We stayed in this area for a few days for a wedding. It was easy to get to by train using the LIRR…read more Uber was easy and generally available. A cute Main Street with a couple good restaurants and a Starbucks. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott, which seemed like a good central location.

Have a friend out here that showed me what a great community it really is. It seems like a good…read moreplace to raise a family and you have all the amenities of luxury within a short drive of your home.

ABC Gum Wall was also recommended to me by Robert L. It's something you can't miss. My friend's…read moreHusband decided to check it out while we were finished with dinner at Mangia Mangia since the address showed it was just a few doors down. A couple of minutes later he came back and couldn't find it. So, off we go in search for this Gum Wall that the kids were so anxiously awaiting to see. Me too but I definitely wasn't going to admit THAT!! We go into the Patchogue Theatre of Performing Arts which was directly next to the restaurant. We spotted a sign about the Gum Wall outside of this Theatre but nobody there seemed to know what I was talking about. I asked three people and they never heard of it. I went outside again to read this poster making sure it did exist and it obviously did. Well, two other children at this point caught on to what we were trying to find and somehow convinced their parents to find it too because now the thirteen of us were walking up and down the street looking for this stupid wall. At last, we found it. A little alley right next to the Congregational Church. Very big problem, we forgot the gum. These two stranger children and their parents were now running towards this Gum Wall and our kids are now starting to get hysterical. Thank G-d my friend's Husband spotted a convenience store across the street and we are now all starting to run towards this wall, our kids screaming with excitement. We were actually standing there for a while deciding what shape to make our piece of "Art". Our kids were so amazed that we were actually letting them do this and even more amazed when they watched us doing the same thing!! It was very interesting to see what everyone was going to put up there and of course my perverted friend had to make hers stand out. It was a lot of fun and a chance to be a kid again if only for 5 minutes. Again, a very big "Thank You" to Robert L. and a "Must See", if anything, just to view my Friend's "creation" (if it's still up there when you go)!!

This fine example of public art and literal "Local Flavor" predates the recent restoration of the…read morePatchogue Theatre for Performing Arts, and to present, its tradition has survived the Village's gentrification process, despite periodically having been scraped off. It is located in the alley to the east of the Theatre, which runs between the Municipal parking lot and East Main Street. The "Already Been Chewed" Gum Wall (see pics) is an ever-changing and growing artistic work that both demands attention and inspires community participation and collaboration.

I like urban legends and supposed mysteries, so the Lake Ronkonkoma story caught my eye. It's…read morerelatively nearby, and a nice drive out to Long Island if anything. So I made a trip out there with my boyfriend to see the lake and the mural specifically. Not that I was expecting anything phenomenal, but I was still disappointed. There's nothing inherently special about the mural, other than the fact that it gets repainted every so often. It's just a mural on the side of a deli. Drive up, park, look for 50 seconds, go grab lunch, leave. Eh. And I like to spend time looking at art, so for me to shrug and move on, you know it's nothing really to sneeze at. What would be more interesting is if someone made a little gallery showing every face change over the years. I wonder if the deli guys have one. The lake was better. Still nothing particularly special, though watching the Weird U.S. YouTube video Craig linked about the lake helped with appreciating it.

There's a legend, or urban myth, about Lake Ronkonkoma. There are plenty of variations of this but…read morethe basic idea is that a disgruntled Indian princess cursed the lake so that each and every year a male will drown in it. Supposedly this is true that every year a male does in fact drown. I can't back this up with any real figures. So in the last few years someone has begun to paint a mural of this princess on the side of the Lakeside Deli in Ronkonkoma. This mural generally gets repainted every now and then with a slightly different mood or variation on this theme. Sometimes the princess looks sad and you can see a tear, sometimes she looks angry and sometimes she just looks like a princess. So it pays to come see this since you never know when it'll be changed and you'll miss out on the previous one forever. You don't want that, don't piss off the princess. She seems to hold a grudge. If you're interested in this lore, here are some links: http://wotan.liu.edu/~esenig/myth.html http://www.geocities.com/aardduck/lady.html WEIRD U.S.: The Curse of Lake Ronkonkoma http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhkRpyRn6xM

So...this is the parking lot for Stony Brook medical specialty center. This is actually pretty…read morefitting for Stony. Their main campus is surrounded by a lot of trails and forest. Also kinda in the middle of nowhere, like main Stony.

Be not afraid. I have spoken with the trees here in reverent conference . . . a quiet army of…read moreconiferous pine: They do not wish us harm. . . they were laid to seed in the mid to late-Twentieth Century by the hands of Men, calculatingly plotted in an exact network of evenly spaced rows and columns. . . The saplings have since grown and now stand in excess of 60' tall, having endured more than time and inclement weather since their planting. . . an aged woodsman hath told me this forests' size once doubled the earth it now stands on, that half the acreage was destroyed by the encroaching expansion of the F0rest Lab0rat0ries, to the South. There are many contemporary theories of the ultimate purpose of these trees, from being planted either to measure time, for use in pagan rituals, or for a decorative demonstration of a Neoclassical ideal: Mans' attempt to control Nature. Here they stand, still awaiting a greater call. The forest can be seen from passing traffic on Commack Road, where its unusual gridlines create a notable strobing effect as you drive past, though the forest is best viewed and experienced from beneath. The Mysterious Forest is on private property beyond a fence & security gate. It is not open to the public.

