How Long Beach, Hamptons, Fire Island full timers survive summer

Long Island charms the tourists no matter the season, with sparkling holiday lights in winter, pumpkin picking and hayrides in fall and botanical gardens that bloom in spring.

But summer is really when the Island shines.

Pristine beaches, raving nightlife on the water, plenty of bay to boat and the seasonal opening of top-notch restaurants reel in the out-of-towners.

But for those who live full-time in Long Island's summer hot spots, the season can bring intense traffic, rude drivers, lines at the supermarket and long waits at restaurants.

Despite this, there is a sense of energy residents admit they miss when the weather cools — even for those who take a deep breath before they leave their homes. Here's how locals survive past Labor Day.

Staying in

The East End of Long Island, especially the Hamptons and the North Fork, swell with summer homeowners and weekend tourists who look forward all year to the parties and beaches. But an influx of visitors often means an uptick in headaches for locals.

Robert Michaelson, 75, of Sag Harbor, is a retired attorney who has owned a home there for about 40 years and has been living in the village full time for the past five years. Over time, he noticed the crowds in his village have not only changed in numbers but in attitude. For instance, crowd size also means more impatient drivers.

"The traffic has gotten to be unbelievable," he said. "Coming in and out of the Hamptons on a weekday, because of people coming in for work, or trying to find a parking spot in the summer, is impossible."

And while others embrace the hot summer sun, Michaelson opts to stay in.

"We end up staying in the house or walking into town," he said. "The summers are clearly more crowded and more intense."

Robin Citriniti, a listing agent for Netter Beach Estates, has lived in Corneille Estates near Ocean Beach in Fire Island for 25 years. For many of those years, she did not look forward to when the summer crowds arrived.

"It was an invasion of my privacy," she said. "All the streets were packed... It wasn't easy for us to escape."

Escaping and avoiding

"It's nice to see my friends, the ones opening up their restaurants and shops for the season," said Tanya Fuchs, a real estate broker with Daniel Gale Sotheby's International and a year-round Fire Island resident.

"It's nice to hear the boats on the bay coming back. I like when it's lively."

That is also when her business is the busiest.

"People bring business to everybody," she said of the hordes of tourists. "We couldn't live the life we live without the people."

Still, even Fuchs needs a getaway occasionally. Her husband, Mark Cherveny, of Cherveny Carting, a refuse carting company, is also an assistant chief in the Fair Harbor Fire Department. They have a house on the Great South Bay, which is a short boat ride away when they need to escape from the noise and crowds.

Year-rounders find ways to avoid the chaos.

"We stay away from the busy bars. It gets too crowded," Fuchs said.

Off-season on Fire Island can be blissful for the tranquility; the quiet and solitude where only a few remain on the block and people know each other by name.

"It's very quiet, very beautiful and serene and spiritual," Citriniti said.

Citriniti dreaded summer crowds, but her attitude changed about 11 years ago, when she started selling real estate in the area.

"Now my whole focus is about the work," she said. She loves the busyness of her job of renting and selling homes in the area and enjoys the people she meets in her work during the busy season.

Still, around midseason she "gets a bit tired," and misses her solitude until September arrives.

Embrace the chaos until Labor Day

For Vasilios Bitis, 67, a Sag Harbor resident, surviving means hitting the beach very early before the vacationers have even had their coffee.

"It's a trade-off," he said. "You have to be patient to cross the street. We get used to zipping along, and now we get stuck, so people complain."

However, despite the traffic, summertime is boom-time for Bitis' business, because he is a private driver who mostly does airport pickups and Manhattan trips.

"People who don't have to work in the summer may complain, but people who need summer crowds to make money, they don't mind," he said.

As with most seasoned residents who live in a summer tourist town, there are always tricks to avoid the worst of the summer swells and enjoy the best part.

For instance, many say that restaurants that close in the winter months are open. And while there may be a long wait for a table, it is a unique experience to live in an area where top chefs and their eateries ply their trades in their town.

Tourist spots like wineries are packed, but locals say it's fun when there are bands, wine tastings and vineyard tours.

Just like in Fire Island, the locals on the East End are ready to slow down once summer wanes. But it doesn't die down the day after Labor Day like it used to, they said.

"We used to call it 'Tumbleweed Tuesday,' but it's not like that anymore," Bitis said. "People linger well into October and more people stay because they work from home ... Still, it is quieter."

Citriniti added: "There is a peacefulness that happens after Labor Day. You can almost feel the island give a sigh of relief."

"Still, we are very happy here," said Michaelson, the retired attorney. "We wish it was a little more low-key, but this is our home. We aren't going anywhere."

Long Beach and day trippers

Long Beach's legendary boardwalk and busy nightlife scene brings in people who only visit for the day. Most of these "day trippers" come from Manhattan and other points west.

Long Beach does not allow short-term rentals, such as Airbnb or Vrbo, in the city, so it is mostly a place to hit the beach during the day and the clubs on the East End at night before taking the train home.

The population swells from 35,000 to about 50,000 in the summer, Long Beach City spokesman John McNally said.

"You can feel the pulse of energy from the ground," said Matt Hisiger, who owns LB Social, which is directly across from the train station, and LB Bistro, about two blocks east.

"We get the 'Sunday Hit and Run' crowd," he said. "The 'two margaritas and oysters to go,' before they get on the train back home."

But Long Beach summers do not cater only to the tourists, Hisiger said.

"Long Beach is a special place," he said. "We love the outsiders, but we still love the Long Beach community."

Residents take their time off to vacation in their own backyards in this beach community, to enjoy the beaches and nightlife.

"Long Beach kids don't go to sleepaway camp," he said. "Because they have the beach here."