About Long Island, NY

At 110 miles long and roughly 20 miles wide, Long Island is the largest island on the East Coast of the United States and is rapidly becoming one of the country's most popular vacation spots.

Scraped off of Connecticut and dumped into the Atlantic by a glacier during the last ice age, geological forces transformed this huge pile of gravel and rocks into rich soil and beautiful sandy beaches, which today support thriving agricultural and tourism industries.

On this page:


The Sea
Naturally, since we live on an island, the sea is an important part of our history and culture. Boating, beaches, and recreational fishing (especially for snappers) are popular summertime activities here. There are also lighthouses, whaling and maritime museums that keep us connected to our rich nautical past.

You’ll find seafood on menus all over Long Island, but most of it is not local. If you want local fish go to the coastal areas such as Freeport, Long Beach, Port Jefferson, the North Fork, the Hamptons, and Montauk. Because local fish is seasonal you’re not going to find it on the regular menu. You’ll have to ask the waiter what the daily specials are. Some of the more common local fish you’ll find are:

  • Clams
  • Oysters (Blue Points variety)
  • Peconic Bay Scallops
  • Sea scallops
  • Blue Claw crabs & soft shell crabs
  • Fluke
  • Flounder
  • Lobster
  • Striped Bass
  • Weak Fish
  • Black Fish
  • Black Sea Bass

Sometimes a restaurant will have fish that you've never heard of. That's okay. Just because a fish isn't mass market popular doesn't meant it isn't good. Chances are if it’s on the menu in a restaurant it’s very good. Skate, sand shark, and blowfish are sold in the local fish markets, but are not usually served in restaurants. If you do happen to come across any of these in a restaurant, try them, they're excellent.

Sadly, the commercial fishing industry has been in decline for some time. There are still plenty of fishermen around, but waning fish stocks resulting in stringent federal and state regulations and opposition from sport fishing groups have made it increasingly difficult for these folks to earn a living.

Billy Joel (a native Long Islander) brought national attention to the situation in 1989 with his song, The Downeaster Alexa.

Renowned author and former Long Island fisherman Peter Matthiessen elegizes Long Island’s baymen and the waning Long Island fishing industry wonderfully in Men’s Lives: The surfmen and baymen of the South Fork, a book I highly recommend if you’re interested in the craft and character of fishermen.

Over the years many old fishing towns have evolved into summer hot spots with restaurants and bars replacing the shipyards and fish markets.

Greenport and Port Jefferson for example are former shipbuilding towns that are now packed with places to eat, drink, dance or hear live music, all within walking distance of the ferry dock. Map of Port Jefferson, NY

Woodcleft Avenue (locally known as the Nautical Mile) in Freeport is another popular seaport. Literally a mile long, the Nautical Mile is a waterfront road lined with fishing boats, bars, restaurants and shops. Map of Woodcleft Avenue in Freeport, NY

The whaling days in Cold Spring Harbor are over, but this tiny town draws visitors with a couple of good restaurants, a fish hatchery, and a whaling museum.

The best way to enjoy places like these is to grab a friend, park your car and walk--slowly. [Top]

Wine
On its eastern end Long Island is blessed with a microclimate that is excellent for growing wine grapes. Since the first Long Island winery opened almost 30 years ago, Long Island wines have been popular here and have steadily gained world wide recognition.

The Long Island wineries have tasting rooms open 7 days a week and are a great way to taste the local wines. Read more about Long Island wine tasting. [Top]

Agriculture
Grapes are not the only things growing out east. For 350 years agriculture has been an important long Island industry. In fact, Long Island has the most productive farmland in New York State.

Up until the Hargraves’ planted grapes in the early 70’s, potatoes were the major crop with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables grown for the New York City and the local markets.

Today the potatoes are all but gone, but you’ll still find numerous farm stands offering fresh fruits and vegetables, home made pies, fresh milk, eggs, cheese and butter.

Although not as big as it used to be Duck farming is a major industry here grossing $25 million in sales annually. Long Island Duck is known the world over and I find it amusing that some of our Peking duck is actually shipped back to Hong Kong. [Top]

Regional Cuisine
A lot of stuff grows out east. The high quality and easy availability of Local fish, vegetables, wine and duck have made these ingredients very popular with the Long Island chefs and restaurateurs.

As a result of their unique use of these fresh Long Island ingredients a regional cuisine has been emerging. I attended a class devoted to this idea at the Stony Brook University Center for Wine, Food, and Culture. [Top]

Beaches
People travel from the far corners of the planet to visit our four most popular beaches: Jones Beach, Fire Island, the Hamptons, and Montauk Point. Each one offers something different and sometimes a little of everything. Read more about Long Island beaches. [Top]

Golf
Like Golf? With 130 courses, saying golf is popular here is an understatement. A great many of those courses are world class not only in difficulty but in beauty as well.

