Sag Harbor, N.Y.

As he prepared to set out from his home at the tip of Long Island, Steinbeck noticed in the eyes of his neighbors “a burning desire to go . . . anyplace, away from any Here.” He and his Standard Poodle, Charley, set out in a makeshift camper that Steinbeck named Rocinante, after Don Quixote’s horse. Painter David Slater takes us to Steinbeck’s former home and offers some thoughts in response to Steinbeck’s 50-year-old question about the spirit of America.

Sag Harbor, N.Y. / Travels with Mike by cds audio