feel. Fresh farm stands, only one coffee shop and open fields with Nat-Geo-worthy views.
2. Sea Bright, New Jersey
Ocean Ave, windows down, iced coffee in hand, music blaring, wind whipping and sun beating down. Hot sand, trips to Dunkin, and large circles of colorful beach towels with friends. Sea Bright is my summer in New Jersey. Sea Bright is the 10-minute drive from my house, or an ambitious bike ride that all 8th graders aim to venture on in order to prove their independence. I'm grateful to have a place where I can go to watch the sunrise and stay with friends until the sun sets.
3. Newport, Rhode Island
A popular tourist destination, I like to think I know this town better than others. A quick 40-minute trip from Little Compton, it has become a tradition to make frequent visits every summer. Coming here is an always an adventure my family embarks on. After 19 years there’s still only one restaurant we go to, the Brick Alley Pub. We’ve taken sailing trips along the Newport Harbor, gone mopedding through the streets, toured the mansions, and visited every dessert shop within a 2-mile radius. Newport feels like ours, it feels like the friend who’s far away but as soon as you reunite, its like you were never apart, Newport is familiar.
4. Georgetown, Washington DC
When I was a sophomore in high school my oldest brother graduated from Georgetown University. Mid-track season, I had to run during graduation weekend in preparation for an upcoming meet. 3 hours before Senior Ball my dad and I ventured out on a run and found our winding way through the streets, onto campus and up on Kehoe Field to complete a track workout. I stood at one of the highest points on campus and looked over the place my brother had found home and at that moment I knew that I too wanted to find home on the Hilltop. So two years later, here I am, engulfed in the college world, at the only place I would ever want to be.
5. Fair Haven, New Jersey
This is home. Home is where my family, friends and memories live. Home is 66 Maple where I’ve lived for the past 15 years. Home is marked by a small town, where everyone is familiar and where you look back to realize there was nowhere better to have fallen off your bike, to have lost your sister while watching her at the park, to have dogs run free in the street, or to have grown up. Fair Haven will always be home, because home is 5 siblings, 2 parents and love; and they are at 66 Maple.
