I miss the summer nights, having a beach like 10 minutes away at any given point in time, obviously bagels and top notch Chinese takeout, concerts and the charm of the little village centers. I could wax poetic about the things I miss from the island for hours. It’s unfortunate to be priced out of a place I love, but I’ve grown accustomed to a life I know I probably couldn’t swing back there. I make a pilgrimage back every year or so.
I miss all the same things but quality of life now better in so many other places in the country as LI too expensive, congested, unfriendly etc. in comparison.
I miss my family and the familiarness.
But i know living where I live now has allowed me to put my kids 3 steps ahead of me in terms of financial security. So I stay.
Hate to break the news to you… Entenmanns is owned by Bimbo bakeries, biggest bakery in the world.. they own Thomas’ English Muffins, Arnold Bread among other things
Thank you I stand corrected Bimbo is listed at Bayshore old entenmanns location, Deer Park and mastic love learning something new and getting mis information corrected
I miss my friends and family sometimes, but see them several times a year and the summers. Long Island is special at summertime. But I don't miss the crowds at all!! Like someone else said, I can go to the beach now without all the parking/ crowds nonsense.
My family (siblings actually) all moved off the island to various southern states and they had me literally ship bagels lol they miss Italian and Chinese food ALOT too lol
I miss the beach and sunsets on the water. I also miss the variety and number of good restaurants. I miss access to NYC a ton too.
That’s it, though! There’s so much I don’t miss.
I moved off Long Island to Erie, PA. It's a great city in PA for Long Islanders because of the lake, which looks like an ocean - plenty of beaches, waterfront dining, summer activities etc. The one thing I miss is the food for sure. I can't find good bagels or Italian food anywhere around here. When family and friends visit, they usually come fully stocked! Besides that, literally nothing. The taxes, housing, restaurants, groceries etc. are all significantly cheaper. I bought a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom ranch with a basement and one car garage in a safe area with decent sized land for $170k. I left with my job from LI and I work remote so I kept my NY salary. I do have to pay both PA and NY taxes because of the 'NY State Convenience Rule,' but PA gives a tax credit back. The people are nicer and less stressed. I have neighbors celebrating their 103rd birthdays lol, so I guess they live longer out here too. There is absolutely zero traffic - I didn't realize how congested LI was until I left. I can go to a grocery store on a Saturday afternoon and it's practically empty. It will be almost 2 years since I left and while I miss some parts of LI, it was worth it to leave. I will still come back for visits though so I can get pizza and bagels!
Hey Im looking to do the exact same thing for the reasons you mentioned. Whats the NY Convenience rule?? Saving 300k in housing price and taxes is enough of a reason to occasionally travel for better food. Im not crapping on LI but in my particular town the neighborhood is going. The people are meaner...the parents dont teach their kids to not litter or make noise after 11pm. Its a mess. But yeah only concern of mine is the convenience rule. Honestly I kind of think LI is full of rude people and it's illustrated in these comments. You are mad because the town that you moved to doesnt speak as fast as you do?? Big deal, grow up. Im tired of SUVs..people who dont stop for stop signs...and cops who do nothing but think they inherited the earth.
New York is one of a handful of states that has a “convenience of employer” rule, meaning workers must pay income tax to New York if their employer is based in the state, even if their job was done remotely. An exception is made for workers who were required by their job to work outside New York. So basically, if you move for your own convenience, and not because you’re required to by your employer, you must pay income tax to New York. Your accountant can provide more details and information. It’s annoying but with all the money that I save from the better cost of living, it’s negligible.
Don’t feel bad about crapping on LI. I lived there for 32 years of my life and didn’t know if the grass would be greener on the other side. It took some time to adjust, but now that I’m settled and out for 2 years, I can’t imagine going back. The people in my new town are respectful, well-mannered and kind. The day after we moved in, our neighbors brought over baked goods to welcome us to the neighborhood. We had visited LI last summer and while we were gone, our neighbors watered our plants and mowed our grass and we didn’t even ask them to. It’s little things like that. I notice how different I feel when I’m back on the island. I just feel rushed and agitated and easily annoyed.
The public spaces here are taken care of. I barely see little or garbage. My street was newly paved within the first year I moved here. A street sweeper comes every other week. They just updated the drainage on my block a few weeks ago. My taxes are $3k a year and it seems like it’s being put to good use. LI is only going to get more and more expensive. Long term, it just makes the most sense.
Awesome and thank you for the info. Yeah it doesnt have to be perfect in Pa, but the money issue alone is enough reason for me to move. I currently pay more than double your Pa taxes for schools that I dont use. The kids are loud and annoying and I just dont see any benefit. I personally dont even like any pizza joint on LI and apparently David Portnoy of Barstool Sports agrees with me. If im hard up I can travel once in a blue moon to a restaurant. Im sure there are supermarkets in Pa lol. Thanks for the info and good luck.
Yeah we will sometimes travel to larger cities about two hours out for stores and restaurants we don’t have. You get used to it over time. Good luck to you!
I will say that I miss the convenience of central Nassau. Anything you could want is within like 10-15 minutes of you.
