I’m a Californian who visited the Hamptons for the first time. Here are 9 things that surprised me about the fancy New York beach destination.

I flew from Los Angeles to New York to visit the Hamptons for the first time. Molly O’Brien I traveled from Los Angeles to Montauk in late August, and it was my first time in the Hamptons.   Thanks to the Jitney, the free shuttle, and the walkable downtown area, I didn’t need a car or taxi.

The gas and food prices were high but comparable to what I’d pay in Los Angeles. I took a three-day trip to the Hamptons in late August. I spent two nights in Montauk and stayed at Marram Montauk, above, for one of them.

Molly O’BrienI’ve always been curious about what a trip to the Hamptons would be like.  My desire to visit the East Coast vacation destination was sparked by the season-two premiere of The CW’s “Gossip Girl,” when wealthy Upper East Siders Blair Waldorf, Serena van der Woodsen, Nate Archibald, and Chuck Bass enjoyed a swanky Hamptons getaway.  After growing up in Massachusetts and moving to California, I’d become familiar with high-end beach destinations in the US, like Cape Code and Malibu, but I’d never been to the Hamptons.

So, I traveled from my home in Los Angeles to Montauk in late August. These were the most surprising things about my first time visiting the summer destination favored by celebrities and the East Coast elite. The Hamptons is actually made up of different towns, villages, and hamlets.

I visited the Hamptons from a Monday to a Wednesday in late August. Molly O’BrienI wasn’t very familiar with Long Island geography before embarking on my trip.  I did some research and learned that the Hamptons is a region on the South Fork of Long Island that consists of two towns: Southampton and East Hampton.

 Southampton is made up of a smattering of hamlets and villages such as Westhampton, Southampton, and Bridgehampton.  And East Hampton has villages and hamlets including Sag Harbor, East Hampton, Amagansett, and Montauk, which is where I visited. The Jitney was an easy way to travel from New York City to Long Island.

The Jitney took me directly to and from Montauk, and it cost $40 each way. Molly O’BrienMy trip started on the Hampton Jitney, a bus that took me from the airport pickup stop in Queens all the way to Montauk, the end of the line. The Jitney arrived every hour or so.

I was concerned that I missed mine after it arrived late, but the delay was just a result of normal New York weekday traffic.  I got confused trying to figure out which line I wanted to take since the first Jitney that pulled up to the stop was going to North Fork instead of South Fork. Luckily, the woman who managed the bus operations was very helpful.

 Even though a Monday through Wednesday in late August wasn’t the prime time for a Hamptons visit (the beach towns are usually packed on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day), the Jitney was still full with about 50 other people. I spent three hours riding in the air-conditioned coach, sitting in a pretty nice seat. The bus was even equipped with Wi-Fi.

 My ticket cost $40 each way. I purchased it online ahead of time to save a few dollars and make sure I had a reserved spot. However, passengers can also buy tickets on the bus if they’re headed on a more impromptu trip.

The humidity in Montauk was unlike anything I’d experienced. It was very humid the day I arrived to Montauk. Molly O’BrienThe first thing that hit me when I stepped off the bus in downtown Montauk was the humidity.

When I checked my phone, I saw the relative humidity was 99% — higher than I’d ever experienced. Coming from dry heat in California, this was pretty uncomfortable. I didn’t need a car to get around town.

Instead, I walked or took the free shuttle. I took the Hampton Hopper and walked to get around Montauk. Molly O’BrienI noticed that gas prices in the Hamptons were comparable to what I would’ve paid in Los Angeles.

Luckily, I didn’t have to drive or take a taxi during my summertime visit.  Montauk’s downtown area was very walkable, so I explored on foot and took the Hampton Hopper, a free bus that transported me to all the major spots around Montauk. The hotels where I stayed were close together but offered two very different experiences.

I spent one night at Marram Montauk and one night at Sole East. Molly O’BrienOnce I got used to the humidity, it was an easy walk from the bus stop to my first hotel, Marram Montauk. The beachfront property was about half a mile outside of the downtown area.

 Marram Montauk felt like a luxurious, family-friendly surf retreat, complete with firepits for s’mores, outdoor beach spaces, and a pool overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. I would’ve been content sitting on the balcony and enjoying the ocean air for my entire trip.  The second night, I stayed at Sole East, a hotel that was nestled into a quieter, more residential neighborhood about a mile away from the city center.

 Sole East was exactly what I pictured as quintessential Hamptons style. Everything was painted a pristine white, and the dark navy blue and red accents were classically patriotic. The hotel’s backyard had a gorgeous garden and a lawn space with dozens of Adirondack chairs.

Sole East felt like a place with strong traditions where travelers returned to time and time again. When I was waiting to check in, I heard a mother tell her toddler: “We’re going to stay in the same room we stayed in when you were just 11 months old!” The entire town felt like it was in vacation mode. The Montauk locals and the tourists were extremely friendly.

Molly O’BrienI grabbed a coffee at Left Hand Coffee, a popular Montauk spot that had a steady stream of people coming in and out.  I had to get some remote work done, so I was a bit frustrated that there was nowhere to sit down apart from a couch that was already occupied. But no one else seemed to mind.

This was the first of many times that I felt like the Hamptons pushed me into vacation mode, as everyone else I encountered — whether they were a local or a tourist — seemed to be laid-back, relaxed, and very friendly. Montauk had a strong sense of community and a lot of pride. There are outdoor activities and concerts in the Montauk parks.

Molly O’BrienDuring my trip, I explored the quaint downtown area’s cute boutiques, parks, and town-square area, where there are occasionally outdoor concerts.  I was impressed by the amount of historical and cultural heritage sites around town, such as Second House Museum and the Montauk Indian Museum.  I also stopped at a visitor’s center to get a lay of the land from locals who knew where to eat, sightsee, and explore on such a short trip.

A local artist painted the “MTK” letters outside the building, and I learned that local art is very important to the community. The food costs were actually pretty similar to what I’m used to in Los Angeles. I dined at Inlet Cafe and got breakfast at Bird on the Rood during my trip.

Molly O’BrienWhen I got hungry on my first day, I walked over to the town grocery store and picked up a pre-packaged salad for dinner. The food was pretty pricey by grocery-store standards, but it didn’t bug me too much since I was coming from Los Angeles, one of the US’ most expensive cities. The next day, I took the shuttle to the Inlet Cafe & Sushi Bar at a seafood restaurant called Gosman’s Dock.

I enjoyed a delicious but expensive dinner (I paid $50 for 18 pieces of standard sushi).  Inlet Cafe seemed to be a popular spot, because the following day, I overheard other visitors talking about how excited they were to go. Before I hopped on the 12:45 PM Jitney back to the airport on Wednesday, I dove into some tasty blueberry pancakes and a refreshing iced latte from Bird on the Roof.

I definitely want to explore more of the Hamptons, especially since it’s so easy to get there on the Jitney. I went to Kirk Park Beach in Montauk and would like to explore other parts of the Hamptons as well. Molly O’BrienLiving out my summer dream of visiting the Hamptons was amazing.

During my trip to Montauk, I picked up on some friendly rivalry between the different hamlets and villages. I’ll just have to go back another time to compare them myself. Read the original article on Insider.