Welcome to the latest offering from the Curbed Hamptons Listage Department, where everyone loves a good countdown. Summer is quickly coming to its end, so what better time to take a look back on some of the best stories 2009 had to offer. Technically, there is still one weekend left of summer. This list may have to be amended.
10) The Story: May's Pop-Up Madness
The Players: East Hampton's retail scene, and an assortment of other shops
The End: September has come and most pop-ups plan to stay longer than expected, but no one knows if any of these temporary locations will ever settle in for good.
9) The Story: Animal Comes to Montauk
The Players: Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo
The End: The LA boys brought their successful style of cooking east for one week only, popping up at Montauk's Solé East. The food made waves and fueled more rumors that an Animal NY might be in the cards. Fingers crossed everyone.
8) The Story: Animals Take Over Our Shores
The Players: Sharks, turtles, whales, beavers, monsters
The End: So many animal-related incidents took place this summer, the Times managed to write an article about its connection to the real estate market. Montauk Monster sightings were plentiful.
7) The Story: Polo's Battle of the D-List Stars
The Players: Jon Gosselin, Tila Tequila, Michael Lohan, the Sham Wow guy, Housewives and more
The End: Polo's six seasonal matches became a bit more lowbrow this year, with the weekly 'celebrity' guests taking that word lightly. Debauchery was the name of the game.
6) The Story: Beach Permit Thievery
The Players: Bandits with an urge to go to the beach
The End: A startling number of people were arrested (felonies!) for forging town beach permits or stealing them off other cars. Even Calvin Klein wasn't safe from the mayhem. Officials blamed it on the new cost of East Hampton town permits.
5) The Story: Pricechopping Hits New Heights
The Players: Big listings dropped millions
The End: In a summer of real estate lows, the pricechopping that went on among the East End's most expensive listings was noticeable, and staggering, e.g. Tyndall Point (-$25.1 million) and John Paulson's Cottage (-$10 million)
4) The Story: The Blue Parrot Reopens
The Players: Renée Zellweger, Jon Bon Jovi, Ron Perelman
The End: After weeks of will they or won't they, the Blue Parrot quietly reopened to mixed reviews and a lot of dirty bird margaritas. The star-studded investors had been 'rumored' until Zellweger outright promoted the restaurant on Letterman.
3) The Story: The Sandcastle Dazzles Us All
The Players: Joe Farrell, most brokers
The End: The Jonas Brothers reportedly scoped it out last May, setting off a firestorm of press for this $59.5 million behemoth of a house in Bridgehampton. As the most expensive non-oceanfront house ever, it's garnered a few nods.
2) The Story: Kleefield Writes (Many) Bad Checks
The Players: Ed 'Jean-Luc' Kleefield, Lyle Pike
The End: Kleefield, insistent on paying people, was arrested too many times to count this summer for writing bad checks. His four East End restaurants suffered, with two never opening at all.
1) The Story: Madoff's Home Hits the Market
The Players: Bernie Madoff, Ruth Madoff, the U.S. Marshals
The End: This week saw the stunning conclusion to a summer of waiting. Madoff's Montauk oceanfront hit the market after months of price wagering, broker battles and speculation. The listing story will only be trumped by the story of its sale.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Hurricane Bill's waves, the Social Life v. New York Hamptonite war, Stella McCartney's weekend pop-up, Mezzaluna's ever-delayed opening, and Zagat's undeniable hatred of the Hamptons. Oh, what a summer it's been.