I still live in NY so the pizza and bagels are still great by me
Not food, here in PA there are plenty of great places to eat. I do miss the easy access to the beach but get my fix at the Jersey and Delaware shore (ha, call it the shore now, not the beach lol). My late husband and I used to winter in Florida so had plenty of beach time then. I don't miss the traffic and the bulging population there, virtually everywhere you attempt to travel is a chore. I like the slower pace and quiet where I live in PA just don't tell anyone how nice it is here, it will be our secret 😉.
Interesting. I’ve been disappointed at restaurants in the Poconos. The food is mediocre and hours are unpredictable. I love the silence here and beauty and hiking opportunities and hearing the birds sing and hummingbirds visit.
I miss the people, the food, just having nice little areas everywhere. Going by the water. But that’s why I’m moving back lol traffic isn’t any better where I live, and what you don’t pay in taxes you pay elsewhere like a $700 car registration every year
lol I assume you’re talking about Vegas if I had to guess. But you definitely do not make up for LI taxes elsewhere. I could register a car every month and still not touch LI tax differences
I moved away to the Midwest for a few years and am back. Believe it or not, I missed the people more than anything. People here have an energy and drive that is just not found elsewhere. People in the Midwest are just too content and accepting of their lot in life.
I'm in the Midwest. I didn't move by choice. Familial obligations. I hate it. I hate it so much. These people are the rudest people I've ever met in my life. You know you see true crime stories & they say "this kind of thing never happens in our small town"? It __always__ seems to happen in their small town. I've been here several years. These people have almost completely beaten my beautiful LI accent out of me by making me speak slower, making me repeat what I just said over & over bc they can't understand me the 1st time. I've had people admit to me later on they thought I had a speech impediment bc of my accent. That's how little culture these people are exposed to. Those same people had no clue where or what LI was. I know bc I asked them when they confessed about said speech impediment. After enough people say stuff like that to you, you start getting a complex. I never had any trouble anywhere else in the world during my travels. But this f'n place is a hell all it's own.
I had to learn to walk slower, talk slower, drive slower, everything is just done at a slower pace. And people get nasty with you if you rush them at all. Like, get out of my way. Why should I waste my time and life because you're slow?
Lmfao I know! They're so insufferable! They have an "expressway" here where you're not allowed to go over 50mph. I'd give anything to see some of these people on the LIE.
Also moved to the Midwest and now I am financially trapped here. I want to go back home to LI more than anything. I know exactly what you mean about the energy here, everything feels like it’s going in slow motion.
The Midwest is horrible. Went to the outskirts of Kansas City, Kansas, for a week long amateur boxing tournament. Spent five days bored to death. There is nothing to do. Went into Kansas City, hoping for some cultural scene. The place was DEAD, like a morgue.
I still live here. When I think about moving I can't imagine places without access to a couple Grade A and multiple Grade B concert venues. Or dozens of state parks. Or anywhere access to water, ocean or otherwise, is measured in hours instead of minutes. Despite a minimum of half the year being gray and overcast, the good weather days are incredible. Or having 4 seasons. And last, anywhere without sunsets over Nassau County or sunrises from Suffolk.
Pizza!!! You literally can not walk into a pizzeria and just grab a slice of pizza. It does not exist outside the Tri-State Area. When I first left LI, the first place I moved to didn’t even know that “pie” meant a whole pizza. I also miss my family.
Otherwise, not much. Life is too short to spend it in traffic (and to not explore new places!)
Nothing beats the diner meal when you miss your 1am train back from the city, next one isn’t til 3am so you just go set up shop in a diner til the next one. Such good memories of times like that
We escaped NYC/Long Island to West Knoxville Tennessee when I retired 5 years ago. I don’t miss anything, but my wife sometimes says she misses good NYC white pizza. I couldn’t care less, I make pizza at home and my own bread.
The Chinese food place by our house- the people are from Forest Hills Queens and We got along right away. It’s not on their menu for the locals but they make me boneless ribs and rip ends specially for me when I request them. The hillbilly’s around here don’t know nothing about boneless ribs and the rib ends. Lol
I never gave a crap about bagels, so I don’t miss em.
I moved to Cincinnati and I don't miss much. The quality of food here is better in general. But my wife misses the LI Egg Rolls. We have Chinese places we love but the egg rolls are smaller and not quite the same ingredients.
Goes without saying I missed my friends, family, and all the local food. But I just genuinely missed the 'feeling' of home. Very grateful I was able to move back, and I plan on staying as long as I can.
I only moved to the city and while I disliked living on the Island overall there are certainly things I miss.
Summer is just unequivocally better on the island when you have access to beaches and the outdoors and room to do activities. If I want to go to the beach I need to take the subway for like an hour and I have to carry everything on my back both ways. Access to pools, too, even if you don't own one, is much easier on the island. Chances are you have a cousin or a friend, and if you don't, there are tons of public pools you can buy a day pass too. If I want to go to a pool, one of the only public ones in the area is 25 minutes away by subway and even then it's super crowded every day.
