Viewers are used to seeing George Stephanopoulos in a suit and tie on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and “This Week,” but even the former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton sometimes trades his wingtips for docksiders.
He and his wife — actress-comedian-author Ali Wentworth, 59 — have been summering in the Hamptons for 22 years now. They’ve owned homes in East Hampton, Amagansett, Southampton and, now, Sagaponack.
“We just can’t wait to get out there!” Stephanopoulos, 63, tells Alexa. “The whole family loves the Hamptons [including daughters Elliott, 21, and Harper, 18]. It is our home away from home and always our favorite place to go when we have time off.”
Tonight, the anchor gets to mix work with pleasure when he appears at Long Island LitFest in Melville to discuss his latest book, “The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis.”
“No one had done a comprehensive history of the White House Situation Room, which is really the nerve center of the White House,” explains Stephanopoulos. “So I did! This book is such an interesting window into how every president since John F. Kennedy, who created the Situation Room, has dealt with the crises of our times.”
His book includes watershed moments in “the room where it happened,” ranging from the shootings of presidents Kennedy and Ronald Reagan to the 9/11 attacks, the hours leading up to the Osama bin Laden raid and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. If you can’t make it to LitFest for his Q&A today, you might just run into Stephanopoulos at one of these Hamptons haunts.
“I have to support my Greeks! [The Candy Kitchen has been around for 100 years and is currently owned by Gus Laggis and was owned by George Stavropoulos before him.] Their homemade chocolate chip ice cream is my favorite!”
The 1770 House | 143 Main St., East Hampton
“The perfect place for a nightcap is 1770 House, because it’s within walking distance of our house. But with my early- morning schedule, a nightcap could be at 7 p.m.! The tavern downstairs is such a beautiful, cozy spot, and they make an excellent martini.”
“We’ve been going to this seafood shack for over 20 years, and it’s still just as incredible. The whole family has their usual orders: The girls get the lobster rolls — what they are most famous for — but I go for the little puffer fish, fried scallops or clams. You can’t go wrong there.”
Bookhampton | 41 Main St., East Hampton
“Every time I go out to East Hampton, I buy a book here. The last one was ‘Her First American’ by Lore Segal. I enjoyed it.”
“We stay in and cook more than we go out when we are in the Hamptons, and we’ll always pull over at this farm stand to pick up whatever looks good that day. But we’re usually grilling corn, and we’ll even get peaches to grill for dessert with vanilla ice cream. And we always have a big bowl of watermelon in our fridge.”
“It’s nice to hit a few balls at the range and then get some breakfast. I order your standard scrambled eggs and toast. I’ve been going here for years. It’s such a classic spot.”
Gibson Beach | 239 Gibson Lane, Sagaponack
“All the beaches in the Hamptons are fantastic, but I like this one the most because it’s never crowded, and you can walk forever just staring out into the water, feeling like you are miles away from everything else.”
Carvel | 2033 Montauk Highway, Bridgehampton
“My girls love going to Carvel. I order the vanilla soft-serve dipped in cherry. We also ordered their Fudgie the Whale cakes during COVID. That was our COVID treat.”
Guild Hall | 158 Main St., East Hampton
“It’s the place to get some culture. Ali and I saw an amazing production of ‘Equus’ here years ago, and we saw Sandra Bernhard’s comedy show. We’ve known her for a long time, so it’s always fun to go out and see your friends perform.”
“For the best view in the Hamptons, there’s nothing like the very tip out in Montauk, taking
a hike right along the cliffs, and looking down at the ocean from high up. It’s beautiful, and you feel so far, far away from everything — especially New York City.”
“I have the fondest memories of taking my girls here when they were little to see the ducks. My youngest daughter loved them, but my oldest was scared of them. It was a special place for us then and still is.”
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