KDHamptons recently attended a great winter lecture at the Madoo Conservancy in Sagaponack to hear Catie Marron [above] speak about her coffee table tome, City Parks: Public Places, Private Thoughts. In addition to authoring this beautiful book, this Southampton supermom is also Chairman of Friends of the High Line, Chairman Emeritus at the New York Public Library, and a contributing editor at Vogue magazine. Catie shares, “I went to Paris for the first time when I was 23. We went to the Luxembourg Gardens one morning, and I was nearly moved to tears. It became my favorite place in the world.” Learn more about Catie, and her favorite parks around the world, in her new KDHamptons Diary below:

KDHamptons: How long have you been coming to the Hamptons and why do you love it so much?

Catie Marron: I’ve been coming to the Hamptons for 25 years now. First East Hampton, and then Southampton. I love the peace in the off season, and the beaches in the summer. I love to take long beach walks and am always surprised how empty they are. I think we’re very privileged to have this huge expanse of beach.

KDHamptons: What inspired you to write City Parks: Public Places, Private Thoughts?

Catie: I’ve loved city parks since I was in college. Thought I never put it together until my mid 30s.  I came up with the idea because I wanted to get books on my favorites for myself and for some reason, there were barely any!

KDHamptons: What is your favorite park, and favorite essay in the book?

Catie: It’s hard to say what my favorite essay is, but the most personal ones are the most appealing. On photos, my favorites are the ones of Russia…..even though they’re all in snow!

KDHamptons: You recently spoke at the Madoo Conservancy, how would you describe this unique, magical place.

Catie: I was struck by the structure of the garden and the topiary. Madoo offers a wonderful example of bones of a garden holding down the fort over the winter months.

KDHamptons: Please describe what your perfect Hamptons day looks like?

Catie: My perfect day in the Hamptons would be in late June, or late August. Wake up early to enjoy the morning light. Wander our garden w a cup of coffee and our dog. Read the paper under the awning on our terrace. Breakfast with the family and a morning and afternoon swim in a relatively calm ocean with my children. I do swim in late June, now with a wetsuit. A beach walk, then drinks outside with my husband, enjoying looking at our trees, and dinner with family or family and friends. Early to bed.

KDHamptons: Do you have a favorite beach, park, in the Hamptons?

Catie: My favorite beach is right down the street. Coopers Beach or the one, one block over, where I park the car and then take a late afternoon walk. I feel so lucky to have the beach right down the street. I walk both E and W but tend to walk West for some reason.

KDHamptons: Any plans for a second book?

Catie: Maybe, but on a different subject than parks. Still related to the environment. Working on a proposal for it now!

KDHamptons readers can purchase Catie’s book at: http://www.harpercollins.com/books/City-Parks-Catie-Marron/?isbn=9780062231796