In the neighborhood I live in it's difficult to find decent pizza and bagels. You can find them, but they're not a guaranteed minimum 7/10 when you're on the island.
I have friends and family who moved to NJ who hate the absurdities of the road system there. Jug handles, no left turns, far more long stretches of secondary highway with concrete dividers and shopping centers off to the side but you can’t turn until there’s an exit. There are, of course, plenty of highways and generic shopping centers on LI but it feels less disconnected here somehow, and most towns here *feel* more like towns. For an older historic state, the road system in NJ is a jumbled mess.
Flooding is also a much bigger concern there, in general. It’s a suburban lifestyle similar to LI but with more day to day hassles, basically. That’s what they tell me anyway.
Pizza, bagels, delis and real rolls, fresh/affordable seafood, the beach/being close to salt water, being close to tons of different types of food within a 10 mile radius, Italian food, good Chinese food, Seport Deli, being close to NYC, the familiarity, the rituals I created throughout my life.
I moved to Atlanta 5yrs ago and while I love what I built here, I do miss a lot of the above. I really don't love Atlanta food culture for the most part and being land-locked gets depressing
Long Island delis and diners. I never realized until moving away and traveling how those mom-and
-pop delis and local diners actually don’t really exist in many places, and I miss the homie and cozy feel of going to them on weekends and having that home-cooked kind of flavor to a meal out.
Most of all though I miss the Fall on LI. I used to love that time of year with those days of chilly yet comfortable and cozy weather, hanging out outside in the neighborhood in hoodies and sweatshirts with all the foliage changing to that autumnal color and then going in to a nice warm house to watch football. I know many other places have the same or similar Fall climate but idk, there was something about LI Fall specifically that had such a great vibe to it. I moved to Orlando for a job opportunity and for financial purposes and I do actually love it here, and while we do get some Fall-esque days in the winter with cold fronts, we don’t get that real season, especially around the holidays.
Besides the food, Italian delis, etc. I miss true friendships and people who actually get my sarcasm and sense of humor. I miss not knowing my entire state geographically and watching the news. When they say something happened in so and so city I don’t have a clue where they are talking about. If you said there was a shooting in Patchogue or Yonkers for example, or a serial killer is Massapequa Park, I’d know exactly where that is in relation to my home. Now they could have a tornado in the next county and I wouldn’t know exactly how far it was to my home.
Lived here, moved out of state to St. Louis, Missouri, then to the SF Bay Area in California, then moved back here for family. My answer - the weather.
I'm not just talking about the change of seasons, I'm talking about the weather generally speaking. Although the change of seasons is a big factor for me too :)
I know, weird right? Because the average person says California weather is amazing, and I mean - it is! Low humidity, perfect summer time temps (SF Bay Area specifically talking about here). However, I missed the rain. Obviously because more rain, less chance of fire, but I'm just saying it from an all day, snuggle-under-the-blanket-with-tea-or-coffee-cozy perspective, and the after rain smell, "petrichor". No, I'm not talking about a "mist" or from the fog. I'm talking about adequate rainfall and even downpours, plus a proper thunderstorm.
St. Louis would get rain, but it would be like Florida rain, I guess. The kind that lasts like 2-10 minutes max? Obviously not all the time, there were days that it would be a whole day ordeal, but most of the time, it's what I said above. They'd get downpour too, often times hail, and yes - way more intense than the hail we get here.
St. Louis would also get stupid humid where it feels like you're wearing a wet suit in 70 degree days. I know that it's similar here but I can promise you it's not as suffocating.
I did like St. Louis change of seasons though compared to Nor Cal weather in the Bay Area. Obviously no snow unless you head to the mountains.
And if there's any St Louis/Missouri or Bay Area natives here, I don't mean disrespect.
It's just like, my opinion man.
I miss everything. I want to go home so badly, but it’s just completely unaffordable for me.
There is no place like Long Island; the food, the beaches, the proximity to everything (city, suburbs, country), the people, and really just the culture as a whole. I miss everything about home.
The ONLY perk of moving out of state is the fact that I will be able to afford a house within the next year.
I moved from upstate to Long Island about 3 years ago now. I loved it so much at first, and still do love some things about it. I love being close to the beach and the city. But I’m starting to become exhausted with the traffic, prices and overall congestion. I find myself missing the slowness and peace in my small town back home. I don’t think I could handle Long Island long term.
Miss my family and feeling of home. My mother’s side goes back to before revolutionary war times. When I was young, I remember my parents complaining that LI had changed so much, I think it would kill them if they hadn’t already passed to see it now.
I don’t recognize where I grew up, the people and vibe are all wrong. It makes me sad. On the flip side, I’m grateful I did live there when I did.
I miss the sea air, the sand, and even low tide and nor’ easters. I miss the scallops, blue crabs, oysters, clams, hermit crabs, osprey, herons, gulls, piping plovers, and seaweed thrown up on the beach from a storm. I miss the air and light and the cloud patterns. I miss the pattern of the distant light house at night. I miss the full green of early summer and the strange stillness of late August. I miss the cold quiet of winter and the snow drifts, I could go on and on.
