Long association with the smart set has left SOUTHAMPTON unashamedly upper class. Its streets are lined with galleries and clothing and jewelry stores, but the nearby beaches are superb. The visitor center at 76 Main St (Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat & Sun 11am-4pm; tel 631/283-0402, ) has lists of B&Bs , such as the Mainstay , 579 Hill St (tel 631/283-4375; $100-130). You can get marvelous fresh seafood in a number of restaurants , notably Barrister's at 36 Main St (tel 631/283-6206) and the venerable Southampton Publick House at 40 Bowden Square (tel 631/283-2800), which operated during Prohibition as "Mrs Cavanaugh's Speakeasy." Relatively casual nightspots like Southampton Tavern on Tuckahoe Lane nestle next to impossibly upscale clubs, like Jet East on North Sea Road where super-rich regulars shell out hundreds of dollars to reserve Saturday night tables. The latest addition to the velvet-roped ranks of chic bars is Conscience Point , nearby on North Sea Road. It's owned by the same team as Jet East and features much the same crowd.