The 2002 U.S. Open was held at the Black course in Bethpage State Park. Designed by A.W. Tillinghast, the Black course is one of the most challenging and beautiful in the world.

If you’re not a pro don’t worry. You can find golf courses here suited to any skill level and, depending on the course you may also find people sleeping in their cars to get a tee time. Yeah, we’re that passionate about it. [Top]

Baseball
Who's more passionate, the golfers or the baseball fans? That's a tough call, but I can tell you that baseball here on the island is not to be missed.

Our new Citibank Park stadium is home to Atlantic League champions, the Long Island Ducks and offers a baseball experience that's hard to beat.

A trip to Citibank Park is like going back in time. With only 6002 seats the stadium is spacious and nearly every section offers an excellent view of the action. This is what baseball used to be—a fun, friendly, inexpensive family activity. Something you can do on a Saturday afternoon without wasting the day traveling or stuck in traffic. [Top]

Lodging
There's no shortage of great hotels, motels, B&B's, summer rentals and rental cottages on Long Island. I can't list them all here, but here's a few to consider...

The Garden City Hotel is probably our most well known and luxurious. Near the western end of Long Island and only 18 miles from New York City the Garden City Hotel is an excellent choice if you're staying in Nassau County and plan on visiting Manhattan. If you plan on visiting long Island's East End during your stay you might want to consider a hotel further east.

Danfords in Port Jefferson is more centrally located and is a good place to stay if you plan on visiting points east and west. Overlooking Port Jefferson harbor and right next to the Bridgeport/Port Jefferson Ferry dock, it's the perfect place to stay if you're coming in by ferry from New England.

If you just want to hang out in the Hamptons or Montauk point, then of course, there's the famous Gurney's Inn. I'm not going to tell you anything about it. Just check out their website and you'll get the idea.

On the North Fork you may want to try the brand new Harborfront Inn in Greenport. [Top]

Pizza

Pizza is as common on Long Island as tacos in Texas. If you've never been to Long Island before you may start to notice that there are the pizzerias everywhere. Have you heard the expression, “There’s nothing like New York pizza?” Well, that’s true and if you like pizza please don’t miss your chance to try genuine New York pizza.

Every shop has it own recipes and specialties. The shop across the street will have different pizza the one next door. Sure, the pies all look the same, but there’s nuance--thick crust, thin crust, well done, barely cooked, different sauce... Try pizza in a few different places and don't be afraid to ask about the specialty pies (point and ask, “What's that?”)

One of my favorites is the White Pie, loaded with mozzarella and ricotta cheese and without sauce. Hard to find anywhere else, this is worth tasting if you're a cheese lover.

I guess you could say the opposite of the White Pie is the Grandma Pie, which is mostly sauce with little to no cheese. Pizza without cheese may sound strange, but it’s a special sauce with garlic and nice size tomato chunks on a thin crust. It doesn't need a lot of cheese and it's excellent!

Then there’s the elusive Bacon Cheeseburger Pie. Hard to find even on Long Island, but boy is it good. If your significant other wants pizza and you want burgers this is a great compromise.

All pizzerias sell by the slice so you don’t have to commit to a whole pie. Wash that slice down with a Coke or a beer and you’ll be in heaven. [Top]

Hey, I thought this was an Island?
Another thing you might notice is for the most part, Long Island doesn't really look like an Island. As far as islands go, Long Island is huge. You’ll be driving on parkways, expressways, highways--all manor of paved roads.

You won’t see water unless you’re near the coast and because Long Island is long and narrow, the coast is either pretty far away (if you’re driving east or west) or very close (if you’re driving north or south). I used to eat lunch on a small beach near work. 5 minutes there and 5 back, it was a great way to recharge before going back to the boss.

If you happen upon an old fishing town you’ll see the water, smell the salt air, hear the wind in the rigging and start to experience the nautical charm we’re famous for and I love so much.

Map of Long Island

Here’s a neat little map of Long Island showing its relationship to New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut. Also note the location of Freeport, Jones Beach, Fire Island, and Long Island’s wineries on the north fork.

Map of Long Island
Click for larger image. (Opens in new window)

And here is some great information to help you get around on Long Island’s roads.

I could go on and on about Long Island and all the things I love about it, but I don’t want to bore you (probably already have), so I’ll stop here.

Long Island is a great place to live, work and vacation. There are very few places on the planet that have so much to offer.

If you’re an out of towner then I encourage you to visit.

If you live here, you practically have the world at your fingertips. Get off the couch and go do something on Long Island!

For more information here’s a collection of Long Island related videos, or check out this snow storm.

If you’re planning a trip here or anywhere for that matter please see this article regarding last minute travel tips.

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