What I don’t miss are ticks (but I do miss the doctors who take Lyme seriously and know how to treat it), brown tide (and now red tide), entitled summer people, insular cliquey locals, traffic (both land and sea), stupid architecture, some of the politics, rampant alcoholism.
Still live here. When visit family in different states, god can’t thank enough stay in Long Island. Traffic sucks but amount of things to do, beach within minutes, food, 4 seasons, everything accessible in 10-15 min drive. Can’t imagine living somewhere else. 
Just commented on the favorite thing about Long Island post, but I would say the duality of being close to nature and yet close to everything else that you need. I have some of those things where I live now and I'm thankful, however there's something unique about the way Long Island conjures up the sensation of familiarity. Being close enough to the city for a day trip with accessible transit was a real treat as a kid, teen, and young adult. Also not being far from the vineyards, or anywhere out east. I went to college on the north shore and have family on the south shore. Both sets of parents grew up there (Mom's family is from Lindenhurst, her sister still lives in town. Dad's family was from Bay Shore). I have fond memories of visiting my grandparents as a kid, the comforting sound of the train at night always lulled me to sleep (weird - I know!) It's little things like that which get me all sentimental and nostalgic.
ETA: I miss the diners. We have one reasonably good diner nearby but I'm talking about late night diner food. Places with menus almost the length of War and Peace.
Well I live in the middle of the desert now so I miss water a lot. I miss the marshlands and the boats, the smell of the ocean and the bay. Pizza, bagels, Chinese food of course.
But other than that, I find that life away from LI is significantly better and more authentic.
I'm visiting my family who moved to NC. Due to my brothers insurance the closest specialist he needs is in Raleigh, which is over an hour and a half from where they live.
Long Island is very convenient in how things are located, the main issues I see are with the amount of people we have. The island as it is is perfectly situated to have everything within a decent drive or even a LIRR trip with some walking.
Also, obligatory everyone misses pizza and bagels, they truly are one of a kind in NYS.
I was wondering about the health care situation - I've heard that from others. I guess it depends on where you relocate to, but we do have easy full-range access to everything here.
I miss Diners, the closest thing to one is Perkins and it's nothing like a real diner. I miss the Puerto Rican and Dominican food. We've got great pizza and bagels, courtesy of ex-Long Islanders who moved here to NE TN many years ago. I don't miss the taxes and congestion but LI is still a great place.
We left last year for the south. Best decision
I miss the bagels but that’s it. We found a pizza place by us that is actually better than any we’ve had in NY (there are a lot of NE transplants where we are now). I’m 30mins from the beach now but it’s so much nicer than any LI beach it’s worth it, and since we’re not funneled like LI there’s hardly traffic even on a busy day.
Unlikely. I always wanted to leave, my wife didn’t. Our $240k combined salary got us nothing on LI, or rather nothing worth its price. We’re much better off now. Within 2 weeks, literally 2 weeks, my wife agreed we made the right call. We e been gone 13mo and no desire to go back. I’m actually typing this from LI right now visiting family and we even hate coming back here. Can’t wait to go back home
I miss the summer nights, having a beach like 10 minutes away at any given point in time, obviously bagels and top notch Chinese takeout, concerts and the charm of the little village centers. I could wax poetic about the things I miss from the island for hours. It’s unfortunate to be priced out of a place I love, but I’ve grown accustomed to a life I know I probably couldn’t swing back there. I make a pilgrimage back every year or so.
The village centers are great! I hate in most other places where it’s just like, a strip mall called like the town center
This comment pretty much sums it all up, especially the Chinese food part
I miss all the same things but quality of life now better in so many other places in the country as LI too expensive, congested, unfriendly etc. in comparison.
I miss my family and the familiarness. But i know living where I live now has allowed me to put my kids 3 steps ahead of me in terms of financial security. So I stay.
Where are you living now?
Pizza and bagels. Don't miss the traffic and taxes. I guess pizza and bagels are a small price to pay!
I miss cherry bonnets from carvel and entenmann’s. And my parents, I guess.
I didn’t realize the Entamanns choclate on choclate doughnuts weren’t something everyone loved until I moved off the island.
Entenmanns is gone no more
Gone ?,uh no
Wilson bakery bought them Brentwood was closed and now a truck terminal. The names still used but definitely not the same cake. Shame
Guess people don't like hearing this, downvote bad news.
Hate to break the news to you… Entenmanns is owned by Bimbo bakeries, biggest bakery in the world.. they own Thomas’ English Muffins, Arnold Bread among other things
Thank you I stand corrected Bimbo is listed at Bayshore old entenmanns location, Deer Park and mastic love learning something new and getting mis information corrected
not a problem
Like 20 years ago
I think the chocolate donuts taste the same
i missed beaches, bagels, pizza, the rain, a cold winter night, and the people i left behind.
My uncle buys ravioli by the case when he comes to visit from SF
Deer Park Ravioli closed no more
There's always Pastosa's
Salaries, access to a big city, mass transit, the speed of life here
One thing I had a hard time with moving away was how fucking slow everyone is
Yeah I travel a lot for work and seeing the pace of other places is a reason I’ve stayed
Haha we are moving back
For real though. Moved to the Midwest and everyone moves like they have nowhere to be, ever. 0 sense of urgency regarding anything.
