Every year around Labor Day, I feel the exact same thing. The traffic on 27 lets up. I can actually get a table somewhere without booking it three weeks out. And the light out here gets so soft in the afternoon that I find myself just standing in my driveway for a minute before I go inside. September is the month I wait for all summer, and honestly, I almost don’t want to write this because it still feels like our little secret.
But here we are. So let me tell you how I spend it.
Dining
Dinner finally feels normal again. I got into Beacon in Sag Harbor last week without planning, and I’m convinced it’s still the best sunset dinner on the East End. Tutto Il Giorno is where I want a long lunch in that garden of theirs once things quiet down. My husband Steve and I always end up back at Wölffer on a Friday night too, since they keep the live music going well past summer. Honestly, half the fun of September is just going back to all the places that felt impossible to get into two weeks earlier.
The farm stands are still going strong too, so this is when I load up a tote at Balsam Farms in Amagansett, mostly with whatever they’ve got fresh that week, or swing by Pike Farms in Sagaponack for the last of the corn and sunflowers before they disappear for the year. Serene Green is another good stop if you’re out that way, always a nice excuse to wander before heading home.
At Duryea’s out in Montauk, the one everyone clamors over all August, you can walk up and get a table on the water once Labor Day passes, and The Crow’s Nest nearby is just as good. You have a couple of weeks to take in the breathtaking water views without the crowds. Duryea’s Orient Point season closes on September 13. Duryea’s Montauk season closing is September 20. If you have access to a boat, I highly recommend boating to Duryea’s Orient Point.
Culture
Culture out here doesn’t get better once the crowd thins out, it just keeps going. The Parrish Art Museum is opening a big show at the end of the month called “Abstract Expressionism: The East End,” all about how that whole movement actually took root right here on Long Island, and I already know I want an unhurried afternoon for that one. Their Fresh Paint series is worth a stop too. What I love most about September culture, though, is its pace. People aren’t checking their watch for the next reservation. They actually want to stand in front of something and talk about it.
At Bay Street Theater, “Bonkers in the Boroughs” is a world premiere comedy from Joy Behar, five original short plays starring Behar and friends, running September 2 to 6 and closing out Bay Street’s 35th anniversary season with a sharp, funny take on relationships and everyday New York life.
And this is the month I start paying attention to the Hamptons International Film Festival too. This year marks its 34th edition, running October 2 through 12, eleven days of screenings and events across the East End, and passes and ticket packages typically go on sale in September ahead of the full lineup announcement. I always try to grab something early since the Spotlight screenings sell out fast, and there’s nothing better than catching a film here before it makes its way through the rest of awards season.
Also keep an eye out for events at Guild Hall in East Hampton, the Southampton Arts Center, the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton, and more.
Shopping
Shopping shifts into a different gear as well. Main Street in East Hampton, Sag Harbor, and Southampton stops feeling like an obstacle course of beach bags and stroller traffic, and I finally have room to actually browse. As an East Hampton resident, I rarely get to Southampton in the summer due to the traffic. But when the traffic subsides, I love driving to Elyse Walker in Southampton to take in everything they are showing for fall. They do a fabulous curation of denim, bags, sweaters, and the latest jewelry designers. I also love that they are committed to staying open year-round. My husband loves Greyson for golf and activewear, so they were a welcome men’s addition to Southampton. I also love Leonard Frisbie and Hank’s for men, both stores stay open year-round.
Sports
If you play anything, September is your month. Montauk Downs gets so much easier to book once Labor Day hits, and the lower humidity makes for a much better round than August ever gives you. Tennis holds on too. Sportime’s Amagansett club runs all the way into November outdoors, and the courts at Montauk Yacht Club stay open through the end of October, so there’s no excuse not to get a match in if the summer heat kept you off the court.
And if you’re heading into the city for the U.S. Open while you’re still out here, the easiest way I’ve found is the Hampton Jitney straight to the Queens stop near the airport, then an Uber the rest of the way. So much easier than riding all the way into Manhattan just to turn around and come back out to Queens.
Just Soaking It In
Mostly though, September out here is just a feeling. The beach is still warm enough to sit on, but you could get half of it to yourself. The whole place slows down in a way that feels like a small gift after a busy summer. I love a long bike ride through the back roads of Sagaponack when the hydrangeas start fading, a sunset walk on an empty stretch of beach, or just coffee on a bench on Main Street watching the town remember how to breathe. September is the version of the Hamptons that feels most like home to me.