On many a flight home from Europe I have been treated to a breathtaking sight. As I peer out of the small window (I always sit next to the window), the huge aircraft rides into JFK Airport by flying straight down the South Shore of Long Island.

The exquisite sandy, beige beaches unfold under our wings for miles and miles. I hesitate to call it the "ninth wonder of the world," but it is close. Beaches come in many varieties. The stony, pebbly beaches of Nice, France are impossible to get comfortable on. The brown sand of Cannes is also less than hospitable. The black lava beaches of Hawaii Island need getting accustomed to. Even some of our Long Island North Shore beaches do not have the perfect consistency of the Jones Beach, Coney Island, Rockaway, Tobay, Westhampton, Southampton, East Hampton, and Montauk variety.

Let me inform my readership of one truth: you do not need a passport to visit the Hamptons! Get on the Long Island Expressway to Exit 70, go south to the Sunrise Highway (Route 27), make a left going east, take first exit south which is County Highway 31 and drive till your hat floats. Cross one of the four bridges and you are on Dune Road.

Dune Road is a two lane road extending for about 11 or 12 miles. The Great South Bay is on one side and the Atlantic Ocean is on the other. The homes and condos on either the bay or oceanside are architectural marvels. The rounded wood and huge windows are a hymn to summer.

"Summer Rules!" However, after the beach activity many seafood restaurants are available. On rainy or cloudy days try the fun of antiquing or just visiting the art galleries in all the cute towns along Montauk Highway. Stopping for home grown fruits and vegetables is a must.

Dress is casual and you might even bump into a real celebrity. Billy Joel is most famous out here. John Rowland (Channel 5 News), Alec Baldwin and Christy Brinkley can also be seen wandering about the Hamptons.

Each Hampton has its own personality - Westhampton Beach is the "family Hampton" - Southampton is usually associated with the very affluent - East Hampton is more artsy with many galleries and cultural opportunities.

I am urging you to get in your car and head east and eventually south. Take a trip to the Hamptons. I repeat "no passport is necessary." It starts about 50 miles from Jericho. Cape Code is a heck of a lot further.

A warning - a view from an airplane is one thing. The traffic on Montauk Highway is another. Go slow and enjoy!