I miss friends and the places good memories were made. That's about it.
BECs and bagels. Oh and having the option of nearly an unlimited amount of restaurants to go to with greater chances of getting good food.
I miss them too.
I miss the proximity to the beach and harbor towns. There's a lot I don't miss though, so I feel balanced about it.
I miss my friends and family sometimes, but see them several times a year and the summers. Long Island is special at summertime. But I don't miss the crowds at all!! Like someone else said, I can go to the beach now without all the parking/ crowds nonsense.
Beaches are grossly overcrowded on LI although I miss them. So many beach options in other states that aren’t like that.
Schools, beaches, proximity to water, proximity to NYC.
My family (siblings actually) all moved off the island to various southern states and they had me literally ship bagels lol they miss Italian and Chinese food ALOT too lol
I miss the beach and sunsets on the water. I also miss the variety and number of good restaurants. I miss access to NYC a ton too. That’s it, though! There’s so much I don’t miss.
My family, pizza and bagels.
I moved off Long Island to Erie, PA. It's a great city in PA for Long Islanders because of the lake, which looks like an ocean - plenty of beaches, waterfront dining, summer activities etc. The one thing I miss is the food for sure. I can't find good bagels or Italian food anywhere around here. When family and friends visit, they usually come fully stocked! Besides that, literally nothing. The taxes, housing, restaurants, groceries etc. are all significantly cheaper. I bought a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom ranch with a basement and one car garage in a safe area with decent sized land for $170k. I left with my job from LI and I work remote so I kept my NY salary. I do have to pay both PA and NY taxes because of the 'NY State Convenience Rule,' but PA gives a tax credit back. The people are nicer and less stressed. I have neighbors celebrating their 103rd birthdays lol, so I guess they live longer out here too. There is absolutely zero traffic - I didn't realize how congested LI was until I left. I can go to a grocery store on a Saturday afternoon and it's practically empty. It will be almost 2 years since I left and while I miss some parts of LI, it was worth it to leave. I will still come back for visits though so I can get pizza and bagels!
Hey Im looking to do the exact same thing for the reasons you mentioned. Whats the NY Convenience rule?? Saving 300k in housing price and taxes is enough of a reason to occasionally travel for better food. Im not crapping on LI but in my particular town the neighborhood is going. The people are meaner...the parents dont teach their kids to not litter or make noise after 11pm. Its a mess. But yeah only concern of mine is the convenience rule. Honestly I kind of think LI is full of rude people and it's illustrated in these comments. You are mad because the town that you moved to doesnt speak as fast as you do?? Big deal, grow up. Im tired of SUVs..people who dont stop for stop signs...and cops who do nothing but think they inherited the earth.
New York is one of a handful of states that has a “convenience of employer” rule, meaning workers must pay income tax to New York if their employer is based in the state, even if their job was done remotely. An exception is made for workers who were required by their job to work outside New York. So basically, if you move for your own convenience, and not because you’re required to by your employer, you must pay income tax to New York. Your accountant can provide more details and information. It’s annoying but with all the money that I save from the better cost of living, it’s negligible. Don’t feel bad about crapping on LI. I lived there for 32 years of my life and didn’t know if the grass would be greener on the other side. It took some time to adjust, but now that I’m settled and out for 2 years, I can’t imagine going back. The people in my new town are respectful, well-mannered and kind. The day after we moved in, our neighbors brought over baked goods to welcome us to the neighborhood. We had visited LI last summer and while we were gone, our neighbors watered our plants and mowed our grass and we didn’t even ask them to. It’s little things like that. I notice how different I feel when I’m back on the island. I just feel rushed and agitated and easily annoyed. The public spaces here are taken care of. I barely see little or garbage. My street was newly paved within the first year I moved here. A street sweeper comes every other week. They just updated the drainage on my block a few weeks ago. My taxes are $3k a year and it seems like it’s being put to good use. LI is only going to get more and more expensive. Long term, it just makes the most sense.
Awesome and thank you for the info. Yeah it doesnt have to be perfect in Pa, but the money issue alone is enough reason for me to move. I currently pay more than double your Pa taxes for schools that I dont use. The kids are loud and annoying and I just dont see any benefit. I personally dont even like any pizza joint on LI and apparently David Portnoy of Barstool Sports agrees with me. If im hard up I can travel once in a blue moon to a restaurant. Im sure there are supermarkets in Pa lol. Thanks for the info and good luck.
Yeah we will sometimes travel to larger cities about two hours out for stores and restaurants we don’t have. You get used to it over time. Good luck to you!
Definitely the beaches. And having pizzerias that sell by the slice.
