1. NYC Is Part Of Long Island, Not The Other Way Around
So, you think Manhattan is the heart of New York? Maybe you’re even trendy enough to think that Brooklyn is the heart of New York now that the novelty of Times Square has worn off. But what you don’t realize is that you’re wrong. Long Island is New York. In fact, Brooklyn and Queens are both on Long Island.
BTW, you live on Long Island. Saying you live in Long Island is a dead giveaway that you’re not from around here. And it’s not that you’re not welcome if you’re an outsider, but the natives will be skeptical of you. That’s mainly because from exaggerated accents (yes, that’s Lawn Guy-Land to you) to Staten Island mix-ups, Long Islanders have been the butt of every New York joke since the beginning of time and they’re over it. Long Island has the best beaches (and so many of them!), the best people, the best communities, and basically just the best everything.
2. If It’s Good Enough For Gatsby…
Do you remember Gatsby’s ridiculous mansion? The one where he held what could still be described as the most epic parties of the 20th century (sorry, P. Didds, better luck this century)? Well, fictionally, that was located right here on Long Island. Head to the North Shores of Long Island to see the whole area that inspired the decadence of the novel for yourself.
The “Gold Coast” takes full advantage of its claim to upper echelon fame and highlights just how high high society can get. The mansions that can sometimes resemble the likes of castles never cease to amaze and there around about a dozen or so of them that are open to the public, and half a dozen of them have been converted to public use. You’ll also find art galleries and other ways to be able to get inside these works of art.
3. Long Island Has The Best Wine Country You’ve Never Heard Of
Do you know how many people don’t even realize that Long Island even has a wine country? Well, there are 7.125 billion people in the world, right? So, I’ll say there are more than 7 billion people in the world who don’t know about Long Island’s wine country. But, whatever. Their loss means more wine for everyone on Long Island and less crowds to get annoyed by.
You don’t have to take the tours to enjoy the tastes the Island offers, either. Any proper liquor store here will send East End wines, and usually in its own area. So, don’t get caught with a bottle of Cabernet from Sonoma. Keep it local, Long Island all the way.
4. Pizza And Bagels Anywhere Else Are Insulting
New York is known for boasting over having far superior pizza and bagels over everywhere else in the world. But we can just narrow that scope and say that it’s Long Island that has the best pizza and bagels. Seriously. Manhattan, Queens, The Bronx… They’re all contenders, but they still just can’t compare to the deliciousness that comes from Long Island.
You’re welcome to argue this point if you’d like. As long as you know that you’re wrong and you’re okay with that. Because no one in Long Island will ever concede, ever. Now, put a bagel in it.
5. Billy Joel Makes Everything Okay
Long Island got stuck with some really unfortunate celebrities and household names, not the least of whom include the Long Island Medium (please, make it stop!), Lindsay Lohan, Amy Fisher and Joey Buttafuoco...There’s also half of the cast of Jersey Shore and Flava Flav with the rest of Run DMC. Oh, who are we kidding? Everybody loves Run DMC and Flava Flav. You can keep the rest, though. But, there is one shining star amidst the embarrassing headline stains. And that is the Piano Man himself.
Billy Joel is a local hero. He’s more beloved and more popular than any politician (which isn’t saying much in all reality) and chances are that if he ran for mayor, he would win by a landslide. Everywhere you go on Long Island, you’ll find someone who has a story about the guy. He’s either the friend of a friend or they bumped into him at Bagel Boss or he might have even crashed his car into their front yard. Yep, that’s happened.
6. Nine Minutes And 13 Seconds Late For The LIRR Is On Time
You’re a real Long Islander if you find yourself complaining about the Long Island Rail Road on a daily basis. And yes, it’s the Long Island Rail Road (or the LIRR) as in two words, not Long Island Railroad. No one knows why and we don’t have time to question these things because our train is late again.
The LIRR is always running late. That’s why as long as it’s running under 10 minutes late, it’s still considered to be on time. And even though you complain about it every single day, only a real Long Islander knows that it’s infinitely better than even attempting to get in a car to leave this place.
7. Adventureland Is Fine Just The Way It Is
If you’re not from Long Island or the area, then you’ve probably never even heard of Adventureland. But natives know it to be the best amusement park on Earth. It’s just the right amounts of awesome and awful rolled into one, with a whole lot of fun and its vintage charm still in tact, just the way they like it.
Outsiders will often make the trip thinking that they stumbled on some new amusement park and then they get here and they’re a little underwhelmed because it’s on the old side. That’s because it’s awesome just the way it is and no one here feels the need to go fixing something that isn’t broken. And they definitely don’t want to see it sold off and “revamped” and commercialized the way Coney Island was.
8. Owning A Lacrosse Stick Despite Not Playing For 10 Years
If there was an official sport of Long Island, it’s no secret that it would be lacrosse. From school sports and beyond, lacrosse is a bigger deal here than basketball or baseball, probably combined. Everyone here has played or at least attempted to play the sport at least once in their life. Which is why if you go into anyone’s garage, you’ll find at least once lacrosse stick hanging up on the wall somewhere. It probably hasn’t been touched since the Spice Girls were still putting out albums, but that’s not the point now, is it?
If you hate yourself enough to get in a car in Long Island to go for a drive, you won’t have to go far before you find a field of kids playing lacrosse, either. Think of lacrosse in Long Island as the equivalent of football in Texas.
9. South Shore Beaches Are Better Than North Shore Beaches
Long Island is full of beaches. I mean, it’s an island, so if it weren’t, there’d be something pretty weird going on. And outsiders are usually pretty shocked at just how great the beaches are, as if they never heard of The Hamptons before.
But not all Long Island beaches are considered equal. The most popular beaches to visit are, by far, the South Shore beaches. But you don’t have to go to The Hamptons to find the nice ones. They’re all pretty great. You’ll find lots of sand, sun, surf, and if you come on the right day, you’ll even find yourself the guy walking up and down the beach with the cooler strapped to his neck yelling “Fudgie Wudgie!”
10. Where To Find The Big Duck
If you happen to find yourself driving through Flanders, you might stumble upon something that will make you wonder if you’re hallucinating for a brief moment. Don’t worry. You really are seeing a really Big Duck. And it’s awesome.
You see, before Long Island was known for The Hamptons, it was the destination of choice for Polish duck farmers. No, really. This giant bird-like building was built in 1931 by duck farmer Martin Maurer as a place to sell ducks and duck eggs. It’s officially on the National Register of Historic Places now and everyone in Long Island can tell you how to get there.
Did we miss anything? Tell us what you think is unique about Long Island in the comments below! 
