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I got out as soon as I could (19 y.o.) because I wanted to live on my own. When my two best friends from high school saw how much better a young person on their own could do out of state, they moved down as well. They are still there.
I think that all I ever said on this forum was that I wasn't going to return, and I won't.
LI is a nice place to live, but it's not the only place. It may be heaven on earth to some, but not all.
I love to visit my family and friends and eat real Italian food like a king :-D
I noticed not just on the Long Island forum but also places like NYC, Connecticut and especially New Jersey, that alot of former residents haunt the forums to make comments, sometimes postive and sometimes negative. You can see that here on this very thread right from page one.
Why do former residents go back to a forum about where they used to live? Your guess is good as mine but I am willing to bet many of them are curious about what they left behind. Some people might have doubts whether they made the right decision or not. Other people like their new home sure enough, but might miss certain aspects like the food, traditions or culture of the place they left behind.
It sounds obvious but people usually don't realize what they have until they don't have it anymore.
I noticed not just on the Long Island forum but also places like NYC, Connecticut and especially New Jersey, that alot of former residents haunt the forums to make comments, sometimes postive and sometimes negative. You can see that here on this very thread right from page one.
Why do former residents go back to a forum about where they used to live? Your guess is good as mine but I am willing to bet many of them are curious about what they left behind. Some people might have doubts whether they made the right decision or not. Other people like their new home sure enough, but might miss certain aspects like the food, traditions or culture of the place they left behind.
It sounds obvious but people usually don't realize what they have until they don't have it anymore.
Curiosity is definitely a big one. They don't have much Long Island news in the Times Picayune, so this is a good place to keep up.
I don't think it's any great mystery why people still visit the forum. Why wouldn't we? When you move, it's not like the friends, family, and culture you left behind suddenly become irrelevant. The same goes for the forum. I consider it a part of the culture.
I love Long Island and I love to visit. There's no bad blood between my former home and me -- except for the damned winters ... good riddance to those! Anyway, checking in on the LI forum is not much different from calling a Long Island friend to catch up. Also, when you've been reading it every day for a few years prior to moving, it becomes habitual and a regular part of one's C-D world. I tend to lurk, so I can't say I've made friends here, but I do know and appreciate a lot of the personalities I encounter here. Simply put, I think we former residents hang around here out of habit and because it's a fun pastime.
It's one thing to lurk, and to just drop by to see what's the latest goings on, the curiosity and all, but I know with myself, I wouldn't be wasting my time bashing the Island once I left on this forum unless it was somehow constructive criticism. On that note, I nearly wrecked my truck 3 times on the way to the grocery store today. People need to pay attention more behind the wheel around here...I still live here so am I free to bash?
Given the perishable nature of fish, the refrigeration needed to keep it fresh (not frozen) the distance it needs to be hauled (fuel, driver salary) and demand (local economy and tastes) I would have thought that those factors would come into play, too. Denver might get some good fish, but will a small town in SD? Also, will the Denverbound fish remain fresh, or wind up frozen? Then there's the chain restaurants -- one of Sheena12's father's concerns --what it the likelihood the fish is not frozen and is commercially raised who knows where?
I know I am paying more for a nice piece of fresh swordfish in VT than I do on LI. I am also dependent there on fish being delivered in small quantities on certain weekdays. If it comes in on Tuesday, I am buying and preparing it then. Conversely I can head to a number of local farms and get organic veggies and meats very fresh...unlike those which have has hang time going from farm to wholesaler to market.
By no means am I trying to dismiss what you've written...I am something of a localvore and prefer having fewer steps involved when my food leaves the farm to head to my plate.
You'd be very surprised to know where much of your fresh fish and veggies comes from. They can actually move fish from one coast to the other and all points in between very quickly. Heck they can move it from one country to another in almost the same amount of time. What it often boils down to is the quality and freshness of the fish with high end places getting the best and the low end getting the rest. So you may be at a small restaurant and get something caught off of the Island but it may be of lesser quality or something that's been sitting for a little while.
