Browse: August 2007

Nothing is as important as picking the right hat for Grand Prix Sunday at the Hampton Classic. This is your moment to get it right and be forever memorialized in the pages of the glossies, or to get it wrong and... be forever memorialized in the pages of the glossies. And it's not as simple to choose the right hat as you might expect. There are considerations. Like the shape of your face. (Honestly, we had no idea, but these folks are pretty serious about this suff). Herewith, some advice on matching your face/head to your hat:

Oval Face: Almost any hat can be worn. (Lucky you.) Wear them straight across the brow or straight across your hairline as fashion or mood demands. However, watch out that the crown is never narrower than your cheekbones. This is for all hat types.

Total state of denial. We're completely ignoring the fact that summer is over. So today, we're doing the weekend quiz. By merely answering the questions below you can plan your entire weekend. 

Friday:

Do you have dreadlocks?

John Halsey is no stranger to the East End, but it was a for sale sign that he saw one day while here visiting his family that compelled him to take action.

The Halsey clan has been in the Hamptons forever. The family first settled here in the 1640s and John Halsey is a 12th generation Halsey. You've undoubtedly seen their farm, The Green Thumb in Water Mill and you've also certainly gazed across a farm field that John has had a hand in preserving.

In 1983, John was inspired to do something about the ever dwindling farm land here on the East End. The farm next to his family found itself in a position in which it was forced to sell due to estate tax problems. For John, this just didn't make sense, so he started the Peconic Land Trust, in order to help other farmers preserve and protect their land.

"It's a labor of love," he explains, "and it's so important for people to connect to the land and understand that our economy is based on tourism and agriculture." Since its start, Peconic Land Trust has preserved over 8,600 acres of working farms, watefront areas, historic homes and natural areas.

The character and feeling of the East End is at stake as development progresses. There are a few people, John Halsey included, working everyday and leading the charge to stem the tide and preserve and protect the beauty of the Hamptons. That's why John Halsey is a Plum 98.

After years of contributing to the success of numerous recording artists, urban storyteller extraordinaire Kenny White has finally set sail on a solo career. A master of commercial songwriting and a seasoned studio artist, it wasn't until his late 40s that White decided it was time for him to step forward from behind the scenes. And we're glad he did.

A natural storyteller, White has developed the ability to express heartaches, happiness and observations with guileless flare. It's refreshing and relatable songwriting because there's an honest maturity to his words. The New York native has something the youth-saturated radio lacks: experience.

Having worked with high-profile recording artists throughout his career (Shawn Colvin, Linda Ronstadt, Dwight Yoakam and Gladys Knight, just to name few), White was able to tap into his colleagues' support for his own musical endeavors. The result was two full-length albums, Uninvited Guest (2002) and his most recent effort, Symphony in 16 Bars (2005).

So, what took him so long to share his well-crafted tunes with the rest of us? We don't know, but it was worth the wait.

Tune into Plum on Saturday, September 1 at 10pm to watch the documentary on Kenny White featuring an exclusive interview and live performances. Get a peek at the trailer below.

If you think the heavy gridlock of traffic you've seen all summer magically disappears after Labor Day, you're wrong. The Sunrise Highway-to-County Road 39-to-Route 27 trip can be just as frustrating a drive in autumn as well. There is good news, however, as Southampton's Cops & Cones program– which creates a second, temporary, early-morning eastbound lane of traffic between Sunrise Highway and Southampton Village on County Road 39– will be extended until October 15.

The extension is meant to alleviate foreseen traffic woes as schools go into session and the autumn tourists keep on arriving. Although the program's lengthening is the best news for drivers since Highway Advisory Radio Network, it comes with a catch. Cops & Cones was supposed to end after Labor Day because that's when contracted construction to build a permanent second eastbound was supposed to begin.

The delay in construction could mean that the permanent second lane may not be available until the Fourth of July, instead of the originally scheduled Memorial Day. But that's next summer, so we'll worry about it then.

In the meantime, we'd like to share the following tips in dealing with tumultuous traffic:

• Be patient: The average speed can sink to 15 mph, particularly from 6-9 a.m., and it's not under your control. A watched pot never boils; a frustrated driver arrives with ravaged nerves.
• Stick to the main route: Back roads are a tempting shortcut, but don't always make a significant difference. Alternative routes are only for those drivers who must ever be in motion, even if time is added instead of subtracted.
• Let someone make a left turn: Not only may the traffic gods bless you with Karma, you will make the driver's day.
• Don't cross the median on Sunrise Highway: A ticket can only result.
• Don't cut in to your sleep time: Leave at sunrise, but the traffic on Sunrise will be there.
• Bring plenty to listen to: Or else you'll listen to the same album more than once per drive.

