The sleepy, exclusive enclaves of the Hamptons are increasingly turning into party spots, and some longtime locals aren’t having any fun.
I hate to see my favorite escape turn into a revival of my disco years, sighed Daniel Stock, a divorce attorney who lives in Connecticut and has spent summers at his friend’s house in Bridgehampton for years. I have always valued my time in the Hamptons to regroup and reflect on my clients and cases and to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the courts.
But on a recent night, he went to a favorite local haunt and found it less than relaxing.
“The crowd and noise was so intense, it rivaled the meatpacking area on Friday night,” he told The Post.
Restaurants in Southampton, such as Publick House, that used to go down around 10pm are now turning into clubbing scenes.
Others, like 75 Main, have become increasingly vibrant.
We stay open until the last customer leaves, which can be as late as 2 a.m., said Zach Erdem, owner of 75 Main. We don’t have a dance floor, but we don’t need one. They jump on chairs and tables.
Rocco DiSpirito’s new venue, Il Pelicano, is connected to the Bijoux club, allowing patrons to move seamlessly from dinner to party.
Some Southampton residents say it has become so wild that they avoid going outside.
People with $50 million homes would love to move to the city, but they have to go through hordes of people, R. Couri Hay, a publicist who splits his time between the Upper West Side and Southampton, told The Post.
It’s not the strange village it used to be,” he added. “Now homeless people pile into the Jitney and go out for the day, and at 11 p.m., you can see 100 people lined up at the station with overnight bags. I literally saw a woman take a dress out of the truck. her and changed on the way behind the door Blame the influencers who are posting beautiful cocktails from the Hamptons!
Such trouble comes as the city of East Hampton maintains a tight rein on restauranteur Scott Sartiano and his outpost of Sartiano’s at Hedges Inn. But Southampton Village Police Chief Suzanne Hurteau denies her town is becoming more of a party place.
“Most of our nightlife closes at 2 a.m., except for a few holiday weekends,” she told The Post. “Night life in the village has declined over the years. For establishments that have problems, the Southampton Village Police Department has done our due diligence and worked closely with the NYS Liquor Authority,
Dr. Howard Sobel, a cosmetic dermatologist on Park Avenue who has had a home in Water Mill for 25 years, said he has seen a marked change in his area.
Restaurants have become so social that it’s hard to sit at the bar,” he said.
But some are enjoying the livelier atmosphere and the fact that they no longer have to travel to Montauk, up to an hour away and known for a younger, louder scene, to have a great night out.
Talia Fraticelli, a 21-year-old veterinarian who grew up in Manhattan and now lives in Sag Harbor, says she feels safer partying close to home at places like Ketchy Beach. The Southampton restaurant and lounge opened last June, drawing a well-heeled crowd that thinks nothing of shelling out $5,000 for after-dinner table and bottle service.
It wasn’t like that last year and I hope it stays like that,” said Fraticelli. “With frequent drinking and driving in Montauk, an accident is less likely to happen if I can have more fun in the country.
Chef Julian Medina, who owns El Verano in Southampton, also welcomes the change.
In late July, he started featuring a DJ at the restaurant on Thursdays from 10pm to 2am to help make his bottom line.
The cost of living is outrageous, restaurants are harder to run, and the amount of people you get in the off-season is unmatched,” he told The Post.
He’s also glad his 16-year-old daughter has opportunities for a good time that are closer to his home in Quogue.
“The younger generations in these towns are looking for something more fun to do without going to Montauk and before everything was closed early,” he said.
Bradford Rand, who has a home in Bridgehampton and hosts The Hamptons Concours, a charity brunch and car show benefit, has given up on finding his Zen in the area.
We are getting to the point where it is not a destination for peace, he told The Post. Literally every place is trying to get people to stay, drink and socialize, and DJs bring sex appeal. There are some places that haven’t gone rogue, but Sag Harbor used to be a quiet place and now you can’t even walk on the sidewalks.
These days, when he wants peace, he goes back to the city.
“During the summer, the Hamptons are already packed,” he said, “but Manhattan is empty!
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