If we are to believe the New York newspapers, the Hamptons are filled with self-indulgent models, celebrities and wannabees on a trek to see and be seen. I guess for about 8 weeks in July and August, that’s probably true. In that time frame, people pay outrageous amounts of money to rent mansions along the south shore of Long Island, the roads between the towns are always clogged, beaches are jammed and the top priority seems to be how to get into the “hot” club each night.
But the Hamptons that insiders know and love, is the Hamptons that exists the other 10 months of the year. The series of small, bucolic villages that dot the southern shore of Long Island, NY and known as the “Hamptons” starts at Westhampton and stretches out to the eastern tip of the island at Montauk.
Immortalized in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”, the Hamptons (more specifically Southhampton) has long been the summer respite of New Yorkers seeking to escape the heat of the City. Twentysomethings who “share” houses during the season, rub shoulders with celebrities, politicians and high powered business types during a frantic summer of partying that leave most exhausted by Labor Day.
But before the crowd gets there and after they have returned to the City, the Hamptons offer a wonderful weekend retreat of pristine beaches, quaint shops, antique stores, wineries, top rated restaurants and plenty of things to do to occupy your time.

Staying in a place that feels like your own personal mansion tops all those attractions. Singing 'til the past midnight, drinking wine and cocktails, breakfast on the outside patio overlooking speeding boats on the harbour, relaxing on the heated pool and cruising the river wondering what famous people own those luxurious waterfront mansions. What a relaxed and an enjoyable weekend...

There's really much to do in the Hamptons, Long Island's summer playground for the rich and famous.




Don't forget to watch this video. My first try on using the Flip UltraHD camcorder and the Cyberlink PowerDirector.

See also our last year's summer trips, click here.

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Six Flags Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom in Lake George, NY



See more galleries:
Lake George Album 1
Lake George Album 2
Six Flags Album 1
Six Flags Album 2

Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey

...Also, we had a glimpse on the lifestyles of the rich and famous...

Summer runs from late-June through early September. Our weekends were filled with enjoyable and relaxing getaways. It'll be no wonder if we count this season as our favorite time of year. We are having fun.

As soon as we felt the heat, we took the road for a return trip to Hersheypark in Pennsylvania. They added a new water theme park, the Boardwalk, said to be the largest water play structure in the world.

Then we tried to unwind a weekend at the Splish Splash Waterpark in Riverhead, NY.

The plan on the fourth of July road trip was an overnight camp with canoeing and river rafting. But it was really difficult to look for a campsite during the holiday, so we headed to another theme park. It was the Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut. This theme park has a lot of unique rides including the world class Boulder Dash wood coaster. Though it is the largest water park in Connecticut, a seven-acre expansion is said to be added wherein the first phase is projected to open in 2010.

A weekend after (July 12), we had a privilege tour inside a luxury cruise ship, the Explorer of the Seas. This Royal Caribbean cruise ship is huge, there are lots of things to do on it. There is a shopping area, theaters, ice skating rink and a mini golf course. For those who love to gamble, there is also a casino. You will sometimes forget you are inside a ship. One more thing, the ship's crew are amazing. You will really feel like a royalty.

It wasn't the last great water-related experience we had. Our boating adventure in West Hampton in Long Island last July 26th tops our summer getaway. Cruising on the water just lifts your stress. You're too busy having fun to worry about work and just a time away from TV, phones and computers makes the boating experience a great one. Also, we had a glimpse on the lifestyles of the rich and famous.

Whoa! what a busy summer. Add to that the birthday parties and picnics we were invited to celebrate every weekend. Again, we are having fun!

...see our photos as we savored close-up the spectacular scenery and magnificent island homes in thousand islands...

We are really grateful that we're invited in an exclusive garden wedding in upstate New York. Castle wedding has been a choice of many celebrities since it is more memorable and more romantic. Leah and Brad uttered their "I do, I do" at the Singer Castle at Dark Island in Chippewa Bay, NY just in the border of U.S. and Canada. Our best wishes to the loving couple. We are also happy to finally meet our relatives (Avila-Rono) in Ottawa and Mississagua, Canada.

The next day, we enjoyed the leisurely cruise, which highlights the "Millionaire's Row" section of the U.S. islands and then loops into Canadian waters before heading back to Alexandria Bay.

A bus picked us up at the back of Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas at around 6:00am then proceeded to their deployment station. We were segregated from West Rim tour and paid our tour package. After that, we had a light breakfast. A photo stop at Hoover Dam. Comfort stop in Kingsman Arizona. Then proceeded National Geographic Visitor Center to watch the Grand Canyon IMAX movie before proceeding to the South Rim.

A bus tour takes 14 hours (of which you'll spend 2 - 3 hours at your destination). We arrived back in Las Vegas at around 9:00pm.

The breathtaking beauty of the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, is like nothing else you will ever experience.





How the Canyon Came to be the Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is probably the world’s most spectacular example of the power of erosion. Scientists estimate Grand Canyon began forming 6 million years ago with the downward cutting (erosion) of the Colorado River, which flows through the Canyon. The work is by no means finished. The powerful forces of the river, rain, snow, heat, frost and wind are still sculpting the fantastic shapes of precipitous bluffs and towering buttes.

A National Historic Landmark, Hoover Dam is the highest concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere, standing at more than 725 feet above the Colorado River. When completed in 1936, it was both the world's largest electric-power generating station and the world's largest concrete structure.

The dam is named after America's 31st president, Herbert Hoover, who played a large role in bringing the nearby states into agreement about water allocations, settling a 25-year controversy. The dam has been called Boulder Canyon Dam as well as Boulder Dam, but Hoover Dam was reinstated as the official name by Congress in 1947.

The view from the dam also offers a breathtaking look at Lake Mead, the country's largest man-made reservoir. Although water levels have been low recently, Lake Mead can store up to 9.2 trillion gallons of water, equal to two years of the river's annual flow.

Valley of Fire State Park is located in the Mojave Desert of southern Nevada about 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas.

Seeing some great sandstone formations, we felt that we're on another planet.

Known as the "Entertainment Capital of the World".

The Las Vegas Strip is where all the hotels and casinos are found. Leisurely strolling the strip was well worth the effort with its amazing sights. At the Venetian, we experienced a little bit of Italy with a ride through the Grand Canal in an authentic venetian gondola. The gondolier were serenading making the experience more romantic. Inside the Bellagio Hotel, at the Gallery of Fine Arts, we stopped by to see the current exhibits. Outside there is a light and sound show, coupled with the fountain display. Just across the hotel, the view of the Eiffel Tower replica is amazing. Took a shot with one Elvis impersonator. Click here to view our photos.

Our trip back to LA. The famous Hollywood Boulevard and its Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Kodak Theatre, known as the first permanent home of the Academy Awards.

It is in Beverly Hills, not Hollywood, where many stars actually live, dine and shop. It was in Rodeo Drive that we took more photos. The famed shopping street is known throughout the world as the epicenter of luxury fashion.

Rodeo Drive is probably the wealthiest and most famous shopping district in the world. It is here that the rich & famous do their shopping, and where tourists window-shop while trying to spot movie stars on the fabled street.









Fact: Rodeo Drive is home to the single most expensive store in the world: Bijan (at 420 Rodeo Drive). You must make an appointment in advance just to shop at Bijan (which was named after its Iranian owner).

From seeing-stars.com: Did you ever wonder what store Julia Roberts was snubbed in, in "Pretty Woman"? Well, it was a woman's clothing store named Boulmiche, located just a few steps west of Rodeo, at 9501 Santa Monica Blvd.

Photos of our return trip to Washington, D.C.