OUR NEIGHBOR, TAYLOR SWIFT, I HOPE IS HERE TO STAY... Taylor Swift is one of us Published Aug 30, 2014 As this milder-than-usual summer draws to a close, we bid farewell to many of the hallmarks of the season. Walks on the beach. Ice cream at St. Clair’s. The conga line of pleasure boats along the region’s many waterways. And, of course, Taylor Swift sightings. Since her purchase of a $17.75 million Bluff Avenue estate in 2013, recounting Taylor sightings have become a favorite pastime in these parts. Locals have spotted her paddle-boarding in Watch Hill, dining at the Cooked Goose and shopping at McQuade’s. We know through the grapevine (not to mention social media and the tabloid press) that she’s been shopping in Mystic, buying furniture at Miceli’s, gorging on ice cream at Mel’s Downtown Creamery with pal Ed Sheeran, and throwing massive Fourth of July parties with the likes of Lena Dunham, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. And all the while, Taylor’s been reliably churning out massive mega-hits, the latest of which — “Shake It Off” — she performed at last weekend’s MTV Video Music Awards. Her Bluff Avenue residency hasn’t been without bumps in the road, though. The pop star caused a kerfuffle last fall when an armada of construction vehicles began repairing damage to the sea wall below her property (which abuts a public right-of-way to East Beach) that was sustained during Superstorm Sandy. Turns out, she had her permits in order. Overzealous fans, too, have been an occasional issue. A Massachusetts man who was charged with willful trespass and disorderly conduct for an incident outside the Swift mansion in March got off with probation and anger-management counseling. And a much-ballyhooed incident where three twenty-something locals enjoying a day at East Beach allegedly chucked bottles and flipped the bird at Taylor’s security guards while “exchanging pleasantries” ended up with the charges dropped. Ah yes, the security personnel. Clad in yellow safety vests, they stand sentry outside the property, the most visible manifestation of the pop star’s Westerly presence. And truth be told, they have probably prevented many an incident from occurring, despite the hackles raised among locals. The limited incidents that have involved local law enforcement have mostly fallen under the category of normal celebrity issues, stuff that is run-of-the-mill in tonier enclaves such as Southern California or New York City, especially given the fact that her estate sits just feet from not only a popular public beach but also the most traveled thoroughfare in Watch Hill. Taking all this into account, the question remains: Is Taylor Swift good for Watch Hill? We say, unequivocally, yes. Taylor has, with the exception of one incident of dubious veracity at the Cooked Goose that made the tabloid rounds recently, been a model citizen, and gracious in her interactions with locals. She is that rarity in today’s celebrity culture … accessible, fun-loving, down-to-earth, decidedly un-profane. When it rained this year on the Fourth of July, we saw pictures on social media of her and her friends sliding down a rain-soaked hillside on her property, an unpretentious and down-home pastime that just as easily could have taken place in any of our back yards with our own kids. Indeed, her performance at the VMAs was arguably the only part of the awards show that was suitable for viewing by anyone under 18 years old. The lyrics of the song she performed pokes fun at all the spiteful, jealous, frivolous criticisms she has endured in her young career (OMG, the dancing!), and delivers a resolute promise to “shake it off” — it doesn’t get any more grounded than that, especially given the pressure put on her as perhaps the top global pop superstar of the moment. We hope she stays a while, and her relationship with Watch Hill never reaches the “we’re never, ever getting back together” stage. Taylor could have chosen to buy a ridiculously priced estate in any of a number of communities along the Eastern Seaboard. Martha’s Vineyard, Newport, Greenwich, all traditional havens of the rich and famous, didn’t strike Taylor’s fancy as much as our charming little seaside village. Summer might be waning, but we hope the Bluff Avenue residency of Taylor Swift isn’t. She has brought us a splash of glitz and glimmer of glamor, and in turn, the region has welcomed her with mostly open arms. “This ain’t Hollywood, this is a small town” is a lyric from the song “White Horse” off her second studio album, “Fearless,” but it’s also a fair description of what attracts Taylor Swift to Watch Hill, and what attracts us to her. At heart, she’s one of us.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 18:06:16 +0000
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