Where the Living is Easy

Like no other phrase, the Hamptons summons up a vibrant host of summery associations. Glorious, powdery sand beaches to soothe and massage bare feet. Deep, white-slipcovered sofas you want to sink into and never leave. The perfect balance of sun and breeze to warm, then cool your face. And enough overheated traffic to make a person curse it all.

For better or worse, all of the above holds true for the East End of New York's Long Island, where the coast is heaven and the roads are, well, the other one. Relax? Most people here aren't looking to, preferring the lively social scene that percolates away at tennis courts, restaurants, cocktail parties, and benefits. One would assume that's why Katleen (here with her children, Ileana, 2, and Sebastian, 4, at their home's front entrance), bought and renovated her house in the Hamptons community of Wainscott—and why she flies her family across the Atlantic Ocean to spend every July and August here. Surely, she must adore the go-go social scene.