Island.

But a recent experience by a local journalist sheds a different light, at least on one taxi driver.

About 9 o'clock one morning this week, the journalist's bike broke down forcing him to flag a cab in Southampton.

Within moments of getting in one, the driver said: "You want a beer?'' "No,'' the passenger replied. "I'm going to work.'' "Well I had a rough night last night,'' the driver responded, pulling into a mini-mart just past PHC Stadium in Warwick. He got out of the car, paused, then looked back in: "Do you have 30 cents?'' The passenger did and handed it to his driver, who returned a few minutes later with a "greenie'' wrapped in a paper bag.

"Do you have an opener?'' he asked. Sure enough, the passenger had one on his key chain. Opening the bottle, the cabbie then stood by his car and downed the beer in three or four gulps.

"That's a lot better,'' he said getting back into the car. "Hair of the dog.'' *** NJ BERMUDA'S Tobacco Bay beach has earned the distinction in Bon Apetit magazine of being one of the best things about 1993.

In its January "Best of the Year'' edition, editor-in-chief Mr. William Perry included the east end beach in his introductory column called "Nothing but the Best.'' In his own list of bests of the year, the St. George's cove shared honours with Renoir, Shakespeare's Sonet XXIX, Opus 101 in A major and Slowhand (Eric Clapton).

Just why Tobacco Bay was included prompted a call to Mr. Perry by The Royal Gazette . "Tobacco Bay is one of my most favourite places in the world,'' he said from New York.

"Many years ago when I was honeymooning in Bermuda, someone suggested that I go to that end of the Island because I had never been there before.

"I think it was just after the Club Med closed and there was no one around.

"I went to Tobacco Bay in the morning and the weather was not good, nobody else was there. "But I had a wonderful day. And every time I visit Bermuda I make sure I go back. It's a very special place for me.'' *** VIP OUR last Notebook's revelation, that Bill Clinton's daughter was conceived in Bermuda, caused a few ripples across the water.

We reported comments made by the president to a Bermudian couple touring the White House.

"Hillary and I are very fond of Bermuda,'' he said. "In fact, Chelsea was conceived at Horizons.'' A New York Post gossip writer this week picked up the story, which he reported with a glowing description of Bermuda as a "tropical island paradise''.

He wondered if Horizons would put up a plaque saying "Bill Clinton slept here''.

The story also reached John MacArthur, publisher of Harper's, the oldest continually-published magazine in America. His office called the Notebook , urgently requesting a fax of the original piece.

"It's for his own personal use,'' an aide said mysteriously.

*** TOU THE weather is always a hot topic at any social gathering. But at a meeting of Tourism officials, it takes on a whole new significance.

One official, just flown in via New York's JFK airport, was glowing with pleasure at the severe wintry weather hitting the eastern US.

"I hope it keeps up,'' he beamed. "It'll boost our spring business.

"When I was at JFK the departures board showed everything cancelled, but the Bermuda flight was on time.

"There were people gazing longingly at it.'' A colleague, gazing out at blue skies over the Island, sighed over the Bermudian definition of what is good or bad weather.

"We tend to tell people not to come out at this time of year, it's too cold.

But this is lovely compared to New York. We're our own worst enemies sometimes.'' *** BUC A SOUTHAMPTON woman found a unique way to handle the pre-Christmas shopping frenzy.

Mrs. Lucille Butterfield was grocery shopping at the busy Heron Bay MarketPlace on the Wednesday before Christmas when she became separated from her shopping cart containing her purse.

"Everybody freeze,'' a source recalled Mrs. Butterfield shouting.

Amazingly, shoppers stood still while the woman retrieved her cart and purse.