Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at SBU chapter.

My favorite place on Earth. 

It’s the end of June and I’m about to set off on one of the most exciting times in my life. I just graduated high school and I’m looking ahead to the next two months and how much of it is going to change. Moving away for school, making new friends, saying bye to the life and the routine that I had for 18 years, it was all so daunting. It’s something I have been waiting for for over two years, but now that it’s finally here all I want to do is soak up as much time as I can at home. 

My favorite place. On the North Fork of Long Island sits a small town called Laurel. During the summer months the small, quiet town turns into an active beach town that hosts tourists visiting the Long Island shores filled with sandy beaches and the Great Peconic Bay. 

Sat right down the road in between hundreds of yards of open field and miles of small beaches is a house. Light blue shutters and red brick steps leading up to the house. This summer house belongs to my grandparents, and for the past 18 years I’ve spent the months of June, July and August in that house filled with the laughter of my cousins and the smells of my grandmother’s cooking. Every year, I wait to watch the 8 p.m. sunsets from the beach chairs with my toes in the sand and hair still wet from swimming for hours or laying on the boat with my face slightly burnt to a crisp from not wearing enough sunscreen. 

All of my favorite memories have been made in the walls of this house, from the 4th of July, to Memorial Day weekend, to Labor Day, to so many birthdays celebrated. But my favorite part about the beach house is that i get to see my whole family, everyone i love, in one place. Every night is a sleepover with my cousins who I consider my best friends. Almost every night, we would have a bonfire on the beach and sit and talk about all the memories we made together and just how lucky we truly are. At the end of August, I have to say goodbye to these memories and wait another ten months to feel the warm sunshine on my face. 

Laurel, New York, is my second home. I don’t know if I truly have the vocabulary to describe the connection that I have to a place I have spent my whole life in. I cannot imagine a world without spending every summer in a place I love so much.

Brigid O'Dwyer is a freshman at St. Bonaventure University. She is from Westchester County, New York and is very excited to join the Her Campus team this year. At St. Bonaventure, Brigid is a broadcast journalism major also involved in SBU-TV, on campus yoga and SBU-SPCA. She is very excited for the opportunity to grow as a writer in the Her Campus community. In her free time Brigid loves to watch the Yankees win, catching up with her friends over dinner and getting coffee in the morning. Brigid loves any conversation about travel or where your dream destination is. Brigid is looking forward to an amazing first year at St. Bonaventure.