In Season 2, Episode 17 of “Sex and the City,” Samantha, Carrie and Miranda plan a trip from Manhattan to the Hamptons, where their friend Charlotte has a house for the summer. Nineties-style hilarity — along with a few tears and a great deal of alcohol consumption — ensues. But first, as they line up for their ride to Long Island, Carrie, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, looks fondly at their mode of conveyance.
“The Hampton Jitney is like the bus to summer camp,” she narrates to the audience. “Only instead of singing songs, everyone ignores each other and talks on their cell phones.” Already a quarter-century old when that episode aired in December 1999, the Hampton Jitney — which began operating in 1974 — was even then a familiar enough sight on both the East Side of Manhattan and the East End of Long Island to merit good-natured ribbing on one of HBO’s most popular shows.
It has since graced the cover of The New Yorker, which depicted the Jitney as a huge landing barge — unloading an invading army of summer residents — in 2013, and has made cameo appearances in shows including “Gossip Girl” and “Ray Donovan.” This year celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Jitney has become one of the area’s most recognized brands. And like the Hamptons itself, it has changed — one could even say it’s grown up — from its beginnings as a small van shuttling East End residents from town to town, to a multimillion-dollar business with a total annual r.
