The Almanac · Method · v2026.1

How the figures are made.

Every number on this site is an estimate, and we would rather tell you exactly how rough than pretend at a precision the road does not have.

Distances and road geometry

Driving lines are generated from the public OSRM routing engine against OpenStreetMap data, from a Midtown Manhattan anchor to each village, then simplified for the map. Mileage is the routed distance; the gazetteer's "typical time" pads OSRM's free-flow estimate for ordinary, non-peak traffic. Both the free-flow and the typical figures are shown on each destination page so you can see the gap.

Rail and air

The rail line traces the Long Island Rail Road's Montauk Branch through its real station chain. Air passages — helicopter and seaplane — are drawn as direct hops, because that is essentially how they fly; their times are in-motion flight estimates plus a realistic ground allowance at each end.

The ferry

There is no scheduled passenger ferry from Manhattan to the Hamptons. The "ferry" passage is the genuine multi-leg route through the North Fork and the two Shelter Island ferries; its geometry stitches a real drive to Greenport to the actual crossing, and its time reflects all of it.

Fares

Prices are "from" figures drawn from operators' published rates and typical seasonal quotes, in 2026 dollars. Air fares in particular move with season and demand; treat every number as a starting point and confirm with the operator before you book.

The summer Friday caveat

The single largest source of error is the summer-Friday backup on NY-27 west of the Shinnecock Canal, which can add an hour or two to any road passage. Our road times assume you are not sitting in it. If you are, the rail and the air are the only passages that hold their schedule.

Corrections

When a figure is wrong, we change it and note it in the corrections log. If you have better data — a fare, a schedule, a road reality — write to corrections@manhattantohamptons.com.