Driving Through History on Long Island, New York
Posted by Stuart at 08:43 PM on May 04, 2006My mother, father, and I have spent most of the day in the car, driving through Long Island. It's been a very educational trip for me, as my impression of Long Island was nothing like the reality. My lack of knowledge of the area showed through at the very beginning of the trip. We started from our hotel in Flushing, Queens, and I soon asked: "When are we going to cross the bridge to the island?"
My Dad was quick to rescue me from my ignorance: "Queens is on Long Island". Oh. Duh.
I was also expecting to see mostly urban or at least suburban areas. But most of the island that we saw was small-town rural, full of history that stretched back to the very beginning of the European experience in North America. There were centuries-old homes and churches and cemeteries around every corner it seemed. It reminded me a lot of the drive Piyawat and I took through Cape Cod a year ago.
But no complaints here: the drive was wonderful. We went out to the end of the South Fork of the island and then crossed two ferries and drove to the end of the North Fork. The day was capped off with an amazingly good dinner at a Greek Restaurant. With the amount of great food that I have eaten this week, I must be gaining weight. Oh well, I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can.
