This past weekend, I headed out to the Hamptons (#81 on the 101) with Lauren and her parents to relax and/or have things to blog about.
We stayed at Windward Shores in Amagansett, which is about halfway between East Hampton and Montauk. I had never been further east than Port Jefferson (I ran out of hair gel) so I was excited to see some other parts of Long Island.
The drive out there was great – there was almost no traffic and there was perfect weather. The only snag we hit was about 20 minutes out, when we stopped for gas and Lauren’s mom realized that she had forgotten some of her clothes…oops (let the record show that when I started writing this post, I was headed home from a Nashville trip in which I was so tired that I forgot to bring several items of important clothing…I will leave it at that).
After we dropped our stuff off in the rooms and managed a short nap, we went to dinner in East Hampton to a place called East Hampton Point. While the food was good, the service was awful. I tend to overly notice these things since I worked in a restaurant for a few years, but they seemed to mess up everything. Every time they brought food they gave it to the wrong person, they poured the wine like it was Coors Light, and they tried to charge us for things that we didn’t eat. That said, the view of the water was amazing – that was definitely the highlight, culinary or otherwise.
On Sunday morning we decided to knock out the a serious Hamptons bike ride. After Phil and I spent about an hour tuning up the bikes and trying to get all four of us in one place, we headed out on our 20-mile journey. The day was perfect for riding, since it was a little cooler out and we were on a lot of back roads. We went all around the beaches, into a few small towns, and stopped numerous times to see the osprey nests. In fact, there were few times that we were not observing the majestic osprey.
My bike, Weissman van
First beach stop
Watching some kites/windsurfing
A small bear that we saw
That night, we went to a restaurant called The 1770 House, so named because that’s the year it became an inn (it was actually built in 1663). The front of the restaurant looked like a house, and it was definitely an authentic experience. You know that “look” that all museums and things in Philly/Boston have from Colonial days? That was this restaurant. The service was much better and the food was over the top – definitely an addition to the Best Five Steaks I Have Ever Eaten. Oddly enough, it was owned by the same people that owned East Hampton Point. Apparently they treat one restaurant like a bastard child. After dinner, we walked around the back of the restaurant, which has an extensive garden. Here are numerous pictures of the restaurant (I regret not taking multiple pictures of my steak).
This is where Ben Franklin invented bifocals
Proof of the restaurant's age
Part of the backyard garden
Lauren and I
Per advice from counsel, Phil is unable to be shown on camera and/or the internet. 3WC regrets the omission.
The next morning, Lauren and Stacey left early for some “core fusion” exercise class that would later leave Lauren paralyzed and Stacey citing the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. I took care of some work all morning, then headed down to the beach with Phil for some lunch and football. This was no ordinary picnic, however.You see, to bring our food to the beach, we used….The West Wing Official Picnic Backpack! (#48)
Apparently, the crew from the show was given these backpacks, and Phil bought one on Craigslist. In one backpack, they managed to fit plates, wine glasses, table settings and silverware for four, a wine holder, a cheese plate, and the hopes and dreams of a hypothetical early 90′s Democratic administration (not pictured below). This was one of the most relaxing parts of the trip.
Fat guy in a little suit
What relaxing should look like
Random guy standing in my shot
The famous backpack
The contents revealed. Is there anything West Wing can't do?
Either Phil got a ridiculous tan, or I have gone to absurdly great lengths to respect his photographic wishes.
After we had leftovers from 1770 for lunch, we headed out to meet up with Lauren and Stacey after their class. We grabbed lunch at the Golden Pear, then headed home. Although we were only there for around 48 hours, it was a great trip and I was very appreciative for the invite (plus, anytime I can cross two things off the list in one weekend, it’s a beautiful thing). Now that I have finally finished this post, I can catch up on the two dozen others I’ve neglected over the last week.
One lane road leading the Hamptons. At least the top was down.
Leaving the Hamptons
lets go back now!