About Southampton's Hamptons

"FACEBOOK, TWITTER"...The "new" Monkey on our backs?...You be the judge!

This is a post inspired by Mario Jannatpour today when he wrote his post: Are Facebook and Twitter killing America?

My response to his post was: "I think I see your post as an analogy of what is happening in this country--and I agree. Symbolically, the Twitter, Facebook crowd are looking at life entirely through the lens of "social" networking, not through the lens of hard work, including manual labor. The trend to be a part of the Internet realm without having to participate in the physical act of creating goods and products or even offering services that may mean income for the average American, has made us all a little less aware of the real hard work that it takes to stay afloat. We are losing out to the masses and cheap labor of the 3rd world. I don't look forward to the days when we wake up and realize that we don't have the means to survive a change in the world that could include OUR world as a 3rd world country."

Mario let me know that I was in sync with the message of his post and acknowledged it there as well....

Now I am thinking that the idea he put forth is such an important one--not to try to destroy the social media faves like Facebook and Twitter but to maybe "awaken" something in us that we all need to be aware of. We have seen the reach of both of the "big" ones and we have watched as the results of the message gets out and as the whole Middle East broils in it's own juices---and tumbles into the chaos of unrest as it tips country after country, toppling the leaders of all, all at once!

What is the message? What are we missing? Is there something we can't quite see behind that curtain of "Innocence" that is portrayed in the names of these giants: Facebook (almost humorous) and Twitter(slightly childlike)! Do we really understand the force of these two behemoths in particular? Are we prepared for the future that is unfolding in the world with the impact of social media? What life-altering affects are about to unfold because of the influence of social networking?

All these questions are just some of the things we need to ask ourselves--maybe we will avoid some of the unrest that came about in the 3rd world---maybe not. I am willing to bet that the unrest we are witnessing in Wisconsin at the moment is being perpetuated by the idea that the display of an angry mob will move mountains and can win a whole movement a victory, a victory that can not be denied!

And what of a whole decade of youthful participation in social media---are there habits being formed, lifestyles that can not be understood with the same way of thinking from our own lives? What of the bad habits??? Is there a parallel to the "monkey on your back" from the world of drug abuse? What do we make of the "new" thinking and the unfamiliar reasoning that is being brought into being--and coming very quickly into this world we live in? How will it impact us? Is it unimportant to consider IT, or is it life-altering in it's novelty?

JUST A FEW THOUGHTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA---WHAT DO YOU THINK???

"HAMPTON'S HIDEAWAYS"...Great Places To Go When You Don't Want To Be "Seen". The Hamptons is located on the Eastern End of Long Island and includes the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, New York.

Most people do not think of the Hamptons when they want to just go away to relax and not be "seen" by a lot of other vacationers. We are all in search of total privacy at times and it can be very hard to find it---especially in the most popular vacation spot in America! Short of having a home here where you can literally vegetate for a long weekend, the Hamptons is not known for being a very relaxing place where you can "disappear" for a while to be alone or to be with the one you love. There are places here, however that could fit the bill if you know about them--I, myself, have "gone away" for a long weekend to Gurney's Inn--thoroughly enjoying my alone time, I came back to work like a new person! It is also recommended to try coming to the Hamptons off-season--the month of September is spectacular and less expensive then the summer months. Early Spring, such as April and May are also perfectly beautiful as is Christmas, Hannuka and Thanksgiving.

So, I would like to share a list of places, little known and obscure places here in this beautiful place, where one could just disappear if one wants to. This is for the local population as well; you never know when you want to fall off the face of the earth for a day or more---these just may do the trick!

"Hampton's Hideaways"...Great places to go when you don't want to be "seen". I have listed below what I think are the nicest, most private and wonderful places to stay in the Hamptons. These are tried and true Inns and Hotels which have passed the decades in quiet and supreme privacy.

