Driving to the Hamptons on Friday night or driving home on Sunday night almost always entails a few hours crawling along Route 27. And it's quite likely that at some point during the ordeal, you -- or your spouse, or your friends or your kids -- will threaten to lose it unless we can all get out of this damn car!
Traffic can strike anywhere, but west of Southampton, there's really nowhere to stop (unless you fancy the
Pine Barrens) and, in most cases, the congestion eases up east of
Amagansett. And so, traveling east to west, we present this overview of roadside diversions.
On the eastern outskirts of Amagansett is the
Super Saver IGA (511 Montauk Hwy., 631-267-3556, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m, to 11 p.m. on Saturdays), your last chance for quite a while to buy reasonably priced groceries.
We're not recommending many
restaurants here, but
La Fondita (74 Montauk Hwy., Amagansett, 631-267-8800, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays) is a rare low-cost, high-quality Hamptons eatery. Besides the authentic Mexican takeout, there's a lovely pond-side picnic area where kids (or adults) can run wild.
A most un-Hamptons respite awaits at
East Hampton Bowl (71 Montauk Hwy., East Hampton, 631-324-1950, 10 a.m. to midnight, or later), which offers not only bowling (and, on occasion, black-light "cosmic bowling" where only the lanes, pins, balls and shoes are illuminated), but air hockey, a video arcade and a bar. Just next door is Sleepy's (65 Montauk Hwy., 631-329-0786, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.), where you might contemplate a new mattress, or take a nap.
If it's still light outside, you could turn off the main road onto Stephen Hands Path where, 0.3 miles to the north, is
Stephen Hands Path Recreational Facility, which closes at dusk. The facility is devoted mostly to athletic fields -- soccer, football, volleyball, but there is also a jungle gym for little kids and, at least when I stopped by, fairly clean rest.rooms.
It's unlikely that you're going to be able to score a foursome on the nine-hole course at the
Poxabogue Golf Center (Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton, 631-537-0025, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.), but the driving range does not require reservations.
Wölffer Estate Vineyard is one of the East End's best
wineries. The main building is off the main road, but you can easily pull into the satellite "wine boutique" (3312 Montauk Hwy., Sagaponack, 631-537-4771, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., 'til 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday) Sommelier Daniel Buval or Bill Klisch will guide you through the vintages; you can taste and/or buy. You can also picnic at one of the vineyard-side tables.
The bend in the road at Southampton offers a multitude of options. Pick up some reasonably priced home accents at
Pier 1 (54 Montauk Hwy., Southampton, 631-726-2032, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday) or patio furniture at
Fortunoff's Backyard (10 Montauk Hwy., Southampton, 631-726-7620, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). These two stores flank the spacious, something-for-everyone Southampton
Princess Diner, (32 Montauk Hwy., 631-283–4255, 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 'til 1 a.m.).
For the next half-mile or so, the road is fairly littered with car dealerships. After gazing at shiny new BMWs, Land Rovers, Jaguars and Porsches, you may feel moved to spruce up the car you're driving. Why not stop at
Southampton Car Wash (404 County Road 39a, 631-283-8990, Friday and Saturday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.)?
As you pass
East End Clambakes (590 County Road 39, Southampton, 631-726-5360, Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday 'til 9 p.m.), you can mourn the passing of Fletcher's Ice Cream, often my first stop on the way to the Hamptons and my last stop on the way home, which occupied this location until four years ago. Or you can stop living in the past and avail yourself of a lobster roll to go.
It's your last (or first) chance to golf in the Hamptons at
Southampton Golf Range (668 North Hwy., Southampton, 631-283-2158, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.), where there is a driving range and "Animal Kingdom" Mini Golf. Decide for yourself whether the gigantic tiger looming over the parking lot is like the Frosted Flakes mascot or the Exxon mascot.
