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Born in Brooklyn and moved to Long Island when I was 3. Lived there for 50 years. It was a GREAT place to grow up back then. Now not so much. Property taxes are ridiculous. NY is being run by NYC and NYC is turning in to L.A. or Chicago or blah blah blah city.
Oh, we had some Einstein bagels about 15 years ago on the Island. They didn't last.
Not impressed been to plenty of bagel stores down south that look good but still taste like crap.
Lol nothing triggers an expat more than saying anything on LI or NY in general is better.
As soon as you visit all of them get back to me.
The difference is that a lousy bagel place will die a quick death in NY, so the vast majority are good to great. Down south a lousy one will survive due to lack of choices. My local one is at least very good by NY standards, and people will drive 30-40 miles to get them. Line out the door even during COVID.
I'm gonna be the Debbie Downer here, but bagels are full of excessive refined carbs which is why the average american is morbidly obese. And COVID kills fat people.
I nominate the following posts as being most useful or helpful in present-day decision-making. How about it OP, what say you?
Quote:
Originally Posted by rocafeller05
Why would I move before retirement if I don’t have to or want to? I never said I do nyc dinners and plays during the week. But I do probably go about 30 x a year wether its a concert, game, nite out etc. Now if I had to commute there every day then that would be a different story. But I don’t and I’m fine on Long Island. As I get older I hate the cold more and more. But that’s no reason to give up everything here at this time.
You made the move and say you love it, good for you. But not everyone here needs to do it or is ready to do it. There is nothing sad about. The positives outweigh the negatives by a long shot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by peconic117
I gotta agree with rocafella here. I have 2 kids are we take them to the city a good amount, we love the parks, museums and even do overnights there now and then. And as for beaches we have beach passes and go all the time most weekends over the summer. Our kids have plenty of activities but we always find time to do family stuff. I also refuse to be one of those parents that put their kids in 50 different sports and have no life (not at all saying you were one of those parents twingles) and trust me I know plenty of those. But people who regularly got to the city, use the beaches etc do in fact exist.
As far as pizza and bagels lol, who would even think of that as a reason for moving or staying in a location? Ridiculous. I do love the pizza here but have had great pizza in plenty of other states. As for bagels far less luck there, I’ve honestly never had a decent bagel outside of NY.
Quote:
Originally Posted by monstermagnet
Hey, nice to see the grown ups chatting on the forum again. lol
I lean more towards Twings than Pec and Roc but that's usual, although I'm less anti-LI than before (until yesterday when I saw a flotilla of boats off Oak Beach sporting a bay of Trump flags and remembered how white trash we really are and financing a nice boat sure don't buy class). One beef with LI is all the things you list SHOULD make it pretty sweet, but doesn't. My teen and I hate the city, he thinks it smells and is gaudy and expensive (and not into crowds) and I live for the sleazy 70's/80's NYC, not the foreign speculator fueled Euro-Disneyfied NYC, which just makes me cringe. Pre-covid we were down to a few preferred city things. Post covid, none. My buddy wants me to come have a drink at his sidewalk bar window. I told him sorry, I aint crossing that river unless I see redcoats coming...or nazis...and even then, better stay with my (amazingly legal) long gun (have to be a criminal or cop to get a handgun permit on LI).
Admittedly the boroughs hold all the secret charms of NYC now, but it's a lot of work to dig those things up and I get a day maybe a week to do it. The rest is rat race 101 around here. I grieved down taxes a few years, they just bumped them w/ a 6 yr raise. My wife got downsized, then got hired back in NYC, then remote, then a pay cut. BEFORE COVID!!! Some jagoffs just flipped a dump into a $750k listing. LEVITTOWN!!! w.t.f.?!
My biggest beef is my own weirdness. Usually I tell people don't move too fast from a new place. It takes a year or more at least to find those things you like. A good pizza, a perfect haircut, a preferred bar, etc. In almost 20 years, I still have NONE of those on LI. The pizza is the same in all of the 37 places in my neighborhood. The supermarkets all suck (and there are too many). From $8 Gappys to $120 in NYC, haircuts meh (and now its too late anyway, I'm too old and bald and I'm buzzing myself a #2 on the sides and #3 on top, no need for a barber for that, lol). The best thing I've found on Li is a place where I fill my propane tanks. I love those guys.
My job is good but not enough $ for this place on its own (and I paid a lot of friggin dues to get it, and I STILL get BETTER offers out of state, each one a needle in my side, especially when they offer relocation, my buddy took a move to Charlotte with Arrow or MSC, I forget which, and they are sooo happy, just had their second kid in their new home and live like humans, not rats w/ manageable home prices, taxes, good schools, plenty of decent infrastructure, I bet they even have a Target, gasp!!). My kid has good friends here, my wife has family and friends. I either leave them or stay. Like a good neighbor, dad, friend, sucker, I stay. Is LI "worth it." NO.
I'm gonna be the Debbie Downer here, but bagels are full of excessive refined carbs which is why the average american is morbidly obese. And COVID kills fat people.
Bagels are the one food I eat that I have a blood sugar crash an hour later and get super crabby. I am ALWAYS sorry when I eat one. When I do eat them I scoop out the inside.
My fave CD story is the LI ex pat who buys Bruegger's Bagels and gives them to his visiting NY friends and they say "wow you DID find great bagels here!".
Everyone thinks they are a foodie nowadays. Aside from Papa John's and Domino's if you served most people a bagel, pizza or Chinese from just about anywhere they'd not be able to tell the difference. #fact.
But I agree with pec, no one is staying for pizza, bagels and Chinese (although right behind the schools, people usually mention these....ahead of family LOL).
And no, I don't expect (nor do I want) anyone to leave their good job on LI. Especially someone like roc who grew up elsewhere and is using LI and its proximity to NYC for all its advantages with no plans to stay. Get in, get out, enjoy retirement.
Those look like fancy ROLLS. Those are not real bagels.
They’re boiled so they aren’t rolls.
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the following posts as being most useful or helpful in present-day decision-making. How about it OP, what say you?
