Moving to Long Island..................

from Portland (OR) on November 1st.; what's it like?

Does that help?

I don't need directions or anything, I'd just like to know what Long Island is like; I realize it's a fairly big place, I'd just like to know what people who have been (or lived) there think of the place.

I'm not all that interested in leaving Portland, but my wife's career is taking us there......I love Portland.

But have a gaggle of relatives and family friends who live there. I spent several summers visiting cousins in Wahnetah.

It's been a decade, but quite a bit of Long Island is yuppie, jewish New Yorkers who commute to the City. A fairly liberal bent, but nothing like Portland. Not even close. You will most defintely experience a bit of culture shock. (I left because I find folks on the east coast, in general, to take themeselves and their material possessions waaaaaaay too seriously.)

Imagine a community filled with Vera Katz clones.

(on edit: I do give L.I. big props for giving us the genius that was "De la Soul")

won't be so bad as I'm originally from Philadelphia (by way of Seattle, Denver and Santa Rosa CA); I'm kinda used to the 'east coast' thingy.

I really wish we didn't have to leave Portland. I spent tonight beginning to pack, and I felt physical pain (well, kinda) putting stuff in boxes.

The open spaces and outdoor beauty will be hard to find in NY.

Still, the City is a quick train ride away, and nothing beats the "amusement park" that is New York.

of Portland more than anything else.

I've never felt more at home in a city than I do here.

I never bothered to figure out exactly why... simply because it doesn't seem to matter.

Kinda sums up the city for me. It just is, and most folks put their pretenses aside and enjoy the experience for what it is, not for what they feel it should be.

We'll miss you, BDL.

Well, it's a big place - where ya goin'?

I am from Queens and Shelter Island, myself. Nearly opposite ends of the island.

as far as I can tell. I've been reading books for info, but books never seem to do a place justice.

in Nassau. To be blunt: if you are buying a house, your property taxes will be large, and your county services will be few. Nassau's county gov't is not held up as an example, except perhaps of corruption.

The people are like people everywhere, but prepare for a lot of geographic and political ignorance. I recommend taking the LIRR (Long Island Railroad) into the city, rather than driving. (Yes, all 5 boroughs make up New York City, but "the city" means Manhattan ). Once you know your way around, avoid the Long Island Expressway (the LIE) as much as possible. I recommend Newsday as the LI newspaper of choice (www.newsday.com). You will have to travel to get to the green places, but not very far. Suffolk (the eastern end of LI) is still green in many places, and places north of Westchester (just north of the Bronx) aren't that far away.

I'd also suggest googling Port Washington to see what you get.

Best of luck!!!

your information is most welcome and appreciated.

IMHO, the north shore is better than the south shore. It's hilly and prettier, the south shore is flat and boring. Lot's of good beaches on both sides but in the summer, they can be very crowded and the traffic on Friday nights and Sundays (all the city folks going back home) is hell. Avoid the LIE, especially during rush hours. The fishing is good in Long Island Sound if you like that sort of thing, bluefish and mackrel are plentiful and great fun. You can surf cast from the beaches and get flounder and blowfish. There's a big theatre in Jones Beach which brings in lot's of good music and such during the summer.

Unfortunately, LI is pretty much an endless suburban neighborhood at this point. Not much left that hasn't been developed. When I was a kid it was nothing but peaches and potato farms. Hope you find ways to make the best of it out there, at least it's not to far a commute to the city.

The more I travel around this country, the more I see that this is happening everywhere....there's no escape. My impression of Long Island was kinda along the lines of your post.

Thank you for your input.

1. "The girls on the South Shore are the girls you have fun with and the girls on the North Shore are the one's you take home to momma." - Billy Joel

2. Long Island is the heart of the Northeast GOP. Or well, it used to be. Now four out of five congressmen are Dems, the Dems control the county legislature in Nassau and have a bright, young, county executive named Tom Suozzi (who will probably be governor, if not President, one day).

3. Don't speed on the side roads here. The cops are just drooling to hand out speeding tickets.

4. You can make a right turn on red on Long Island.

5. The LIRR, as another poster said, is the best mode of transport into the city. However, you better have a car if you expect to get ANYWHERE on Long Island.

6. If you like hockey, check out an Islanders game. The Nassau Coliseum is an old barn, but it ROCKS when the Isles are playing well.

7. If you like pizza, this is the place for you. More pizza parlors per square inch than just about anywhere else in America. And the pizza is damn good too.

8. In the summer, definately check out the local beaches. Jones Beach being the most popular, but not the nicest looking. Where you're moving you'll have a lot of beach area.

9. Expect a lot of NIMBYism out here. People are very protective of their turf and don't like new stuff (like power plants or affordable housing) moving in.

10. Hit the Hamptons whenever you can, it is as good as everyone says it is.

Oh, pizza.... my lost food of the gods.

I'm also going to make a plug for visiting Shelter Island, especially during the winter when it is not crowded. It's a lovely place, still small-townish-feeling.

1. My wife stopped letting me play with other girls about 3 years ago.

2. I am not afraid.

3. Good advice.

4. Good.

5. We have a car.

6. While we will certainly go and watch the Islanders play, I'm actually even more interested in finding ice rinks in the area in which I can play.

7. Pizza....Pizza....Pizza. The one thing I miss about the East Coast is the food; the simple foods, like pizza and sandwiches; are so very much better on the East Coast.

8. Beaches are nice.

9. That happens a lot.

10. I believe you

11. Thank you for your time, I appreciate it.

Welcome to DU! :toast:

Cat

and thank you.

My biggest disappointment traveling in the east is trouble finding decent coffee.

Maybe you could take Vera with you when you go?

Oh, and what sort of space are you leaving behind in Portland? I'm just planning to move back after being away for eight years.

I'm not much of a coffee snob really......I honestly like Maxwell House French Roast; call me crazy.

I'd take Vera with me, but where would I put her?

We're leaving a REALLY cool one-bedroom (two floor) apartment with giant windows and parking down by PGE Park on SW Clay.

I hope I get to say 'I'm moving BACK to Portland' one day.

It's a blast.

Oh the nights in Mineola! The memories!