I recently took a trip to Long Island, New York a week ago. I was only on the Island for a few days before heading to The City for New York Comic Con (NYCC). This was not my first time on Long Island. Last March (2017) I was there for a day, but only 1 day cannot begin to show you all that Long Island has! Then again, I'm not sure any place can fully be explored in just one day.
In New Yorker terms: Long Island is much like the "Bay Area" (California), where I live, because it's not just 1 city or place, but rather an area comprised of multiple cities that creates one region with a shared vibe. The major difference between Long Island and the Bay Area is that Long Island does not encompass New York City (NYC) or all of the 5 boroughs, yet when you speak of the Bay Area here in California the city of San Francisco is included with the outer cities; To outsiders this region is often referred to as "The San Francisco Bay Area". Though Brooklyn and Queens is part of the 5 boroughs that make up NYC, they are both technically on Long Island, though most of Queens does not feel like Long Island and being there definitely feels like you're in NYC. Generally, NYC and the Bay Area are nothing alike and it's been my experience that in general the East and the West parts of the United States are very different.
Focusing on Long Island now, I learned that within the region there are 2 types of Islanders (and I'm not talking about the hockey team): East and West. - So, I guess there is always a big difference with the East and West, even within one state! - The Islanders in the East are the "country folk", as my partner calls them and he did grow up on Long Island. These are the people who live farthest away from The City. The cities in this part of the island tend to be more country-like and rural with the houses spread out, larger parts of the land untouched, and the area is much more quiet and less congested. The Islanders in the West are almost city people and if you are living in Brooklyn or Queens then you're in The City, even though you're still on Long Island -don't worry if you thought previously that they were separate, because I did too until about 10 years ago. People in the West seem to like to be close enough to the main attractions and action in NYC, but they don't actually want to live there. People in the East seem to want to stay far away from all the noise and crowds, and wander into NYC at their leisure a few times a year at most.
I went to Long Island to spend time with one of my best friends. She happens to be born and raised on Long Island, NY. She lives and grew up right in the middle of Long Island, but that part is still considered the East and she's definitely not a city girl. To give you an idea- she lives about 2 hours away from NYC (minus traffic). There was much left to the East of where I stayed that I never explored. Maybe one day, but the farther you go out the less there is to see and do, so as a tourist one would mostly be targeting very specific locations and activities out that way.
I took a red-eye flight to New York, which by the way, are not my favorite. Everybody who travels from coast-to-coast says they're the best, because you just sleep the whole way and then can get off the flight and jump into your adventure. I just can't sleep on planes and never have been able to, really. I am always uncomfortable too, because coach sucks. Anyway, my flight landed at about 5:30am EST in NYC and Samantha's husband, Alex, was nice enough to pick me up. Let me tell you that NYC traffic at 5:30am isn't too bad.
After talks, hugs, and gift giving, we went to the city of Port Jefferson that morning. - You can take note of the picture of Alex in Port Jefferson to your left. - I'd been to Port Jeff (for short) on my first visit. It's a small, touristy town with a lot of old-fashioned architecture'd shops. It's a port city (harbor), so it also brings in people who are docking. Mainly it's a tourist town and a Pokemon Go paradise! (I caught my first Lapras, ever, during my first trip here.)
One place that was brand new to me since I'd been there a year ago was EM² Donuts. Apparently, a very popular place too. It's name is actually "East Main And Main" and it touts itself as "Port Jefferson's Premium Donut Shop", and they're not wrong. It's like one of those cupcake shops you walk into and all you see is endless options of delectable cupcakes, but this shop is all donuts.
This place is definitely worth checking out if you have a sweet tooth! I honestly don't remember the names of the donuts I got, but they were delicious. I ate so much on my trip that I actually didn't eat this all right away or the day it was bought, and I can tell you that a couple days later they were still good. The girls at the counter were really nice and patient, and I could tell that they're a business that generally cares about giving good service. Their menu changes monthly though, so options will vary depending on the time that you visit.
Sea Creations is a shop I'd been to on my previous visit and it's basically just one big tourist trap. The only reason to go here is to buy something that says "Port Jefferson", "Long Island", or "New York" on it for your memories -and, yes, I am that person who has to have all of that! Of course, they have little knickknacks or "dust collectors" as some people call them, but each their own! I choose to invite dust for the sake of memories! I picked up a few more things from here, including amazing crab hats!
They are exactly what they sound like! They're hats that look like crabs and totally worth every penny and every memory! The photo here was taken in the shop on my last visit. For some unknown (and mindless) reason, we didn't buy them in 2017, but we made sure to this time! We just didn't capture them in pictures, so you're all left with this old picture, but totally worth it so you all can take in the amazing-ness!
However, within the time of my last visit, Samantha had discovered a new shop! Apparently, it's been there since 1979, and even though my friend has been coming to Port Jefferson throughout her life, she'd never spotted it until a visit earlier this year.
The store known as the East End Shirt Company mainly advertises services for mass printing on shirts and clothing for a company, team, etc. However, they also have a large number of Port Jefferson shirts and souvenirs as well. I actually had planned to get a shirt from there for my fiance, but they didn't have his size in any of the styles I thought he'd like. It's definitely a nice place to go to if you're looking for souvenirs or something to take back to friends and family.
After all the walking around in Port Jefferson, it was time to stop and eat. Now, originally, Samantha had lined up for us to eat at a seafood place there, but I was hesitant since she hates seafood. Then upon seeing their menu I felt even worse, because it was really only me that was enjoying the sight of the menu. So, I insisted we go somewhere else where everyone would enjoy the food. Oh, and to make matters worse, they had to fight the baby stroller up to the eating area. -My bad.
I can't say I regret my decision though, because I don't. Alex and Samantha took me to Mamma Lombardi's in the city of Holbrook and it was delicious! I highly recommend going here if you like Italian food! I prefer the Italian restaurants in the east of America over the west side and I had missed really good Italian that you just can't find in California, but Mamma Lombardi's is exceptionally good! Not to mention their service is great and they're very patient! The ambiance is very friendly and inviting, and they even have a gazebo outside you can sit in!
The night was capped off with pizza brought home by Alex from Little Vincent's, which is another place I'd been to when I was there my first time. GREAT pizza! Although, it's really hard to find bad pizza in New York. At worst it's just "okay" and that's still miles beyond what you get in California. Yes, lots of pizza was eaten on my trip, but if you don't eat pizza and hot dogs in New York, why are you even there? Anyway, the picture above is what they call a "cold slice". Think Lunchables pizza when it's cold and you just pile on the toppings. Well, Little Vincent's actually cooks the dough and sauce, so it's heated, but the cheese is piled on cold and not cooked. I had been reluctant to eat it the first time I went, but this time I wanted to try it. Unfortunately, by the time it arrived the heat from the rest of the pizza had melted the cheese and I had a basic cheese slice. It was still good, but just not the same experience. Don't worry! I get full experience eventually! Stay tuned!
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