Summer’s over – so say the Cape, the Shore and the Sound. But summer homes in the country remain wide open.

Is summer a season? Obviously. It’s also a vibe. And in seasonal towns, both end hard and fast on Labor Day – no more white, no more linen, certainly no more white linen. Morning frost creeps into the garden, much to caterers’ dismay, and the beach – never quite that warm, even in August – becomes a non-starter. We all take the cue that the fun is over, it’s time to return to real life.

Two weeks drinking on a boat off Italy gives me the ick. Don’t tell that to my friends in Corporate America

Two weeks drinking on a boat off Italy gives me the ick. Don’t tell that to my friends in Corporate America

The line between season and vibe blurs more incongruously in the country, however. The most noticeable tell is the traffic. In September, the Long Island Expressway shifts from getaway gridlock back to the normal commuter rush. Try getting up and out on the George Washington Bridge on a Friday afternoon, however, and just hope to arrive by dark. Until we see the autumnal rush of city idiots driving at 20mph to better “see the foliage,” summer in the........

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