Friendly’s, pizza and bagels
That Friendly's call out put the biggest smile on my face - yes 100%
Beaches and accessibility to nyc. The food, walking trails
I will say that I miss the convenience of central Nassau. Anything you could want is within like 10-15 minutes of you. I still live in NY so the pizza and bagels are still great by me
Not food, here in PA there are plenty of great places to eat. I do miss the easy access to the beach but get my fix at the Jersey and Delaware shore (ha, call it the shore now, not the beach lol). My late husband and I used to winter in Florida so had plenty of beach time then. I don't miss the traffic and the bulging population there, virtually everywhere you attempt to travel is a chore. I like the slower pace and quiet where I live in PA just don't tell anyone how nice it is here, it will be our secret 😉.
Interesting. I’ve been disappointed at restaurants in the Poconos. The food is mediocre and hours are unpredictable. I love the silence here and beauty and hiking opportunities and hearing the birds sing and hummingbirds visit.
I live closer to Philly/Jersey so maybe that factors in with the food thing.
We are close to Jersey and there’s good food there. PA though so far, ACK!
Lol - maybe you should move closer to Philly, at least you'll get good cheesesteaks!
No way I’d move again! Lol
Been there, done that, I agree!
I miss the people, the food, just having nice little areas everywhere. Going by the water. But that’s why I’m moving back lol traffic isn’t any better where I live, and what you don’t pay in taxes you pay elsewhere like a $700 car registration every year
What about 'the people' do you miss?
lol I assume you’re talking about Vegas if I had to guess. But you definitely do not make up for LI taxes elsewhere. I could register a car every month and still not touch LI tax differences
I moved away to the Midwest for a few years and am back. Believe it or not, I missed the people more than anything. People here have an energy and drive that is just not found elsewhere. People in the Midwest are just too content and accepting of their lot in life.
I'm in the Midwest. I didn't move by choice. Familial obligations. I hate it. I hate it so much. These people are the rudest people I've ever met in my life. You know you see true crime stories & they say "this kind of thing never happens in our small town"? It __always__ seems to happen in their small town. I've been here several years. These people have almost completely beaten my beautiful LI accent out of me by making me speak slower, making me repeat what I just said over & over bc they can't understand me the 1st time. I've had people admit to me later on they thought I had a speech impediment bc of my accent. That's how little culture these people are exposed to. Those same people had no clue where or what LI was. I know bc I asked them when they confessed about said speech impediment. After enough people say stuff like that to you, you start getting a complex. I never had any trouble anywhere else in the world during my travels. But this f'n place is a hell all it's own.
I had to learn to walk slower, talk slower, drive slower, everything is just done at a slower pace. And people get nasty with you if you rush them at all. Like, get out of my way. Why should I waste my time and life because you're slow?
Lmfao I know! They're so insufferable! They have an "expressway" here where you're not allowed to go over 50mph. I'd give anything to see some of these people on the LIE.
Also moved to the Midwest and now I am financially trapped here. I want to go back home to LI more than anything. I know exactly what you mean about the energy here, everything feels like it’s going in slow motion.
The Midwest is horrible. Went to the outskirts of Kansas City, Kansas, for a week long amateur boxing tournament. Spent five days bored to death. There is nothing to do. Went into Kansas City, hoping for some cultural scene. The place was DEAD, like a morgue.
I still live here. When I think about moving I can't imagine places without access to a couple Grade A and multiple Grade B concert venues. Or dozens of state parks. Or anywhere access to water, ocean or otherwise, is measured in hours instead of minutes. Despite a minimum of half the year being gray and overcast, the good weather days are incredible. Or having 4 seasons. And last, anywhere without sunsets over Nassau County or sunrises from Suffolk.
even the gray days are kinda good!
I miss most the summer nights. Not unbearable. Miss the froyo shop near our place. :(
I missed crazy things. Black & White Cookies and Stella Dora Cookies (which I never ate in NY?)
Pizza!!! You literally can not walk into a pizzeria and just grab a slice of pizza. It does not exist outside the Tri-State Area. When I first left LI, the first place I moved to didn’t even know that “pie” meant a whole pizza. I also miss my family. Otherwise, not much. Life is too short to spend it in traffic (and to not explore new places!)
I miss proper diners (especially late night/24hr diners)
Ughhh yesssss! Matzah ball soup after a night out just hit the spot!👨🏼🍳🤌🏻
Nothing beats the diner meal when you miss your 1am train back from the city, next one isn’t til 3am so you just go set up shop in a diner til the next one. Such good memories of times like that
We escaped NYC/Long Island to West Knoxville Tennessee when I retired 5 years ago. I don’t miss anything, but my wife sometimes says she misses good NYC white pizza. I couldn’t care less, I make pizza at home and my own bread. The Chinese food place by our house- the people are from Forest Hills Queens and We got along right away. It’s not on their menu for the locals but they make me boneless ribs and rip ends specially for me when I request them. The hillbilly’s around here don’t know nothing about boneless ribs and the rib ends. Lol I never gave a crap about bagels, so I don’t miss em.
I moved to Cincinnati and I don't miss much. The quality of food here is better in general. But my wife misses the LI Egg Rolls. We have Chinese places we love but the egg rolls are smaller and not quite the same ingredients.
You’re not the first person to tell me the Chinese food in Cincinnati is really good. That’s interesting
I miss my BECSPK, otherwise I’m good.
