A Hamptons insider of 60 years dishes on the history, people, and parties that makes New Yorkers' favorite beachy hideaway so iconic

• Ultimate Hamptons insider Dan Rattiner started writing about the Long Island enclave in 1960.
• Rattiner, whose book "Hamptons Private" explores the area in pictures, shared his observations.
• From fisherman stomping grounds to ritzy beach getaway, the Hamptons has a storied past.

Today, the Hamptons is known as one of the most luxurious getaways on the East Coast.

The white-sand beaches on the tail end of Long Island, New York, are the stomping grounds of celebrities from Martha Stewart to Beyoncé.