Eye on the Island

LIRR’s Train Talk

Sometimes, when I’m on a crowded LIRR train, I am reminded of the sign which greeted TV‘s The Simpsons upon visiting the zoo: ‘Born free, then caged.’

To its credit, the LIRR recognized in the July 2010 edition of Train Talk, the newsletter circulated on board its trains, the two biggest problems in the commuting jungle: patrons who use adjacent seats to store their belongings, and riders who insist on making repeated phone calls during their trip.

Lighthouse Retreat

I’m the married father of three sons, aged 6 to 14, so the idea of finding a cool place for Dad to spend some alone time—where no one either asks me to do anything or complains about something—occasionally crosses my mind.

So when I read in The Wall Street Journal last week that the federal government was selling via public auction the Latimer Reef Lighthouse in Long Island Sound, a place I had not ever heard of until that very moment, I needed to check it out.

GOP Family Feuds

Despite compelling evidence to the contrary, media reports abound about how Republican candidates need the Conservative Party’s nomination to win a general election.

Summer Diversions

Long Islanders seeking inexpensive tickets to live professional sporting events are in luck as the calendar turns to July.

The Long Island Ducks, the region’s minor league baseball team, are home most of the month. Meanwhile, the New York Islanders are inviting hockey fans on Saturday, July 10 to watch a scrimmage and skills competition featuring their highest draft picks, and the thoroughbreds are running at Belmont Park in Elmont through Sunday, July 18.

MTA Bows to NYC

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s credibility with the public took another hit last week when, after announcing layoffs and cutting services due to a supposed budget crisis, they mysteriously found millions of dollars to appease New York City’s Democrats.

Isles’ Draft Party

The carnival-like atmosphere surrounding last year’s New York Islanders Draft Party will be difficult to replicate when it is held again on Friday, June 25 because the Islanders’ on-ice performance improved noticeably during the 2009-2010 season.

The Lion Returns

Bestselling author Nelson DeMille incorporates into The Lion (Grand Central Publishing), his just-released sequel to 2000’s The Lion’s Game, a highly entertaining mix of page-turning action and thinly-veiled national security briefings.

Last Stop, Hamptons

Florida has been dubbed ‘heaven’s waiting room’ but Long Island’s East End might rank a close second in that regard, based on Dan Rattiner’s just-published In the Hamptons Too (SUNY Press/Excelsior Editions, June 2010).

Belmont Countdown

The Garden City and Floral Park Belmont Festivals, to be held on Friday evening, June 4, give Long Islanders a festive way to mark the night before the thoroughbred racing world convenes in Elmont for the Belmont Stakes.

GOP Convention Looms

Before a major game against a longtime rival, players usually try to say all the right things in front of the media.  The twin goals: lower expectations, and avert the appearance of an incendiary article that can enrage an opponent by appearing on their locker room wall.