• Montauk Yacht Club Star Island Rd, Montauk 631-668-3100
• Gurney's Inn and Spa 290 Old Montauk Hwy 631-668-2345
• Inn At Mill Creek, The Noyac Road, Sag Harbor 631-725-1116
• Maidstone Arms Inn, The 207 Main St., East Hampton 631-324-5006
• Huntting Inn, The 94 Main St, East Hampton 631-324-0410
• American Hotel Main St., Sag Harbor 631-725-3535
• The Latch 101 Hill Street, Southampton 631-283--2160
• Southampton Inn 91 Hill Street, Southampton 631-204-1792
• 1708 House, The 126 Main st., Southampton 631-283-1708

Most of these wonderful get-aways have restaurants, however, most are within walking distance to the villages and Hamlets where you will find many choices for a casual lunch or dinner. With the exception of Gurney's Inn, where it is highly recommended that you enjoy the Spa food, the restaurants serve a varied menu of gourmet fair. They are all world class eateries and most have been written up in European travel guides as well as leading travelogues here in the US. My personal experience tells me that these are NOT to be missed!

Other delightful and delicious places to eat in The Hamptons (in no particular order) are:

• Sant Ambroeus 30 Main St., Southampton Village 631-283-1233
• Redbar Brasserie Hampton Road, Southampton Village 631-283-0704
• Gosman's Dock On the water, Montauk 631-6685330
• Nick and Tony"s 136 Main St, East Hampton 631-324-3550
• Oakland's Restaurant and Marina Dune Road, Hampton Bays 631-728-6900
• Mirko's Water Mill Square, Water Mill 631-726-4444
• Spinnakers Main Street, Sag Harbor 631-725-9353
• Tutto Il Giorno 5 Bay Street, Sag Harbor 631-725-7009
• Robert's 755 Montauk Hwy, Water Mill 631-726-7171
• Savanah's 268 Elm Street, Southampton 631-283-0202
• 1770 Restaurant 143 Main Street, East Hampton 631-324-1770
• Silver's (Lunch, Brunch) 15 Main Street, Southampton 631-283-6443
• Sip N' Soda Luncheonette 40 Hampton Road, Southampton 631-283-9718
• La parmagiana Hampton Road, Southampton 631-283-8030

Again, I have eaten in all of these wonderful restaurants and if personal recommendation is what you are looking for, please try them out on your next trip to The Hampton's...I personally recommend them!

Walking distance is king here in the Hamptons! --most people want to stroll and see the sights. Below are the places you can do just that without many crowds to dodge. Shopping is a great pass-time in the Hamptons...Historic, white-fronted stores abound here with designer clothing, toys and home goods. The great wood frame windows in Hildreths, the oldest still-operating department store in America, make you feel like you stepped back in time. Cedar shingled and stone turrets are part of the early architecture Art galleries are plentiful and you can even stop in at the Parrish Art Museum while you are here. That museum will be moving to Water Mill in the next year or two. If you want to get a look at the beautiful gardens and grounds designed by famed Central park Landscape Architect, Frederick Law Olmsted and the building where the Parrish is housed now, you should put this on your "Must See" list and make sure you do not miss the Isle of Ceasars in the side garden there!!!

Below are my favorite places to go for peaceful enjoyment:

• The famous sea going marina at Sag Harbor wharf and the blue and seagreen waterfront are the place for checking out the yachts and other ocean going vessels. The marina there is the only one with ocean going vessels on the Eastern End of Long Island. You may be lucky enough to see famous world travelers on their huge white and marine-blue yachts.
• Southampton Village shops and Agawam Park off Jobs Lane---where there is plenty of space to just disappear from view as you enjoy your time walking the green pathways along Pond Lane, feeding the ducks and geese and taking in the serene view of the lake and the deep, steel blue of the ocean beyond....
• A quiet walk on the ocean beaches or the bay beaches is the choice of many who want to just disappear from a busy world!
• Board-walks exist for people like you who just want to enjoy the wildlife and the water ways that are reserved just for the wild ones---and for you to take in as you enjoy the views.
• There are many wildlife preserves here on the Eastern End of Long Island. A few of them are available for humans to enjoy as well as the waterfowl and endangered species...one in particular is a place to go to enjoy interacting with the wildlife; feed the birds out of your hand--watch the little ground animals as they scurry hither and yon for food. The Morton Wildlife Refuge on Noyac Road in Sag Harbor is the best place to experience the wildlife in their protected habitat.

