Luxury Experience - The ABCs of Southampton, Long Island, NY, USA

Coopers Beach, Southampton, Long Island, NY - Photo By Luxury Experience

Although Southampton, Long Island, New York is a sought-after summertime destination, we visited in winter and found it to be a year-round destination. The ABC’s of Southampton: Arts and Architecture, Beaches and Boutiques, and Cuisine and Culture provides a look at this attractive getaway conveniently located less than 2 hours from New York City, 3 hours and 45 minutes from Philadelphia, and 4 hours 30 minutes from Boston.

Southampton Village, settled in 1640 and incorporated in 1894, is the oldest English settlement in the state of New York,and is a charming area that has long attracted artists, celebrities, and those in the know for its art museums, natural beauty and beaches, culture and cuisine. Although usually thought of as a summer spot, we wanted to visit in the winter when the traffic was light, and found the area to have its own special winter vibe that was very appealing.

Edward and I stayed at the90-room Southampton Inn nestled on 5-acres in the heart of Southampton. Hotel highlights include spacious guestrooms featuring Tempur-Pedic® beds and complimentary WI-FI Wireless Internet, a sun-drenched Library where a fire in the fireplace beckons invitingly and the shelves have an interesting collection of books and games, there is a Business Center, and a Games Room. In winter, they serve a complimentary continental breakfast in the Library, and during the warmer months and for special events, they open their OSO Restaurant, which received a Wine Spectator 2010 Award of Excellence for their wine collection.

There is much to do in the area, and for winter guests wishing to pursue outdoor sports, you can go sledding on a plastic sled provided by the hotel, or bring your skates and go ice-skating nearby. Summer guests will appreciate the outdoor heated swimming pool, tennis court, shuffle board court, and complimentary shuttle service to Coopers Beach,rated as the best beach in America by "Dr. Beach" in 2010.

Pet-friendly, of the hotel's 90-rooms, there are 14-rooms for guests who prefer to travel with their 4-legged friends, and there is an adorable black cat named Bear who is the hotel mascot and acts as the welcoming committee in the Library.

What we especially enjoyed was the welcoming atmosphere and the hotel's proximity to the village where we could walk to shopping, a movie theatre, museums, and restaurants. The hotel is like having a Southampton home with owner Dede Gotthelf and her staff acting as fairy Godmothers to grant guests' special requests. Real estate is all about location, location, location, and the Southampton Inn, definitely has the location, coupled with excellent service.

Southampton Inn
91 Hill Street
Southampton, Long Island, NewYork 11968
United States
Telephone:      +1-631-283-6500
Toll-Free:         1-800-832-6500
Website:          www.SouthamptonInn.com

Samuel Longstreth Parrish(1849 - 1932) founded the ParrishArt Museum in 1898 to hold his Italian Renaissance art and reproductions of classical Greek and Roman statuary. In a word, the museum is a treasure conveniently located in the heart of Southampton Village on Jobs Lane, a short walk from the Southampton Inn. Noted Southampton architect, Grosvenor Atterbury (1869-1956), built the stunning Italianate-style building that features shaded gardens and sculpture reproductions from the original Parrish collection, including eighteen marble busts of Roman emperors and a full-length marble copy of the Augustus of Prima Porta from the Vatican collection in Rome.

The museum focuses on the art and artists from Long Island's East End including Jackson Pollack, Lee Krasner, Willem de Kooning, Dan Flavin, and Roy Lichtenstein, John Chamberlain, Chuck Close, Eric Fischl, April Gornik, and Elizabeth Peyton. The museum also has paintings by American Impressionist William Merritt Chase and works by the pre-eminent 20th-century realist Fairfield Porter.

During our visit, there wasan interesting exhibit entitled "2010 Student Exhibition: Students View American Still Life" (December 4, 2010 - January 23, 2011), with works from public and private schools in the townships of Riverhead, Southampton, East Hampton, and Southfield, as well as high schools from the townships of Brookhaven. In addition to the changing exhibitions, the museum also has special events, lectures, films, and live music performances throughout the year.

