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For the most part, Patchogue is a great town. I can walk to at least a dozen restaurants and bars from my apartment. I will be able to walk to the ferry and go to fire island in the summer. I can walk to the LIRR and take the train to NYC. Probably nearly 100 beers on tap within a half mile radius. Parking is a breeze, I have more space and fresh air and I'm closer to family and friends.
Life is pretty good. Except the Hauppauge thing. I'm here and I'm pretty happy, but am I supposed to work in the city to stay sane? I can't seem to figure out why anyone would want to work in many of the tech areas of Long Island, let alone any place that is referred to as an "industrial park". I can walk to only one decent lunch spot but I risk sudden death crossing motor parkway on foot. I can't seem to find one single espresso machine (I don't count, or wish to even acknowledge, dunkin donuts). The offices are dungeons with carpets, cubicles, and fluorescent lights. The town becomes a parking lot at 5pm, or with any kind of weather.
If there are efforts to revitalize towns and residential areas, what about the work areas? Are there not enough people in the tech/private sector on Long Island for this to be an issue? Are people ok with this work environment? Is anyone making efforts, big or small, to liven up the atmosphere?
I am looking for ways to stay stimulated/inspired. This is mostly the reason for this post. If anyone has input, or suggestions, I am in desperate need of mental nourishment.
Status:
"Let this year be over..."
(set 23 days ago)
Location: Where my bills arrive
19,219 posts, read 17,095,590 times
Reputation: 15538
What are you looking for? If you have a local job that pays you adequately preventing you from having to join the masses of the LIRR every day then consider that a plus. If you consider the lack of espresso machines and take out vendors to be a detriment along with people going home at 5pm then feel free to pursue other options.
Life where you live is everything you want it to be and you have an easy commute compared to many, what's the problem?
I think you are generalizing a lot, OP. Not all businesses or employers on LI have offices in dingy basements with 1950s furniture, crappy coffee machine choices, and flurorescent lighting..lol. Perhaps you need to look for a new employer, not exactly a new location. Different companies offer a variety of office accomodations. I think its all about the overall environment, I am willing to deal with the limited lunch choices available on Route 110 where I work than commute 1.5 hrs into Manhattan every day. I actually save $$ when I brown-bag my lunch and usually its a healthier option than the crap I would get at Burger King or Chipotle.
Other than Hauppauge, there are other industry/commercial businesss areas on LI like Melville, Westbury and Mineola. Living in Patchogue is going to limit you regardless unless you are willing to travel 2-3 hrs daily on the LIRR to access Manhattan. You can always move further west into Suffolk or Nassau counties. You are young and plenty of choices in career/housing are still open to you.
I think that is exactly the mentality of most people out here, which is why things remain pretty stagnant. I think in general if we always push to "improve" rather than "accept", life can go from good to great.
I am thankful for my skillset in the workplace, my current position, my commute, my apartment... but why stop here? In the city it was reversed. Work is great but lifestyle suffers. I'm pretty sure Long Island can find the balance, with a few adjustments in thought. But maybe people are very satisfied and I should move. If someone can chime in and tell me what they like about working in Hauppauge then maybe that will clear things up . It's very possible that the problem is in my own train of thought. I could be being idealistic and should understand that my position is better than others, accept it, and prepare for retirement.
This is merely out of curiosity and I'm not looking for a definitive answer. Thanks for the reply, VA Yankee, it does shine some light on the subject.
Thanks LegalDiva. You're right it could just be my employer, but this spot is even pretty decent in terms of offices. It did take a while to find though. I am also saving money bringing lunch and coffee rather than eating out, which is a big plus. I think the case is likely I am still going through some withdrawal from the highly stimulating city environment. I don't envy LIRR commuters.
I think that is exactly the mentality of most people out here, which is why things remain pretty stagnant. I think in general if we always push to "improve" rather than "accept", life can go from good to great.
I am thankful for my skillset in the workplace, my current position, my commute, my apartment... but why stop here? In the city it was reversed. Work is great but lifestyle suffers. I'm pretty sure Long Island can find the balance, with a few adjustments in thought. But maybe people are very satisfied and I should move. If someone can chime in and tell me what they like about working in Hauppauge then maybe that will clear things up . It's very possible that the problem is in my own train of thought. I could be being idealistic and should understand that my position is better than others, accept it, and prepare for retirement.
This is merely out of curiosity and I'm not looking for a definitive answer. Thanks for the reply, VA Yankee, it does shine some light on the subject.
Not all of us feel the way you do. Have you tried Brooklyn? Spitting distance to Manhattan, and a short ride to the beaches, plus trendy espresso machine neighborhoods and offices.
Just wondering if you have some sense of the vibe (or lack thereof) here on LI as a person who grew up here.
I believe the external environment is not much different if you were working in Slicon Valley. It's also a world of industrial parks where you need to get into your car to go to a restaurant. Many complain about commuting on the Caltrain. Inside the office, however, it might be more conducive for the type of atmosphere that you are looking for and many people work there till all hours to be available for their Asian clients. This is the responsiblity of the individual company, not the town. Your particular company is not offereing "game nights" and a big kitchen stocked with snacks, employees bringing Fido to work with them.
In 10 years, all the 20 year olds making apps and games are going to get married and start having kids. It's going to be interesting to see how the pendulum will swing.
I totally get what you're saying having worked and lived in Manhattan and now I'm back in Hauppauge. The lunch options around Hauppauge industrial park area is so lacking. Semi decent places are so overpriced because there's a lack of competition. I bring my lunch and coffee because it's not only cheaper but better than what's around. I do miss all that NYC has to offer sometimes but it's the city not suburbs. LI is very stagnant in terms of increasing quality of life. So many things are so overpriced here because it seems like all people/politicians care about is how to put more money into their own pockets. Go to NYC and it's amazing what they offer for free or very little money such as Central Park, museums, etc. Here there's barely any parks that you can go in for free, and most of them are not even that nice. DC suburbs are so much nicer and they are growing because of all the great companies that want to be there. Long Islands political environment encourages status quo and for many years the quality of life on Long Island has been trending down. We hope to find better jobs in another state within 5 years.
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. It's very possible that the problem is in my own train of thought. I could be being idealistic and should understand that my position is better than others, accept it, and prepare for retirement. 
