From the hand of American cinema everyone knows The Hamptons, an elegant destination, of mansions and rich people, not far from New York. But what else do we know about this place? Can we take a walk and visit it? Who lives there? How is?
All these questions will have their answers in our article today on the traditional and chic destination of the American gentry. Today then what are The Hamptons in the United States.
The Hamptons
Contrary to what we can assume from the movies, The Hamptons is not a small town, a city, but rather a group of towns and villages distributed in a sector of Long Island. Together they make up a resort, a spa, super popular and historic, among the richest in the northern country.
The area is made up of the cities of Southampton and East Hampton and the surrounding villages and towns: Westhampton, Bridgehampton, Quogue, Sag Harbor and Montauk. West Hampton It is one of the oldest towns in the United States as it was founded in 1648 by fishermen and farmers from beautiful Connectituct.
At that time they were mainly Puritans and commercial activities were concentrated in agriculture and fishing, activities that continued until the beginning of the XNUMXth century. This is where Today the wealthiest in New York spend the summer.
The village is beautiful, said to be one of the most beautiful in the country, and attracts tourists all year round. Its three-century mills and the old cemetery are its historical and tourist pearls. All over this part of the United States, before the pioneers, Indians lived and even today, in Southhampton, is the oldest reserve in the country. It seems that between the pioneers and the Shinnecock tribe relations were great and very cooperative.
This town was occupied one day by English soldiers, in times of the American Revolution, and today you can see the old English fort. It is in this part of the Hamptons that huge properties were built and thus the city prospered. Southampton also has many museums, such as the Southampton Historical Museum, which operates in a mansion from 1843, or the restored Olde Halsey House, built in 1648, and also offered viticulture tours.
The people of Sag Harbor It is shared by East Hampton and Southampton. It is a former whaling town, on the coast, inhabited since the XNUMXth century. It has many historical sites, such as Umbrella House, a charming old house.
Meanwhile Montauk is at the tip of the island and it is the farthest destination from all the others. Even so it is very visited by fishermen and surfers. One of the most popular beaches in the Hampstons is precisely yours, where hotels and Bed & Breakfasts abound. While fishermen go all year round, tourists prefer to go in spring and summer.
westhampton It has the best beaches for swimming, fishing, jet sky or surfing. It was one of the first towns in the Hampstons to provide lodging for travelers arriving by the Long Island Railroad. Every year it has a very crowded artistic event.
bridgehampton has also become much more popular over time because it has a classic horse show and also, until 1998, there was a super top race, the Bridgehampton Race Circuit. This charming little town has lots of nightlife, lots of restaurants ...
These are some, the best known, of the towns and villages and cities that make up this traditional and elegant area to go on vacation. They go hand in hand, they grow hand in hand, they become more and more exclusive hand in hand.
Why are they called like that, in the plural, and not with the name of each town? There are many explanations but it basically has to do with the railroad line and the fact that in the late XNUMXth century, The New York Times also started using that name. From here it passed to popular culture as a synonym for paradise and well, to our bitterness about the United States.
How do you get to The Hamptons from New York? En car, bus or train or if you are rich, in water plane. The train goes straight and in summer there are more services. The journey takes 90 minutes and you can get off at Southampton or Montauk. By car, take the LIE or the Southern State Parkway to the Sunrise Highway and from there straight to the Hamptons towns. There is a toll and it can take an hour and a half between, for example, NY and Westhampton.
By bus you can get there using the Hampton jitney. It began to function as a service of vans between cities but now has an entire fleet of buses running on three routes on the east coast: Montauk, Westhampton and North Fork. It has many stops in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn and takes about two and a half hours. Another option is to take the train, the LIRR or the Long Island Rail Road to the East End.
A branch stops at North Fork ending in Greenport, and the Montauk branch stops at South Fork, East Hampston, Amagansett and and Montauk. It takes two hours and you forget about the traffic of cars and the roads. For the lucky ones, there are seaplanes that link East Hampton and Montauk to the New York Navy. Obviously, we are talking about more than $ 500 a seat, but you arrive in 45 minutes.
When is the best time to visit the Hamptons? If you don't like crowds or high season prices then it is better to do it at the end of the summer season, Labor Day, or before Memorial Day. Of course, do not forget that In winter this part of the United States is quite cold, so you won't be able to take that much of a walk either if you escape the hotter months.
What can't you miss in the Hamptons? You can sign up for a tour and know the Sylvester Mansion, XNUMXth century, on Shelter Island. There is also the Long Island Aquarium and Riverhead Exhibition Center, in case you like to know the ecosystem of this place. The Montauk Point Lighthouse It is divine, built at the end of the XNUMXth century and with views worthy of good photos. And memories!
Cooper's Beach it is a good surf destination, very accessible from Southampton, and one of the best beaches in the area. No matter what time of year you go, there are always some people, especially if the sun is shining. You can go with your food and drink and have a nice time watching surfing. In Montauk is the Salt cave, actually several caves whose salts are said to help with stress, allergies, and so on.
Si Te gusta ride a bike you can walk between towns, villages and the coast discovering charming places. You can rent your bike at Sag Harbor Cycle, although there are many recommended rental shops. If you like art there is the Parrish Art Museum and if you like Indian culture there is the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center & Museum, in Southampton. For colonial mansions there is the Mulford Farmstead, almost intact, with an entrance fee of between 5 and 10 dollars.
And of course, if you have time, it is advisable to stay in the area and go out bars and eat seafood and good wines anywhere in the Hamptons. Of course, you have to sharpen your credit card because nothing is cheap. That's why so many celebrities have their summer houses here!