The realization that development has hit the last possible tract of land at the end of an island is like finishing an eight ball at 4am and coming to grips with the fact that there's no more left, no hope of getting any more, nowhere to go, and the sun’s coming up. Montauk, or The End, might just be earning its nickname at last.

Summer, it seems, has arrived. There are sailors coasting down the streets of Manhattan like zombies riding Segways. All roads to the sleepy hollow of Amagansett and beyond are packed with two-seaters and Luxury Liners. But, the most salient sign that things are heating up: the Richards sisters have come out to play. Last Sunday, to celebrate the launch of Social Life magazine's latest issue featuring cover-girl and royal-rock progeny Alexandra Richards, Italian accessories monolith Sergio Rossi invited a handful of editors and celebrities to an exclusive dinner and cocktail party at Solé East in Montauk. We went (sort of).

A game of musical chairs is being played by most of the major promotional entities as the summer roof season is upon us. While the highly successful 230 Fifth will still dominate this market just as the Empire State Building dominates its incredible view, some places remain unsettled or don't have a clear opening date due to a myriad of problems. Highbar is getting a quick polish, while the roof at the Stay Hotel is still under construction. Mixed reports come from Cabanas and The Park, and the highly-touted Above Allen will finally get to open its windows amidst hopes that the sound spill doesn't disturb too many hotel guests and nearby residents. Daemon O'Neil, Rose Bar's patient, sweet, and very good-looking door guru (not to be confused with Damion Luaiye), is packing his clipboard and heading over to the Bazaar Bar at the upcoming Trump Soho hotel. The economic downturn, a weak dollar, and a laundry list of safety issues make travel abroad a lot less attractive this season. I hear reports that Hamptons summer rentals are sluggish, yet the Surf Lodge in Montauk is riding high.

Our country's economy is on a downward spiral -- no news there. But we also show no signs of upending our bad spending habits, of our "conspicuous consumerism," as it were. I mean, Portfolio's still alive, right? Either way, here are -- as a straight 20-something male -- the things I want to spend money on (or the things I want someone else to spend money on for me) this summer, in no particular order.

Rob McKinley -- part of the team responsible for hotspots GoldBar, Cain Luxe, and Surf Lodge -- began his design-oriented career behind the scenes at fashion house heavy-hitters Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan, and Giorgio Armani. After a shift into nightlife, the GoldBar concept stemmed from McKinley's fictional idea of a European count obsessed with anything and everything gold. The golden boy met with us to discuss keeping his bar alive, the fall of the Meatpacking District, and those guys across the street at Southside.

How did GoldBar come about?
My partner told me about the space, and I told him that I had a concept which would work really well. For me, creatively, the idea was to create a bar inspired by some of the grand hotels in Europe -- Paris and Rome -- but without the hotel. I wanted it to have the old-fashioned, traditional style of service and the formality of those bars and then almost poke fun at it and make it overly decadent. It came into being when we picked the space and we had gold leaf everything as soon as you walked through the door. The skulls were inspired by the catacombs in Paris. Little by little, it came together while working with all the different artisans, fellow workers, and artists.

Alan Philips and Josh Shames are founders of SKY Group and Deluxe Experience. Their clients include One Group (STK), Gerber Group (Whiskey Bar), Morgans Hotel Group (Hudson, Royalton, The Shore Club), Borgata Hotel, Brier Group (Highbar) ... the list goes on.

What are your favorite places in the world?
Alan Philips: Sushi of Gari. They have the freshest fish, simply and creatively prepared, in understated surroundings. I don't think that there is anywhere you can experience something as delicious and unexpected as the salmon tomato onion sushi. Bagatelle has incredible energy and music, very New York. I recently had the pleasure of staying and experiencing the newest Morgans Hotel in Miami, Mondrian Miami. Marcel Wanders has designed a spectacular hotel that captures the surprise and whimsy that you first felt when entering the Delano 20 years ago.
Josh Shames: The Box is an amazing New York experience, and I've never felt the energy from a nightclub that I have felt at Palladium in Acapulco, Mexico. 2000-plus people, with floor-to-ceiling glass walls over looking the Acapulco bay. As for restaurants, the China Club in Hong Kong or Il Latini in Florence, Italy, are the two of my favorite dining experiences. If I had a last meal, then it would be Don Pepe's in Ozone Park.

Cain Luxe's Jaime Mulholland on sailing to New York's promised land, surviving the W. 27th Street club disaster, partnering with the Brazilian female mafia, and almost going broke before hitting the big time with his expanding nightlife empire.

What places are you involved with? The first summer [after opening Cain in New York] we took over Cabana in the Hamptons. It had been a dead space for a while. We redid the whole space to make it look more like Cain, the South Africa beach club. We also took all our staff. It wasn’t just hanging a sign. It was taking what was authentic to Cain and putting it there. It was incredible. It was packed, lines around the corner. Luckily it was very successful. The following year we didn’t know if we wanted to do it and David Sarner owned the space and brought in Pink Elephant. We went to Jet - another successful year. The third year we were opening in the Bahamas on Paradise Island. Three pools, a restaurant, DJs, all outdoors, very celebrity driven, high-end clients. In a new tower they opened, The Cove, that’s $800 to $8000 a night, beautifully designed. It’s a great extension of our brand. We opened GoldBar the same time we opened in the Bahamas. It was insane. It’s half the size of Cain. We kept it under the radar, away from Page Six. It has a great following. Lenny [Kravitz] wrote a song with GoldBar in it on his new album. Great clientele. It will have long legs. It has a tight door and the quality is good. I am proud of it. We have four venues in four years and are now regrouping. We bought a hotel in Montauk and redid it. It’s called the Surf Lodge, very chill.

Last Sunday, celebs, chefs, and polo players including Katie Lee Joel, Beth Ostrosky, Hugh Grant, Michael Chow, and Nacho Figueras celebrated Labor Day weekend at "A Taste of Polo by Evian" in the Hamptons at Water Mill. The private event, which took place at Michael Borrico’s magnificent estate, featured cuisine from some of the most renowned restaurants and hotspots including Mr. Chow's, the Four Seasons restaurant, Bagatelle, and Surf Lodge. Guests also enjoyed a polo match featuring some of the Hamptons' hottest stars, followed by an Argentine barbecue. Hit the jump for more pics.

Tenjune door sentry Aalex Julian dishes on the K-Mart of nightlife, the old chicks and thugs who don’t make the cut, “animals” who grab asses, and why some nightlife vets are toast.

Point of Origin: I've been working the door at clubs in Manhattan for almost six years. I started doing a lot of special events, for Lizzie Grubman, other PR groups. I did the Jay-Z event in the Hamptons. I knew people like Jeffrey Jah from going out. Some people resent me because I befriended the right people.

The Hamptons are a thing you know, a New York craze. Putting together the perfect Hamptons itinerary is demanding -- the near equivalent of shopping for the perfect little black dress or learning French. Just as I was beginning to get the hang of the New York nightlife scene, the Hamptons have opened their summery doors to reveal a standard of living that isn’t all rest and relaxation.