Genuine fresh veggies tend to be very local but if you're getting them out of season from the same vendor then they're likely not selling fresh.
You'd be very surprised to know where much of your fresh fish and veggies comes from. They can actually move fish from one coast to the other and all points in between very quickly. Heck they can move it from one country to another in almost the same amount of time. What it often boils down to is the quality and freshness of the fish with high end places getting the best and the low end getting the rest. So you may be at a small restaurant and get something caught off of the Island but it may be of lesser quality or something that's been sitting for a little while.
Genuine fresh veggies tend to be very local but if you're getting them out of season from the same vendor then they're likely not selling fresh.
You've mentioned the high end places getting the best. Going back to Sheena12's town or my place in VT -- high end restaurants are scarce, hence the looking for a 'good piece of fish'. And how many of these chains could be considered high end?
I'm on the iPad and can't play the video
Veggies in VT are purchased from the farmers, so in season is all I can get. Also, when I refer to purchasing fish there it is from the local grocer, not a restaurant. Having gotten very sick (3 days and thisclose to a hospital admission) from bad mussels I prefer purchasing and cooking my own fish.
i can understand that moving to the south isn't for some people, but LI isn't the only area in the NYC metro. I'll peruse forums sometimes just for the hell of it, and NJ and LI seem to take the cake as far as people complaining about taxes, crime, illegals, etc. ad infinitum. there are always plenty of people who moved away and then come on here and bash where they left. i don't really understand that, they must HATE LI/NJ, and I can understand why that would **** some people (like the OP) off.
take a look at the Westchester or CT forums, barely any self-hate besides some griping about taxes. if you would like a more scientific experiment, spend one rush hour evening in grand central and then another in penn. it is night and day. look at the people. the results will speak for themselves. if you want to further experiment, take a train from grand central to any suburb, CT or Westchester, notice how much less cell phone talking and how much more courteous people are.
if you hate LI, you don't have to move to arkansas or florida, there are actually nice areas in the NYC metro, you just can;t get their from penn station.
again, thank you. i cut and paste the LI bashing and send it to my many friends who are from there.
Obviously this thread has a really overbearing and overgeneralized tone; but though the OP certainly didn't relay the message in a very polite, informed, or relevant manner; the title of the thread rings true for not just LI but really, if you look almost any forum on city-data; anywhere Transplants, especially those who have moved within the past five years, all like to reassure themselves that their move was worth it. When I still lived in NC and frequented the NC forum most (which I still check in on every once in a while) the hoards of recent LI transplants there spent plenty of time bashing where they came from and gloating about the things they had found in their new home. Its understandable to want to feel comfortable and secure with your move when you are living in a new place, however I do agree that some people can go a little overboard. When you pop in on the boards of your former location only to play up the negative aspects of living there and ESPECIALLY when you use your new location as a comparison; it should be expected that people who still happily live there will get defensive. You are, in effect, essentially suggesting that they aren't as fortunate or living as quality of life as you are and though you may not be doing that conscientiously, it is fairly implicit.
Yes, the OP is way off base in suggesting that all schools in the rest of the country outside of LI are a mess and that everyone who leaves is giving up a great amount of opportunity. But his point that it is a bit childish and insecure for expats to post on the discussion board for their old hometown only to mention the negative aspects of living there that they are glad they do not have to deal with now ad to gloat about how much better their new location is.
Again however, this is not something that is unique to the NY forum.
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Simply put, I think we former residents hang around here out of habit and because it's a fun pastime.
They can actually move fish from one coast to the other and all points in between very quickly. Heck they can move it from one country to another in almost the same amount of time. What it often boils down to is the quality and freshness of the fish with high end places getting the best and the low end getting the rest. So you may be at a small restaurant and get something caught off of the Island but it may be of lesser quality or something that's been sitting for a little while.