The State Park at Montauk is another treasure of walking paths and waterside escapes where you can enjoy nature in it's most perfect setting. Sit on the rocks and watch the froathy, white waves crash against the grey and velvet brown bluffs. Feel totally renewed and invigorated by the wind racing up and down the valleys and dunes leaving you with a most incredible experience of the power of the Atlantic Ocean. Since Montauk is the furthest point of Long Island it is the home of the first and most famous of all Eastern seaboard lighthouses, The red and white Montauk Lighthouse.

Built during George Washington's presidency, The Montauk Lighthouse has reigned since 1792 as one of the first lighthouses built in the United States. Hexagonal in shape and built of stones from Connecticut, it was built in less than 5 months by a hearty bunch of craftsman in the heat of the long hot summer of 1792. It has withstood the Nor'easters and hurricanes that have passed this way over the centurys--erosion even threatened it. But the art of the craftsmen who built the lighthouse has kept it a safe distance from the bluffs and it's re-inforced structure and light tower have remained safe over time as well.

These are just a few of the great things to do here in The Hamptons. Don't miss out on a terrific off-season weekend or week here. Most accommodations are open year round; rarely do they close except for the months of January and February when they may feel the need to close down to travel or for vacation time for themselves.

MAKE SURE YOU PUT THE HAMPTONS ON YOUR LIST OF PLACES TO GO TO JUST DISAPPEAR! AND MAKE SURE YOU DON'T MISS THE HIGHLIGHTS OF A GREAT VACATION IN "HAMPTON'S HIDEAWAYS"!!!

2011, SOMETHING TO REALLY CELEBRATE!!!....I have plans for New Years Eve: Relax, quietly at home, without a single thing to do but think about the New Year. No, I don't have any big plans thank goodness! I can't wait to watch the ball drop on TV--without all the fuss and mess of a "Bash"! I just want to absorb what has happened to me in 2010---It has been one of THOSE years, where I just pulled out all the stops and went for the business that was out there. Difficult, harder than ever to close but this has been one of my best years and I love it!!!

No more big New Years Eve bashes, big sprawling parties that mean nothing in the end except a bad hang-over!!!

No, this year I am going to enjoy the quiet of my home, with a fire burning and a glass of champagne and my little Yogi at my side:

This year, I plan on doing what I always wanted to do on New Years Eve; maybe this is selfish but I feel like I deserve it.

I want to study my business from top to bottom and examine the ways I can improve my relationships with my clients, customers and my fellow agents.

So, here I sit, at my computer, waiting for the year to end--it was a very good year for me!-- and I will sift through the remnants of 2010 and give myself the permission to work even harder next year, to blog even more than 2010 and to appreciate everyone more than I have in the past, especially at Active Rain.....and even my little Yogi!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL HERE IN THE RAIN!!!

The air is crisp and the trees are golden!....Come see the Hampton's colors at their finest! If you have heard of the Hamptons and have never been here, now is the time to make that trip---come for the holidays and the perfect weather--we get the most beautiful Indian summers here, and the weather doesn't change for another month or two. Even though we had snow the other morning, that is a rarity and it lasted about 15 seconds and then it was gone!

Take a walk down to the ocean and see the fall colors of the water and the sky! You will find gray clouds moving quickly across the sky and the gunmetal gray of the still ocean a most peaceful place to be!.

It's not just the leaves that change color; the ocean itself becomes a deeper blue and gray. It looks so cold and uninviting compared to the cerulean blue of the summer! The beauty and massive energy remains as awesome as ever and the time to enjoy the seaside is shortened only by the need to head indoors to warm up from the damp, penetrating cold of the Fall air.

