Hello again…thanks for visiting Kristine Robinson’s Interiors today. Last weekend my family and I took a nice little mini-vacation to “The Hamptons”…I often use air quotes when saying it, because it’s so well known as a super-exclusive vacation spot for wealthy New Yorkers. But I’ll try not to annoy you too much by continuing to refer to this lovely portion of Long Island in quotes.
The Hamptons are a group of villages and hamlets in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which form the South Fork of Long Island, New York. They are a popular seaside resort, and one of the historical summer colonies of the American Northeast. Here you’ll find some of the most expensive residential properties in the U.S.
Because Long Island is so close to Manhattan, it seems nearly every license plate reads New York…probably because few people are brave enough to make the drive through New York City!
I was thankful my husband was behind the wheel for our drive through New York City. I thought travelling from nearby Philadelphia would mean this was a relatively short and easy trip–yeah right!
After making our way through Queens and onto Long Island, we made our way all the way to the end of the South Fork on our first day. Just snaking through all the adorable villages is very time-consuming, since there is so much tourist traffic. But it’s fun seeing the quaint towns and many shops along the way!
Driving through the little hamlets and towns affords quaint views of the local scenery in the Hamptons. This Windmill is one of several along the main drag. The above photo is taken through the windshield of my car and is of the Old Hook Windmill. It’s located just off the main drag in East Hampton, New York. The mill was built in 1806 and operated regularly until 1908. There are 11 standing windmills on the eastern end of Long Island, which many feel is the largest concentration of windmills in the United States!
Here’s a lovely little Presbyterian Church along the Montauk Highway. There are so many pretty spots to see along the drive up Long Island!
Boutiques and shops line the streets of the small towns in the Hamptons. If the exclusive wares are not within your budget, window shopping is a true delight!
This Ralph Lauren store is one of many in the Hamptons. I’m pretty sure there are four shops owned by the company (a children’s boutique, a lady’s store, a Rugby store and a plain old Polo Ralph Lauren store) in Easthampton alone!
I loved the inventive displays in this Ralph Lauren Children’s boutique. It’s Moby Dick jumping out of the page!
Adjacent to one of the RL stores was this adorable courtyard. Grady enjoyed watching the birds nesting in the ivy wall.
The rear entry of a Ralph Lauren store in the Hamptons. It’s so inviting with trailing greenery and lush plantings of Hydrangeas!
And, of course we had to stop in the charming Vineyard Vines store…my niece made a special request that we bring her back a whale sticker from this super-preppy clothing purveyor.
The charming Vineyard Vines shop has this wonderfully optimistic motto: Every Day Should Feel This Good. I wholeheartedly agree! And don’t you just love their cute logo with the pink whale?
You can’t go to the Hamptons without mentioning the hedges…they are everywhere. All the exclusive mansions are hidden behind super tall walls of greenery.
The rooftops of exclusive mansions peek out above the lofty green walls of greenery in the Hamptons.
A lovely shingle-style mansion peeking through the driveway-sized opening in a tall hedge is typical of The Hamptons.
We finally arrived at Montauk Point State Park at around 3:00 on a beautiful August afternoon.
Grady took this photo of me arriving at the Montauk Lighthouse. What a gorgeous day it turned out to be!
I’ll share more about the historic Montauk lighthouse next time…we saw so many interesting things that day. I’m sure you won’t want to miss it. Until then, please share your comments…have you ever visited “The Hamptons”? I’d love to hear your opinion… Don’t forget to share my blog with everyone you know…I need all the friends I can get!
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“The Hamptons” have grown more beautiful ! Love your blog and design inspiration!
Thank you, Cheryl! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the blog…it’s fun to share my journeys and projects!