I love to travel, see new places and go on adventures. I love that I was lucky enough to go to school out of state, travel abroad, and see so many new places. However, no matter how much I travel, there is always one place that will have my heart, and that's Long Island. Growing up on the island is special. We're a unique breed, brought up on bagels, pizza, and great beaches, and we definitely stand out. You know you're from Long Island when...
1. Lawn-guy-land.
Whenever someone asks you where you're from, you take extra caution to say Long Island, but no matter how you say it, they still comment that you have a Lawnguyland accent. "Haha all you Long-Islanders say it like that"! Haha, no I did not say it like that, shut up.
2. You're a bagel snob.
No matter where you go, no bagel will ever compete with A&S, My Three Sons, or Bagel Man. Jersey people will try to tell you that their bagels are better but there is really no chance. Bacon, egg, and cheeses give me life.
3. New York City is "the city," and the only acceptable way to get there is "the train."
LIRR is love, LIRR is life. Quick, easy, and always a good time. You can get to Manhattan in under an hour. Who doesn't love drinking out of paper bags and listening to people fight on the phone. Just don't miss the 2:42 train home or you'll have to wait in Penn Station until 5:30.
4. You've been asked at least five times if you know the Long Island Medium.
LOL yeah, she's my neighbor!!! Of course, I don't know her. First of all, Long Island is 1,400 miles long so I don't exactly know everyone, and second of all, why are you so obsessed with the Long Island Medium?
5. Everything above the city is considered "upstate."
Westchester, Albany, Buffalo, Rye, they're all the same thing to me: Upstate.
6. You get really frustrated when people say you live "in Long Island."
No, it's an island. And we live on it. So, "I live on Long Island."
7. While summer concerts are always great, Jones Beach Concerts will forever be #1.
Oh what a special time. I'm not ashamed to say I saw Ke$ha twice, complete with glitter and all. Once with Pitbull opening, and the other time with LMFAO opening. Get $leazyyyyyy!!!
8. You probably played lacrosse at some point.
Whether you just played in third grade, or played on varsity in high school or college, lacrosse is the single most important sport on Long Island and everyone has given it a try.
9. You celebrate the day Ralph's opens as if it's a holiday.
Ralph's is the number one summertime snack. If you live on Long Island chances are you're within 10 minutes from one.
10. You can correctly pronounce places like Hauppauge, Massapequa, Ronkonkoma, and Patchogue.
That's a party trick if I've ever seen one.
11. You or someone you know "has seen Lindsay Lohan's house before."
Okay, guilty. I actually have seen her house though. My cousins lived around the block from her, but regardless, you've heard this way too many times.
12. Billy Joel is your idol and a hero.
"Piano Man" will always make you tear up, and if you ever memorized the words to "We Didn't Start the Fire," it was probably the best moment of your life.
13. Thanksgiving Eve is the biggest party night of the year.
It's a huge reunion for you, your friends, and every other person you went to high school with. Full of hugs, cheek kisses, Bud Light and Fireball shots, Thanksgiving Eve is always a good time.
14. You've been to Safety Town and it was the best field trip of your life.
15. You've winded up at the diner at the end of the night on many occasions.
Whether or not you've wanted to, you and your friends ended the night many a times with a trip to the diner. There is nothing better than greasy mozzarella sticks or chicken fingers at 1 A.M.
16. You hung out in parking lots or playgrounds as a young teen.
It was the cool place to hang out. Probably the first time in your life you felt like a BAMF.
17. You've tried to find the Amityville Horror House.
And were most likely unsuccessful.
18. No pizza will ever live up to your beloved New York pizza.
19. Family means the world to you.
Sunday dinners at your grandparents, your family coming to all of your music concerts, home cooked meals every night, tons of cousins, family is the most important thing to you. Whether you're Irish, Italian, German, or Polish, family is your number one.
There you have it. Long Island is a wonderful place to grow up, it will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will always consider myself a Long Island girl.
