NYC's Alter Ego "The Hamptons"

HAMPTONS STYLE by John Esten

Manhattan has exerted enormous influence on The Hamptons since the late 1800s. If NYC has an alter ego, it's manifested here. Bare feet may replace business suits, and the pace may slow preceptibly. The area sparkles with energy, creativity, and individuality transplanted from the city that is the world center of art, theater, music, finance, and international society.

On any given summer weekend, the Hamptons may hold more of the world's wittiest, wealthiest, and most creative people per acre than any other spot on earth. They come attracted first by the simple natural beauty of the place, then by each other, separated emotionally from the rest of Long Island by Shinnecock Canal. 

The talanted and the tanned continue to feel the seasonal pull to The Hamptons and the magnetic attraction to each other, to meeting offstage, so to speak.