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Autumn in the Hamptons

A harvest of reasons to fall for the East End

BY BETH DECARBO | Special to Newsday

September 16, 2007

That whooshing noise you hear is a collective sigh of relief coming from the Hamptons. At last, the summer folk, day trippers and tourists tossed back a final mojito before hopping the Hampton Jitney for the season's final trip west.

It must be how the staff at a backwoods Holiday Inn feels after a crowd of rowdy Legionnaires checks out of town.

"It's like night and day after Labor Day," says Barbara Dutton, owner of C & W Mercantile in Bridgehampton. "It's like somebody turned the water off."

More than just the leaves change when fall comes to the Hamptons. The locals emerge from their homes, blinking at the sunlight, to reclaim their beaches, restaurants and gourmet food shops featuring artisanal cheeses and imported foie gras. Indeed, the crowds are thinner, the people friendlier. Stores slash prices on summer clothing. Local farm stands and vineyards celebrate a bountiful harvest. Best yet, the traffic goes from being oppressive to merely insufferable.

And then there's the ocean. The air may be crisp, but the water is warm, notes Sara Nightingale, owner of a contemporary art gallery in Water Mill that bears her name.

"You really can't start swimming here until mid-July," she says. But once the waves warm up, "you can swim through October."

Fall is a beautiful time all across Long Island, of course, but residents here can drive east an hour or so and escape to an area loaded with upscale shopping, fine dining and family activities even Mom and Dad will enjoy.

Before you go, here are a few tips. First, come prepared. Joellin Comerford, who lives in Greenwich Village and summers in East Hampton, advises guests to bring their own bottled water, snacks and sunscreen. You'll save a little money and not waste precious time standing on line at the neighborhood deli. "Be organized, so you don't have to go out and get stuff," she says.

And fill up before you leave home. Prices at a couple of gas stations on the South Fork charge a full 20 cents more for a gallon of gas than, say, a Nassau County station charges.

Second, bring a sweater. Even on a delicious Indian summer day, there's a chill in the air once the sun sets, says Michael Pesce, who, along with his wife, Brenda, has a house in Garden City and a summer home in Sag Harbor.

Finally, plot your driving route. (You're going to congratulate yourself for reading to the end of this introduction.) On busy fall weekends, Sunrise Highway slows to a creep when traffic merges onto Montauk Highway just outside of Southampton. Save yourself - and your marriage, if applicable - and exit Sunrise early - Exits 64 and 65 are both good choices - driving south to catch Montauk Highway, then east into Southampton at a 40- to 50-mph clip.

The sooner you get there, the more you can eat, drink and hit the spending limit on your credit card.

But it's more than just shopping that brings people to the South Fork. Here's a sampling of places and activities to enjoy this fall.

Shopping & antiquing

In the fall, villages in the Hamptons have a "small-town Americana" feel, observes Constantine Patsimas, co-owner of Privet Cove on Jobs Lane in Southampton. "A lot of people have sales, especially for clothing, and you can actually find a parking spot. "

Privet Cove features beach-themed furnishings that are both exotic and unique. A large table displays dazzling coral from around the world. Also tucked back on Jobs Lane is Victoria's Mother, a shop with reproductions of Victorian-era accessories and kitschy cards and toys.

For clothes in Southampton, big-name stores such as Ralph Lauren, Chico's, Theory and Saks Fifth Avenue all have retail shops here, but don't overlook smaller boutiques, such as Twist, Intermix and Blue & Cream.

East Hampton is home to super-swanky stores such as Tiffany & Co., Gucci and BCBG Max Azria. Punch sells yummy children's clothing, and Steph's Stuff carries new and vintage toys and gifts, such as Blabla dolls and Ugly Dolls. Also be sure to check out J. Roaman for eclectic home furnishings. "We're all about color. We're the anti-beige," says owner Judy Roaman.

Smaller South Fork villages offer unique shopping, too. Gone Local in Amagansett has gifts and artwork made by East End artists, yet nothing has a "souvenir shop" feel. A mosaic surfboard is particularly arresting. Also in Amagansett is Teelia Peploe, a boutique opened by an Australian designer with unique clothing under her own label. (She also carries biodegradable shoes that, when buried for two months, will completely disintegrate into the earth. )

Seashell items and accessories are ever-popular at C & W Mercantile on Main Street in Bridgehampton. Down the street is Hampton's Hound, which carries its own line of colorful reflective dog collars to keep the pooch safe at night.