The Hamptons

Partiers throw down at The Harbor Club in Bridgehampton.

Photograph: Rob Rich/Societyallure.com

We pity the Hamptons—they’re so misunderstood! The area has long been known as the summer place for NYC celebrities and elite to see and be seen, and its reputation as an extravagant playground for overindulgent rich folk is only bolstered by shows like Gossip Girl and The Real Housewives of New York City. Justin Weg, a Blue Sky Studios animator and a Hamptons vacationer who favors the excellent North Fork vineyards, says the hype isn’t true. Four-year Southampton shareholder Katie Venditti says the stereotype is accurate and “you can either avoid it or you can become one of them.” Why the disconnect? It’s all about which part of the Hamptons you choose to summer in.

Anne Goldman of the Upper East Side feels East Hampton is “more fancy” (probably because it’s riddled with celebs, including Adam Sandler, Alec Baldwin, Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker). Westhampton and the lesser-known areas like the North Fork are quieter, with a homier feel. Dalia Levy, another frequent vacationer from the UES, points out that “Montauk is more of a low-key surfer spot. I know a lot of people doing time-shares there,” adding that for the more down-to-earth residents, “Sag Harbor Cinema shows really cool indie movies.”

One thing visitors in every tax bracket have in common is feeling the brutal effect of the economy. Hamptons folk are scaling back all around, and it shows. An outpost of Waterworks, the Soho luxury bath store, closed before it even opened. A recent Craigslist poster offered a room for rent in his or her fancy Sag Harbor home for just $300 a weekend. (According to therealdeal.com, Hamptons rental prices are slashed 20 to 30 percent from last year.) And visitors are cutting expenses even more by increasing the number of people sharing a home. “Living with eight people has its charm. It’s a little like college life,” says Tiffany Tabar of Upspring PR and a part-time Southampton resident. Still, if you’d rather not endure the West- or Easthampton scene for extended periods of time, the Hampton Jitney (hamptonjitney.com) offers a $69 round-trip shuttle, which whisks beachgoers to Westhampton Beach on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings and drops them back in the city that very night.—Zachary Feldman

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