The Parrish Art Museum is open Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm, and on Sunday from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm. The museum is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. During the summer (May 24th until September13th) the museum is open daily, Monday through Saturday from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm, and on Sunday from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm. The museum is handicap accessible. Suggested Donation: Adults: $5.00, Seniors and Students with ID: $3.00, Children under18: Free.

Visit the website for program information: www.ParrishArt.org. Please note that the museum will move to its new location on Route 27 in 2012.

Parrish Art Museum
5 Jobs Lane
Southampton, Long Island, NewYork 11968
United States
Telephone:       +1-631-283-2118
Fax:                   +1-631-283-7006
Website:          www.ParrishArt.org

Another museum definitely worth visiting is the Guild Hall Museum, which opened its doors in 1931 and is located in the nearby town of East Hampton. Guild Hall is not only a museum featuring works by area artists, but they also have an intimate 360-seat John Drew Theatre where they hold 90 programs each year including a lecture series, film series, plays, ballet, and concerts, and there is a gala each summer.

Guild Hall is an exciting and vibrant cultural venue with exceptional programs throughout the year where the artists, actors, and speakers at Guild Hall are native "East Enders" including Alec Baldwin.

The East End of Long Island continues to attract many prominent artists and there are over 2000 works in the permanent collection featuring East End artists. During our visit, there were two excellent exhibitions, one of which was Carolyn Conrad's Simplify Simplify: Constructions & Photographs. I especially enjoyed Carolyn Conrad's textural construction entitled "Zen and the Art of Helter Skelter," 2008, Dryer lint and wood, 12 x 25 3.5" made from layers of multi-colored dryer art fitted into a wood frame, which was creative, imagination, and playful.

Guild Hall - Carolyn Conrad - Zen and the Art of Helter Skelter - East Southampton, Long Island, NY, USA

Carolyn Conrad - Simplify Simplify: Constructions & Photographs
Zen and the Art of Helter Skelter

The other exhibition that I also very much enjoyed was Ellen Frank's: Cities of Peace, whose vision was "to transform anguish into beauty" and "commemorates cities that have experienced conflict and trauma" - Jerusalem, Baghdad, Kabul, Beijing, Hiroshima, Lhasa, Monrovia (the capital of Liberia), Sarjevo, and post-911 New York. The large-scale paintings were exquisite with detail and gold illumination that added an old-world feel and another element of grace and beauty to the works. (Both exhibits ran until January 16, 2011.)

Museum hours for Guild Hall Museum are Friday and Saturday from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm, and Sunday from 12:00 pm until 5:00 pm.

Guild Hall Museum
158 Main Street
East Hampton, Long Island, New York 11937
United States
Telephone:     +1-631-324-0806
Fax:                 +1-631-907-9760
Email:              This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website:         www.GuildHall.org

Besides the grand-scale mansions, there are many old windmills in the area, and eclectically interesting architecture in Southampton,which includes St. Andrew's Dune Church, founded in 1879 with its pretty, red gables, and proximity to the beach.

St. Andrew's Dune Church
12 Gin Lane
Southampton, Long Island, NewYork 11968
United States
Telephone: +1-631-283-3015

Southampton has 11 stunning white sand beaches nestled along 7 miles of ocean front that include Fowler, Old Town, Wyandanach, Little Plains, Gin Lane, Cryder,Halsey Neck Lane, Road D, Road G, Dune Road (Village Residents only), and Coopers Beach, which was rated as the best beach in America by "Dr. Beach" in 2010.

Coopers Beach located on Dune Road is a long stretch of pristine sandy beach bordered by dunes, and in a word, it is breathtaking; an idyllic setting that makes, "The Hamptons," the Hamptons. Despite the fact that it was winter and quite windy, the day was bright and beautiful and the beach beckoned invitingly.

Donning winter boots instead of our usual Havianas®, we walked along the beach strewn with ocean tumbled pebbles and an occasional large clam shell mesmerized by the crashing waves and the tranquility of nature, stopping to watch a seagull in search of his lunch, and a group of children and their dogs at play.