I skipped the gym early this morning as my body was telling me loud and clear that it needed more…read morerest and recovery, so I went on a long walk instead. I geared up for the cold, started walking and simply let my intuition and internal compass guide me. T'was no surprise that they brought me to the water (shoutout to my fellow water signs) and to the site of my favorite abandoned, and once thriving community center, that is the Oakwood Beach Club. In reading Richard G's review below, I really got a sense of how bustling and beloved of a place it was. As I stared at the now filled in pool, at the lone tire swing that can't push itself, and the large steps to the sand that kids like Richard probably raced and jumped down, I couldn't help but think of time. Sometimes it feels like it passes so quickly, and sometimes seconds feel like hours, but no matter what, you have to appreciate and respect it. As Richard wrote, it is indeed sad that the community has not banded together to maintain or restore this site. Whether purposeful or not, someone important stopped paying attention to what this rare and beautiful landscape needed to continue serving the residents of the community. As I stood watching and feeling the tides roll in, admiring the birds landing and taking off around me, and removing random pieces of glass bottles from the sand, I couldn't help but think nature won this one. Some might say that this is the natural order of things. Yet at the same time, I also felt hope that this location could and will one day return to its potential and create new memories for Richard and his kids one day. Potential, it is an interesting concept. It can be lived up to, or it can be ignored, yet only real effort over some time can give the answer. Perhaps there's a middle ground where both nature and humankind win. Where the innately miraculous and entropic qualities of mother nature and the order of structure and eco-friendly construction enhance the other. Where they serve each other for the greater good. There's a saying, "energy grows where attention flows" and while there's tons of raw energy here, it could certainly benefit from some more attention. In the meantime, what a magnificent treat this place is to those who are adventurousness enough to find it.

This is so sad. My family moved to Baldwin in 1958 from the Bronx into one of the new split level…read morehomes on Northern Blvd. The beach club was one of the best parts of growing up in the area. Almost no one had a backyard pool in those days and the place was crowded during the summer, especially on the weekends. During the week there were a group of extremely tanned women who played canasta or mahjong while their kids entertained themselves on the swings or in the pool or were away at camp. When I was home working a summer job in high school and during my college years, it was great to bike there in the early evening, swim a few laps in a large cool pool and then chill out watching the boats in the channels. The snack bar was run by a family of one of my schoolmates and was downright friendly. It's a shame that the community can't get it together and make this a go to place, even if it was just a passive park with a number of benches and tables looking out on Middle Bay. It would enhance property values in the area and the Town would get back in tax revenue what it put out to buy and maintain a simple, ecologically oriented public space.

The famous hundred year old lady of Patchogue got her own walkway. That's right, Eloise…read moreStaudinger. She started her clothing store business, The Colony Shop, in 1946 which is still thriving and houses 3 generations of Staudingers - including Eloise herself who still does some ironing and sewing. http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-colony-shop-patchogue#hrid:sVL_RuVSUb7Ot6KFmnNm_Q So if you stop in, you just might catch a glimpe of this historic figure. This walkway was added to honor this upstanding citizen. It's really kind of just an alley with a sign, but hey. I don't have my own walkway, so I shouldn't make fun. Gino's Pizza is right next door, http://www.yelp.com/biz/ginos-pizzeria-patchogue#hrid:S6_A8OeFlVt9oBe6qWvvBw so get a slice, take a walk down Ms. Staudinger's Walkway and take yourself back to a simpler time. Or get a slice and look down the alley and say, "So? It's an alley.". Either way, the pizza will be good.

I had no clue this alley was dedicated to anyone. I just know when you approach from the South you…read moreget that blast of delicious Pizza air or you can bust a left and get some steak at JR's or is it Bobbique that's closer?

"Get your motor runnin' Head out on the highwayyyyy...."…read more I'm a City and Highway driver. I actually love to drive when the conditions are ideal. For that matter, who doesn't? After cruising East off the seemingly always Clear-Clearview Expressway, I then navigate through a nice stretch of picturesque, early sunrise, tree lined view of the Northern State Parkway. For those who don't know, the autumnal foliage is a worthy glance while on the NSP. In my experience most of the portion I've driven on this parkway has been relatively pothole free and provides this speedster a pleasantly smooth, curvy ride, pre and post rush hour traffic. For some reason Troopers appear to be less active on the NSP than any stretch of the notorious LIE. But don't be fooled, always ensure you have your navigation on for police activity and obstacle notifications to enhance a trouble free driving experience. "...born to be wilddddd..."

My Favorite Highway hands down you can keep the rest of the pothole crater infested crunchy…read moreparkways in NY. I'm a Driver and the road is my oyster.

Rather large expo. They've moved to Hofstra's sports complex which is a bit smaller. If big crowds…read morearen't for you I'd stay away. There were a lot of vendors selling other sweets and foods besides chocolates as well. They were working on a time slot basis (10-12, 12-2, and so on). I felt that this made the parking and entrance process a lot smoother.

Drove around for fifteen minutes looking for the venue. Absolutely no signs anywhere on Hempstead…read moreturnpike directing attendees to the location of the event. Even when you found the building, it was a guessing game to determine where the entrance was. We bought tickets for the 10am-12 pm entry time, however the place was still very crowded. I understand the vendors are there to make money, but $20.00 for four (4) little truffles?? I did find a vendor selling 4 truffles for $10.00. The rum cakes that were being sold were very good and sold at a reasonable price. There were many options; chocolate (of course) alcohol, cheese, baked goods etc. Over all , I payed $40.00 for a big overcrowded flea market. Wouldn't do it again.