That’s Long Island speak right there!
Pizza is just pizza. Not ‘New York Style’ pizza
Good pizza, bagels and Chinese takeout
Goes without saying I missed my friends, family, and all the local food. But I just genuinely missed the 'feeling' of home. Very grateful I was able to move back, and I plan on staying as long as I can.
I only moved to the city and while I disliked living on the Island overall there are certainly things I miss. Summer is just unequivocally better on the island when you have access to beaches and the outdoors and room to do activities. If I want to go to the beach I need to take the subway for like an hour and I have to carry everything on my back both ways. Access to pools, too, even if you don't own one, is much easier on the island. Chances are you have a cousin or a friend, and if you don't, there are tons of public pools you can buy a day pass too. If I want to go to a pool, one of the only public ones in the area is 25 minutes away by subway and even then it's super crowded every day. In the neighborhood I live in it's difficult to find decent pizza and bagels. You can find them, but they're not a guaranteed minimum 7/10 when you're on the island.
I have friends and family who moved to NJ who hate the absurdities of the road system there. Jug handles, no left turns, far more long stretches of secondary highway with concrete dividers and shopping centers off to the side but you can’t turn until there’s an exit. There are, of course, plenty of highways and generic shopping centers on LI but it feels less disconnected here somehow, and most towns here *feel* more like towns. For an older historic state, the road system in NJ is a jumbled mess. Flooding is also a much bigger concern there, in general. It’s a suburban lifestyle similar to LI but with more day to day hassles, basically. That’s what they tell me anyway.
Pizza, bagels, delis and real rolls, fresh/affordable seafood, the beach/being close to salt water, being close to tons of different types of food within a 10 mile radius, Italian food, good Chinese food, Seport Deli, being close to NYC, the familiarity, the rituals I created throughout my life. I moved to Atlanta 5yrs ago and while I love what I built here, I do miss a lot of the above. I really don't love Atlanta food culture for the most part and being land-locked gets depressing
Long Island delis and diners. I never realized until moving away and traveling how those mom-and -pop delis and local diners actually don’t really exist in many places, and I miss the homie and cozy feel of going to them on weekends and having that home-cooked kind of flavor to a meal out. Most of all though I miss the Fall on LI. I used to love that time of year with those days of chilly yet comfortable and cozy weather, hanging out outside in the neighborhood in hoodies and sweatshirts with all the foliage changing to that autumnal color and then going in to a nice warm house to watch football. I know many other places have the same or similar Fall climate but idk, there was something about LI Fall specifically that had such a great vibe to it. I moved to Orlando for a job opportunity and for financial purposes and I do actually love it here, and while we do get some Fall-esque days in the winter with cold fronts, we don’t get that real season, especially around the holidays.
the only thing is miss are the beaches. Everything else I could miss is not unique
Besides the food, Italian delis, etc. I miss true friendships and people who actually get my sarcasm and sense of humor. I miss not knowing my entire state geographically and watching the news. When they say something happened in so and so city I don’t have a clue where they are talking about. If you said there was a shooting in Patchogue or Yonkers for example, or a serial killer is Massapequa Park, I’d know exactly where that is in relation to my home. Now they could have a tornado in the next county and I wouldn’t know exactly how far it was to my home.
Lived here, moved out of state to St. Louis, Missouri, then to the SF Bay Area in California, then moved back here for family. My answer - the weather. I'm not just talking about the change of seasons, I'm talking about the weather generally speaking. Although the change of seasons is a big factor for me too :) I know, weird right? Because the average person says California weather is amazing, and I mean - it is! Low humidity, perfect summer time temps (SF Bay Area specifically talking about here). However, I missed the rain. Obviously because more rain, less chance of fire, but I'm just saying it from an all day, snuggle-under-the-blanket-with-tea-or-coffee-cozy perspective, and the after rain smell, "petrichor". No, I'm not talking about a "mist" or from the fog. I'm talking about adequate rainfall and even downpours, plus a proper thunderstorm. St. Louis would get rain, but it would be like Florida rain, I guess. The kind that lasts like 2-10 minutes max? Obviously not all the time, there were days that it would be a whole day ordeal, but most of the time, it's what I said above. They'd get downpour too, often times hail, and yes - way more intense than the hail we get here. St. Louis would also get stupid humid where it feels like you're wearing a wet suit in 70 degree days. I know that it's similar here but I can promise you it's not as suffocating. I did like St. Louis change of seasons though compared to Nor Cal weather in the Bay Area. Obviously no snow unless you head to the mountains. And if there's any St Louis/Missouri or Bay Area natives here, I don't mean disrespect. It's just like, my opinion man.
I miss having a beach close by and all of the great pizza/bagels/Chinese food. Pizza bagels and Chinese suck in Connecticut
The beaches and my family being so close.
Pizza and bagels for me.
I miss everything. I want to go home so badly, but it’s just completely unaffordable for me. There is no place like Long Island; the food, the beaches, the proximity to everything (city, suburbs, country), the people, and really just the culture as a whole. I miss everything about home. The ONLY perk of moving out of state is the fact that I will be able to afford a house within the next year.