During the warmer months, paid parking is available, along with chair and umbrella rentals, and there is a concession. Southampton Inn guests may opt to take the complimentary shuttle from the hotel to the beach, leaving the traffic and the parking to someone else.

For those that shopping is their preferred pastime, no matter what the weather or the season, there is excellent shopping along Jobs Lane and Main Street of Southampton where art galleries, designer shops, eclectic boutiques, and antique shops, are mixed among the historic architecture.

The culinary scene in Southampton offers great diversity from trendy to old style, casual to fine dining. Although many restaurants are only open during high season, there are a number of excellent restaurants taking the initiative to remain open year-round.

New restaurant on the block, 75 Main RestaurantLounge Club, which opened in June 2010, is one such darling. Owner Zach Erdem has created a stylish restaurant where the ambience, cuisine by Executive Chef Matthew L. Lewis, and live music or a DJ spinning, make it one of "the places" to be in Southampton.

Our evening was off to a good start beginning with the warm welcome by gracious host, owner Zach Erdem and his attentive service who greet each customer as if their were old friends, live music by a guitarist and drummer duo who provided a romantic ambience, and of course, the food by Executive Chef Matthew L. Lewis.

Dinner highlights included delicately breaded and golden Calamari Fritti served with arugula and a spicy marinara sauce; Crab Cake served with guacamole and chili lime tartar sauce, Sesame Crusted Tuna served over green papaya slaw with wasabi, crème fraiche, and pickled ginger; and Seafood Fra Diablo, a delightful mix of sautéed scallops, shrimp, calamari, and mussels in a spicy red sauce over fettuccini.

75 Main Restaurant Lounge Club is open Monday through Sunday from 11:00 am until11:30 pm, and Weekend Brunch from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner. The Club and Lounge is open Friday and Saturday from 10:30 pm until 4:00 am. Read about 75 Main Restaurant Lounge Club in the Restaurants section.

Read the Chefs' Recipes section where Chef Matthew L. Lewis shares a delectable taste of 75 Main with his recipes for Crab Cakes with Chili Lime Tartar Sauce and Guacamole, and Sesame Crusted Tuna with Green Papaya Slaw.

75 Main Restaurant Lounge Club
75 Main Street
Southampton, Long Island, NewYork 11968
United States
Telephone: +1-631-283-7575
Website: www.75main.com

Food and wine go hand-in-hand, and although not as plentiful as on the North Fork, where 20 vineyards dot the landscape, the South Fork of which Southampton is part, has three vineyards that are open year-round, Duck Walk Vineyards, Wölffer Estate Vineyard, and Channing Daughters Winery. Although time did not allow us to visit all three vineyards, we did visit Duck Walk Vineyards and Wölffer Estate Vineyard.

Dr. Herodotus "Dan"Damianos, Founder, and Owner of Pindar Vineyards founded Duck Walk Vineyards with his son, Alexander Damianos in 1994. Today, there are two Duck Walk Vineyards locations, in Water Mill, just past Southampton, and on the North Fork of Long Island in Southold, New York.

We enjoyed tasting the Duck Walk Vineyards wines in their Normandy Château-style building, where the staff is knowledgeable and personable. Michael guided us through the tasting providing insight into the harvest conditions, and even offering pairing ideas, as we tasted our way through an introduction to the Duck Walk Vineyard portfolio.

There were many highlights including the Duck Walk Southampton White, their signature white, a blend of Chardonnay and native New York state Cayuga grapes, with lemon, citrus, and green apple notes a refreshing finish perfect for a warm summer evening paired with fresh seafood. Their limited production Duck Walk 2008 Vidal Ice Wine, 19% alcohol, made with late harvest Vidal Blanc was stunning, a Gold Medal Winner,with a gorgeous nose of pineapple and honey on the nose and palate, deliciously sweet without being cloying. Another Gold Medal winner and a highlight of our visit was their signature Duck Walk 2007 Blueberry Port, 19% alcohol, made with wild mountain Maine blueberries, which offered rich, ripe blueberries on the palate, balanced sweetness, and tasted like summer in a glass. Also nice was their sparkling wine, the Blue Duck Champagne - Méthode Champenoise, which was their first release, made with 100% Chardonnay, light lemon in color, with small, lively bubbles, and citrus, pear, green apple notes on the palate with a creamy mouth feel.