Fall foliage is always slower to happen here near the ocean, so we still have a great deal of green still remaining in the trees! It won't be long however, when the winds will come up and another Nor'easter will blow across the island. We will have very little warning when that will come but it will be soon, of that you can be sure!

Once you have arrived here, you can see the crowds have dissipated for the season. There is a holiday feeling though and it won't be long before the Thanksgiving crowds arrive and the decorations start to appear for the Christmas and Hanukkah seasons.

The Holidays in the Hamptons is truly one of the most unforgettable times to visit, especially the villages where lights and Christmas trees line the streets. shops are filled with the wares for gift giving and restaurants are filled with people enjoying holiday fare. You can enjoy carolers singing and the church bells ringing..if you are lucky you can enjoy a sled or hayride in the snow!

DOWNSIZING AMERICA: Proximity is key; Mini-estates are being created, right here in Southampton!!! Builders are building them and buyers are buying them---where is it heading? I think we may have a trend here!

No more 10,000 Square foot houses--no more multiple acres of land to manage and no more cookie cutter designs for this "New Home" buyer! No! They want the new and special, custom-home on a 1/3 to 1/2 acre, near everything including the ocean and the center of town---at least here they do!!!

THE NEW, "NEW HOME" BUYER

What is it that buyers like about a brand new house??? I have asked and I have seen the numbers of people who like the idea of living in a house that no one else has ever lived in. Some don't mind creatng that kind of a house and they go for a complete renovation before they ever move in....

The other kind of buyer who wants only the un-lived-in house or a"new build" is the wealthy one willing to pay for the house of their dreams---a new house with all the custom details that they have selected....this was a rare buyer in the past but they are out there now looking in large numbers, looking to buy a house that will never be duplicated...and they want it for 1/2 of what they would have paid in the past. They want a custom home with the Great Room, wine cellar, home theater, guest cottage/ pool house, large pool and all the mill-work, stone walkways and gourmet accoutrements in the large eat-in kitchen...They want an "estate" feeling on a smaller scale..a Mini-Estate, in other words!

THE NEW HOME BUYER IN TODAY'S MARKET

In the past 6 months, I have had 3 "New Build" buyers---they want a brand new house, built to their specs and they want it to be spectacular! The house to the right has become a masterpiece for a buyer who, in another market--as in '07 would have been looking for at least one acre and a 10,000 square foot house...in the estate section!!

However, in this market, where deals are fewer than in '07 or even early '08, the new house buyer has a budget in mind---a budget that you and I may never have the opportunity to utilize, but a budget none-the-less! The plan seems to be to take advantage of the real estate recession while it is still in full swing--to enter the Hampton's market in a brand new home at a low price and give it the look and special features that only an estate area home would have had in the glory days of the housing boom.

Instead of paying $10Million or more for an estate with tennis and grounds that look like a national park, the new house buyer is looking to be near everything; being able to walk to the ocean beaches and to the shops, theater and restaurants is the key---

And they want it to be a manageable lawn with gardens that surround the house and pool. The house, too, needs to be around 5000 Square feet and not much more than that---too unwieldy if it is any larger....And they want it all for under $5Million.

Extended family members are all part of the new plan...grown children, their children, elderly parent...all accomodated on the premises. These are the important things that are all part of the buyers plans.

It is not a matter of downsizing to save money necessarily; it IS a matter of PROXIMITY. The "New House" buyer is a person of wealth AND family values...they have the grit and they have the determination to live as a unit, play and learn as a unit and they want to be able to walk to everything as they do it!!!

This is the new "New House" buyer here in Southampton--will this trend be set and will it spread to the other Hamptons??? Will it become the new way of co-habitating in our "New World"??

HAS YOUR MARKET BEGUN TO REFLECT THIS NEW WAY OF LIVING? Please let me know if you are seeing the same phenomenon in your markets.......