h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi, Shea!

Like the article! Do you live near there, or did you just research it all?

I live on Long Island, and researched it as well!
Thanks for the compliment.
So, you like duck, do you? closest thing to a duck smiley ---->
I'm not a big fan of duck 'lorange, but I once had duck in a lovely raspberry sauce, and it was fabulous!
It's wonderful being back here, isn't it?

I had duck roasted like beef once, in a French restaurant...Mmmm...

Yeah, it feels nice to be back here...almost as if we never left...

Almost

The wonderful duck I had was in a French restaurant also! Guess those French know what to do with a plucked duck!

And it does ~almost~ feel like we never left - except for the occasional void I stumble into.

Yeah...

Hey, do you know what's up with the smileys? Or is it just me?

Umm... Wanna be more specific?

The problem seems to have gone now.

It's ok. On Friday, they were all blurry. And the advert at the top.

see you on Tues.

Having been born and raised on Long Island for 23 years I feel you did a splendid job summarizing many of the points of interest therein. However, I feel it my duty as an Islander to point out several subjects which you hinted at, but failed to research/include.

1) Robert Moses. This is the man who designed the parkway system in Nassau and Suffolk counties in the 1920's. Robert Moses State Park is named after him. He believed that motor vehicles would never exceed speeds of 40 mph and, thus, the majority of Long Island parkways feature merge/exit lanes of a dastardly nature. He was also responsible for the consturction of Jones Beach.

2) Walt Whitman. Argueably America's greatest poet, the man who mastered free verse lived most of his life on the island. You can visit his house, located near Walt Whitman Mall, on Rt. 110 in Farmingdale. He called Long Island the same word that the indigenous Shinnecock Indians did, Paumonauk (big fish).

3) Roosevelt Field. I believe, and you should check this, this is now the 4th largest mall in America. Located in Garden City, this mall was built on the remains of the airport from which Charles Lindburgh departed on the first non-stop trans-atlantic flight. It is gigantic, and the area extending into Westbury across the Meadowbrook Parkway encompasses the largest shopping area on the island.

4) Montauk Point. The Lighthouse on Montauk Point is the emblem of Long Island and efforts to save the structure, located at the very end of the South Fork, from erosion have been an ongoing struggle. It was originally commissioned by George Washington to allow ships easier passage on their journey to NYC.

5) Caumsett Preserve. This is the location that F. Scott Fitzgerald used for the mansion in "The Great Gatsby". It is located on the North Shore in Caumsett.

6) The Long Island Rail Road. The LIRR runs from Manhattan, through Queens and branches out to service all points on the Island. It's nickname is "The Silver Snail" so called due to its lack of reliability and speed and unique compartment design. The major hub of the LIRR is in Jamaica, Queens. Service to the East End is limited and only runs with regularity during peak summer hours. A LOT of information can be found on the LIRR.

7) Newsday. Long Island's Newspaper, a liberal alternative to the other major metropolitan papers.

8) The Long Island Expressway. I-495, running from the Lincoln Tunnel out to Sayville, it is widely held by commuters as the inspiration for AC/DC's classic "Highway to Hell". HOV lanes (High Occupancy Vehicle) now run along with the road for most of its length, however, since most commercial vehicles are forced to take it other motorists avoid it if possible.

9) Celebrities raised on the Island. Billy Joel, Lenny Bruce, Debby Gibson, the Baldwins, Anna Paquin, Ben & Jerry, Eddie Money, etc. Check Newsday's online archives for more...

10) The Diners. Almost every town on Long Island has at least one Diner and it is often named after the town or a local point of interest. Most of these restaurants have huge menus and are capable of producing just about any kind of cuisine immaginable. They are independently operated, however, their ownership remains a mystery in most cases. In lieu of national chain restaurants, which have difficulty penetrating the market due to strict zoning regulations, Diners serve as the Island's semi-homogenous eateries.

Well, that's ten things. I should very much like to see your reply and/or any and all updates you may post to the entry you have wrought. In any case, I would be more than happy to clarify any of this information or add to it should you see fit to pursue this subject further.

Thanks,
Arrem Lowlander

(P.S. "Lowlander" taken from the fact that I hail from the South Shore of Nassau County. I actually worked one summer at the restaurant, not the cafeteria, on Jones Beach!)

Greetings Arrem Lowlander! Always happy to meet another Long Islander on h2g2!

You made some very good points, but I figured to err on the side of generalization. This Entry could have gotten WAAAY out of hand! Sometimes an Entry can be too long, and you don't want to have your readers wander off in the middle of it! The version you see here has already been edited by the PTB at the Towers, and it's in its final state, they won't let me mess with it anymore.

As a matter of fact, each of the subjects you mention has the potential for being interesting Guide Entries. You seem to have a great grasp of the facts, you might want to consider writing one or two Entries yourself! I very much like the ideas, though. Let me know if you're planning on writing anything yourself, because if you don't plan to, I might just "steal" some ideas from you (with your permission, of course).

And it's funny you should mention Newsday. I work there! I was thinking of writing a Guide Entry about Alicia Patterson, the founder of Newsday. She's got a very interesting history, and was certainly a woman ahead of her time!

Cheers!
See ya bye,
Shea the Sarcastic

Another thing about the Entry ...

When you wrote that Brooklyn and Queens (Kings and Queens counties) are on the island but aren't really part of Long Island, you mentioned that they're "really the city". Now wait a second. I have friends who live in Brooklyn, and friends who live in Queens. None of them talk about living in the city. They talk about living in Brooklyn or in Astoria or Kew Gardens or Maspeth or whatever. And a lot of them talk about commuting into the city. Granted they're part of the City of New York, but "the city" is Manhattan, particularly south of 96 Street.

(Our London Researchers probably know whereof I speak ... Greater London is huge, but many London residents commute to work in the City.)

-- Charlie the Zebra
(not a Lawn Guylander, a Joiseyite ... but does plan to get to a Ducks game at the beginning of July)

People from Brooklyn and Queens don't consider themselves part of the City, but Long Islanders consider them part of the City. This was a Long Island-centric Entry!

Have fun at the Ducks game! They're a lot of fun! Did you hear that Jose Canseco has joined the Atlantic League's Newark Bears, where he will play with his twin, Ozzie? He's making his home debut May 11 against the Ducks.

Ah, yes, the Canseco brothers. Not to be confused with the Conseco Fieldhouse, which is a basketball arena somewhere in the Midwest.

Of course, it was a Long Island-centric entry. (Long Island has a center? Well, I guess so. But Rockville Centre isn't it.) Just goes to prove that where you stand depends on where you sit.

Newark opens at Nashua, but they do indeed play their home opener a week later against the Ducks.

Someday, I'll just take Northern Boulevard all the way to Orient Point ...

-- Charlie the Zebra

Where you will find a sign welcoming you to the USA, and that's about it! My folks live out in Greenport, very nice town, you might want to try there instead!

Or, you could take Sunrise Highway all the way to Montauk and climb George Washington's lighthouse.

Or you could just stop in Islip and watch the Ducks play!