South Hampton
I feel like a paparazzi in this samll town. I am the only person with camera in hand. Everybody else is enjoying the slow pace of the town. We are all visitors, but apparantly I am more visitor than the others. This feeling came to me once when I visited Fort Lauderdale. While all the other people enjoying the cool water and sun shine, I was standing there snapping pictures, in suit. People don't have to use pictures to show off their vacation, but suntan. Damn it, I am so used to taking my camera with me, 24/7.
West Hampton, South Hampton and East Hampton make the famous Hamptons of Long Island. Another lovely small town is Montauk. A lot of New Yorkers look for relaxation in those places, including many celebrities. It is hard to believe they are just 2-hours away from the crowded Manhattan. The town is slow in the day. I saw people just stood there staring into the thing air, enjoying the sunshine, and bikini girls biking through the town. At weekend nights, lots of parties are thrown. According to the FM100.3 "Z100", if you are a girl and go to the Hamptons without booking a room, 9 out of 10 times you can find an overnight party, but still you have the risk of sleeping at the beach. For a normal visitor, I would recommend you booking a hotel well in advance, especially for holidays like the Labor Day long weekend.
The north fork of Long Island is of less scene, in comparison with the hamptons of the south shore. Most places are farm ranches and vineyards. The orient point is the far east end of north fork, it has the historical light house.
My future plan is having a tour of Long Island. Starting from the south shore, along the Hamptons, I will drive to the Montauk. And then I will go to the Sag Harbor take the ferry to shelter Island and the north shore, visiting the vineyards. Maybe I should do it in a bike, yeah.
http://www.fodors.com/ is a very good source of exploring Long Island. People in the forum is very friendly and informative.