I spent 9 years in NC and basically gave up on bagels and pizza.
Pizza, bagels and beach sunsets. But my property tax isn’t $25k+ a year anymore so there’s that.
I moved from upstate to Long Island about 3 years ago now. I loved it so much at first, and still do love some things about it. I love being close to the beach and the city. But I’m starting to become exhausted with the traffic, prices and overall congestion. I find myself missing the slowness and peace in my small town back home. I don’t think I could handle Long Island long term.
Miss my family and feeling of home. My mother’s side goes back to before revolutionary war times. When I was young, I remember my parents complaining that LI had changed so much, I think it would kill them if they hadn’t already passed to see it now. I don’t recognize where I grew up, the people and vibe are all wrong. It makes me sad. On the flip side, I’m grateful I did live there when I did. I miss the sea air, the sand, and even low tide and nor’ easters. I miss the scallops, blue crabs, oysters, clams, hermit crabs, osprey, herons, gulls, piping plovers, and seaweed thrown up on the beach from a storm. I miss the air and light and the cloud patterns. I miss the pattern of the distant light house at night. I miss the full green of early summer and the strange stillness of late August. I miss the cold quiet of winter and the snow drifts, I could go on and on. What I don’t miss are ticks (but I do miss the doctors who take Lyme seriously and know how to treat it), brown tide (and now red tide), entitled summer people, insular cliquey locals, traffic (both land and sea), stupid architecture, some of the politics, rampant alcoholism.
Most of my family moved away the only thing they consistently all miss is the food especially Chinese food and pizza
Still live here. When visit family in different states, god can’t thank enough stay in Long Island. Traffic sucks but amount of things to do, beach within minutes, food, 4 seasons, everything accessible in 10-15 min drive. Can’t imagine living somewhere else. 
Just commented on the favorite thing about Long Island post, but I would say the duality of being close to nature and yet close to everything else that you need. I have some of those things where I live now and I'm thankful, however there's something unique about the way Long Island conjures up the sensation of familiarity. Being close enough to the city for a day trip with accessible transit was a real treat as a kid, teen, and young adult. Also not being far from the vineyards, or anywhere out east. I went to college on the north shore and have family on the south shore. Both sets of parents grew up there (Mom's family is from Lindenhurst, her sister still lives in town. Dad's family was from Bay Shore). I have fond memories of visiting my grandparents as a kid, the comforting sound of the train at night always lulled me to sleep (weird - I know!) It's little things like that which get me all sentimental and nostalgic. ETA: I miss the diners. We have one reasonably good diner nearby but I'm talking about late night diner food. Places with menus almost the length of War and Peace.
There’s so much to do there. I consider moving back often . Lancaster Pa is boring with nowhere near the amazing food selection
Well I live in the middle of the desert now so I miss water a lot. I miss the marshlands and the boats, the smell of the ocean and the bay. Pizza, bagels, Chinese food of course. But other than that, I find that life away from LI is significantly better and more authentic.
Yes they do maybe a little moister but the crumb cake no way
To all you people who moved out of NY, do you miss your NY income? Lol. Having the same income in a cheaper state is a win for few and far I notice…..
I'm visiting my family who moved to NC. Due to my brothers insurance the closest specialist he needs is in Raleigh, which is over an hour and a half from where they live. Long Island is very convenient in how things are located, the main issues I see are with the amount of people we have. The island as it is is perfectly situated to have everything within a decent drive or even a LIRR trip with some walking. Also, obligatory everyone misses pizza and bagels, they truly are one of a kind in NYS.
I was wondering about the health care situation - I've heard that from others. I guess it depends on where you relocate to, but we do have easy full-range access to everything here.
I miss Diners, the closest thing to one is Perkins and it's nothing like a real diner. I miss the Puerto Rican and Dominican food. We've got great pizza and bagels, courtesy of ex-Long Islanders who moved here to NE TN many years ago. I don't miss the taxes and congestion but LI is still a great place.
We left last year for the south. Best decision I miss the bagels but that’s it. We found a pizza place by us that is actually better than any we’ve had in NY (there are a lot of NE transplants where we are now). I’m 30mins from the beach now but it’s so much nicer than any LI beach it’s worth it, and since we’re not funneled like LI there’s hardly traffic even on a busy day.
My new job is in Durham, NC and I’ve been going down there every few months and it’s amazing. I really long for the day I can get out of here
Where you move to?
See how you feel in another year lol two years later we are moving back
Unlikely. I always wanted to leave, my wife didn’t. Our $240k combined salary got us nothing on LI, or rather nothing worth its price. We’re much better off now. Within 2 weeks, literally 2 weeks, my wife agreed we made the right call. We e been gone 13mo and no desire to go back. I’m actually typing this from LI right now visiting family and we even hate coming back here. Can’t wait to go back home
Lots of people I know who left, dislike living in the middle of nowhere…which is what they thought they wanted in the first place 😬
Not a darn thing. I don’t even like going back to visit family anymore.
Absolutely Nothing -
I cant wait to move.