Labor Day weekend is on the horizon, which means the unofficial and symbolic summer season is indeed near its end. However, East Hampton plans to end the season with a bang as Main Beach hosts a spectacle of fireworks on Saturday, September 1.

In case you have short-term memory loss or haven't been paying the closest attention to the headlines this summer, East Hampton was supposed to have its fireworks in conjunction with the Fourth of July holiday weekend on July 7. However, a pesky nest of piping plovers prevented all of that, but only for so long.

With the plovers' nest now useless as the offspring have grown and likely flown to other parts, there remains little concern about their habitat. So let the mid-air explosions of colorful light begin!

Plan now as the fireworks are scheduled to begin at the ever-elusive hour of dusk. Parking is on a first-come first-serve basis, no parking permit is required and there is no reserve parking. No vehicles are allowed on the beach from Egypt Beach to Georgica Beach inclusive.

So can socialites surf? The short answer is yes—at least one of them can.

Last week was the second annual Princess Race, which features 30 social ladies, matched up in teams of two, competing in events ranging from waterskiing, tubing and surfing to kayaking, jet skiing and golfing. These, of course, are ladies you're far more likely to find on the red carpet than on the water, but offer up a Cartier watch as the grand prize and the ladies were ready to overlook a few clouds and get wet.

The first lesson to take note of is never get between a socialite and her Cartier. The ladies were not messing around and there was serious strategizing going on. Fabiola Beracasa said that she and her partner, Candace Levy, had been training for months (she was kidding we think, but the results don't lie).

At the end of the day though, it was all in good fun and for a good cause. Innocence in Danger, a group that works with abused children was the benefactor, the ladies got off the red carpet and had some fun in the water and the winners, Fabiola Beracasa and Candace Levy walked away with some very nice watches (thanks in no small part to Candace Levy actually being able to surf and Fabiola Beracasa showing up with her own wakeboard).

Checkout the action below...

It's late August, hence many Hamptonites know it's time to get ready for the annual Hampton Classic Horse Show– which conveniently feeds the horse fan's hunger as Saturdays of polo near their end. For a full week, the East End will be filled with equines of all shapes, sizes and colors. They'll participate in grand prix and jumper races, as the oohs and ahhs of the crowd resonate in the field.

It takes a lot to prepare this annual event, as well as care for the mighty beasts that participate in it. Consider these numbers as a testament to the detail and efforts the Classic must undertake to achieve success:

• Over 1,500 horses will be in attendance this year.
• Between 400-500 will be working at the event (up from 5 that are employed year-round by the Classic).

Jeanette Davis-Esposito of Symmetry Studio in Southampton to talk about the 10th anniversary of her business, which offers pilates, gyrotonics, and yamuna body rolling.

Symmetry Studio
395 County Road 39A
Southampton, NY 11968
631-204-0122

www.symmetrystudio.com

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There are a lot of ways to spend a lot of money in the Hamptons, but dinner doesn't have to be one of them. Nine bucks is all it takes to achieve gastronomic glory. Don't expect tablecloths and white gloved waiters, but if you've got a hankering for some good grub, then read on...

Hampton Bays:

For a no nonsense, down-to-earth, serious burger, you can't beat Buckley's. It's a no frills, burgers-and-beers centric spot that is family and budget friendly. Grab a Guiness and get fed. (Buckley's Irish Pub, 139 West Montauk Hwy., Hampton Bays, 631-728-7197, Price: $8.95)

Southampton:

Beer may be the main course—and there's nothing wrong with that—but at the Publick House, the burger is not to be missed either. Pair it with one of the award-winning beers they brew on location and you're in for a little cheap bliss. (Southampton Publick House, 40 Bowden Square, Southampto, 631-283-2800, Price: $8.50)

For episode #4 of Celebrations, sponsored by 1-800-Flowers, titled “Clam Bake”, host Alison Chace enlists Tim Burke, owner of 75 Main in Southampton, to throw a beach clam bake for family and friends.

75 Main
75 Main Street
Southampton, NY 11968
631-283-1940

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