USA Guide
The Mid-Atlantic
Long Island
Just east of New York City, Long Island unfurls for 125 miles of lush farmland and broad sandy beaches, and is most often explored as an excursion of a few days from the metropolis. Its western end abuts the urban boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, and for a good while continues as a suburban sprawl of strip malls and fast-food outlets; but further east, the settlements begin to thin out and the countryside can get surprisingly remote. The north and south shores differ greatly – the former more immediately beautiful, its cliffs topped with luxurious mansions and estates, while the South Shore is fringed by almost continuous sand, interspersed with vacation spots such as Jones Beach and Fire Island. At its far end, Long Island splits in two, the North Fork retaining a marked rural aspect while the South Fork, much of which is known as the Hamptons, sets itself apart as an enclave of New York's richest and most famous.
The quickest way to reach Long Island is via the reliable if rather worn Long Island Railroad from Penn Station ( 
718/217-5477 in NYC, 718/558-3022 from elsewhere, 
www.mta.nyc.ny.us/lirr ), which runs ten routes to over a hundred destinations on Long Island. You can also arrive via ferry from New England: Cross Sound Ferry makes the trip from New London, CT to Orient Point, Long Island ( 860/443-5281 in New England, 631/323-2525 on Long Island, www.longislandferry.com ). Numerous bus services (operated by the usual major companies, as well as Hampton Jitney; 1-800/936-0440, www.hamptonjitney.com ) cover most destinations. Summer parking permits for most of Long Island's beaches are issued only to local residents, so on the whole it works out to be less expensive to head to the beach on public transport. If you are driving to Long Island, you'll take the Brooklyn– Queens Expressway (the BQE) to I-495 East. Be aware that accommodation prices all over the island rise dramatically during the summer season, rigidly demarcated by Memorial and Labor days, so visit at other times if possible.