There's No Better Way To Get To The Hamptons Than In A Seaplane [PHOTOS]
My trip started from the marina at 23rd Street and the FDR on the East River. I took the subway and walked a few blocks, but if I was a seaplane regular, my limo would have dropped me off here.
![There's No Better Way To Get To The Hamptons Than In A Seaplane [PHOTOS]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticbiassets.in%2Fthumb%2Fmsid-35640594%2Cwidth-700%2Cheight-525%2Cimgsize-1232001%2Fmy-trip-started-from-the-marina-at-23rd-street-and-the-fdr-on-the-east-river-i-took-the-subway-and-walked-a-few-blocks-but-if-i-was-a-seaplane-regular-my-limo-would-have-dropped-me-off-here-.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
The seaplane terminal is pretty nondescript. The corrugated iron building and barbed wire didn't exactly make me feel like a high roller.
It was just a short walk from the "skyport" to the river. I passed a couple of yachts available for charter: One was being rented for a high school prom that evening.
I was definitely in the right place.
Our large group of reporters filled two seaplanes, which can hold eight passengers each.
Boarding was a little precarious with camera equipment. No one wanted to get splashed by the East River.
Our plane, an amphibious Cessna Caravan, was pretty compact inside.
There were life preservers and barf bags for every passenger.
And headphones so you could listen in on the pilot's conversation.
The reading materials were appropriate for a Wall Street exec looking to unwind after a long week.
Taking off from the water was surprisingly smooth. We taxied out from the pier, turned south, and were in the air in minutes.
I've lived in New York for years, but seeing the city from a seaplane was an entirely new experience. We started the trip heading south along Manhattan's east side.
East River Park looked lush in early June.
After flying over the Williamsburg Bridge, we turned and started the trip north and east.
Coming back up the East River, we were eye-to-eye with the United Nations.
The grid unfolded like Google Maps in 3D.
We could even see Central Park and the reservoir.
We passed Randall's Island, covered in tennis courts and baseball fields.
And the sprawling jail complex on Riker's Island.
The commercial airliners at LaGuardia Airport looked like kids' toys.
We got a great aerial view of Citi Field and Queens.
In no time, we were headed out along the north shore of Long Island.
The view quickly went from urban to suburban. We flew along at about 1,500 feet, low enough to get a good look at the mansions of Long Island's Gold Coast.
We flew over King's Point and Sand's Point, the wealthy North Shore villages memorialized as "East Egg" and "West Egg" in "The Great Gatsby."
The farther we flew, the homes got bigger and further apart. Many of the biggest and oldest Gold Coast estates are extremely private, so a low-flying seaplane gave us a rare glimpse behind the hedges.
Most of the mansions along the shore had private docks.
We passed acres and acres of Hamptons farmland.
And loads of private boats filling Long Island waterways.
Had we taken a car, this trip would have taken just over two hours — without traffic.
After about 30 minutes in the air, we spotted our destination: The Sag Harbor Marina. The village is on the northern side of south fork, between Bridgehampton and East Hampton.
The seaplane landing was quick and smooth. In no time, we were floating in the marina and tying up to a buoy. That's Steve, our seaplane pilot.
Disembarking was a little tricky. We exited onto one of the seaplane's floats and had to duck under the wing ...
Just to get to a motorized boat that took us the rest of the way to shore.
In minutes, we pulled up alongside the megayachts docked at the Sag Harbor Cove Yacht Club.
The bottom line: $550 is about $500 more than I (and most folks) could reasonably spend on a single-way trip to the Hamptons. But for anyone who loathes traffic, likes adventure, and has money to toss around, there's no better way to travel during the summer.
Here's another spot for high rollers:
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