The labels are iconic illustrations that reminded me of the American Caricaturist Al Hirshfield who used to hide his daughter's name, Nina, in his drawings, in that Duck Walk Vineyards does much the same incorporating a hidden "duck" in each label. The Duck Walk Vineyards 2007 Merlot label features a woman wearing a red gown in the shape of a duck's bill. The Duck Walk Vineyards 2007 Reserve Chardonnay features a duck "mascot" hood ornament on the car. The Duck Walk Southampton White features a woman and a man sitting on the beach with their legs bent in the shape of a duck's bill. It is all great fun and a conversation starter if you need something to talk about other than the delicious wines.

Duck Walk Vineyards is open for tastings daily from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm. On Saturday and Sunday afternoons from Memorial Day weekend until the end of October, there is live music on the Patio overlooking the vines from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm.

Visit the Duck Walk Vineyards website for upcoming special events: www.DuckWalk.com.

Christian Wölffer founded the award-winning Wölffer Estate Vineyard in 1987 on what was once a potato farm. Christian was born in Hamburg, Germany,and was an intrepid adventurer and traveler. Although he died in an accident on New Year's Eve in 2008, Roman Roth, Winemaker, and Technical Director, who came on board in 1992, and the Wölffer Estate Vineyard team, continue Christian's style and vision.

Driving up to the Wölffer Estate Vineyard with the late afternoon sun bathing the Tuscan-style villa and the sleeping vines snuggled in the snow was almost magical. The tasting room has an old-world aura with its wood beamed ceiling, wrought iron chandeliers,stained glass doors, wood bar, round wood tables, and Christian Wölffer's extensive collection of antique tankards and steins that he collected on his travels.

Pamela guided us through the tasting bringing each selection to our table where we relaxed and soaked up the ambience as we made our tasting notes. One of the highlights of our tasting included the Wölffer Estate Vineyard Grandioso Rosé 2009, 11.8% alcohol, made with 60% Cabernet Franc, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, and 9% Chardonnay. It had a lovely soft peach color, with grapefruit, citrus, white peach, hint of minerality, nice acidity on the palate, is a perfect summer wine to pair with grilled shrimp, and is one of the estate's biggest sellers.

A sparkling highlight included the Wölffer Estate Sparkling Brut 2006 Blanc de Blanc, 12% alcohol, made with 100% Chardonnay grapes, with lemony notes. Red highlights included the Wölffer Estate Fatalis Fatum 2006, made with 42.0% Merlot from their oldest Merlot vines planted in 1990, 29.0% Cabernet Franc, 27.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1.5% Barbera, and aged in oak for 22 months with an intense deep color, heady aromatic nose of black fruit - cassis, black cherries, black currents, with a hint of tobacco and cigar box on the nose, and dark fruit, black plums, on the palate with soft tannins and a velvety finish. Another exceptional red was the Wölffer Estate Vineyard Christian's Cuvee 2005, 13% alcohol, made with 83% Merlot from their oldest Merlot vines planted in 1990, 14.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2.5% Cabernet Franc. It had a gorgeous, aromatic nose, with plumy, blueberry notes, and balanced tannins married with luscious fruit on the palate, with a lovely long finish.

Wölffer Estate Vineyard is open for tastings daily from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm. There are special Twilight Thursdays from May until October with live music from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm, and on Fridays from October until April there is live music from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm.

Visit the Wölffer Estate Vineyard website for upcoming special events: www.Wolffer.com.

Although long associated with being a summer resort, Southampton is a perfect getaway in any season, with the added benefit of less traffic.