1 hour ago, Sundog said:

I'd rather live in a more rural area too.

But at least in eastern Queens/western Nassau in terms of land usage it hasn't changed at all since the 1960s.

Up until the mid 1980s, Bay Terrace had Grand Union supermarket and the Brunswick bowling alley where the Stop & Shop is now and I believe a Chinese restaurant in the middle, but that was about it. Everything else was grass and weeds and dirt and then they started to do a major rebuild in the summer of 1992.

I used to be able to go from Bell Boulevard all the way to Douglaston using the streets like 35th Ave., Cloverdale Boulevard and go by Queensboro community college. When I was there a few weeks ago, there was traffic on Bell Boulevard traffic going by Crocheron Park all the way to Northern Boulevard. It was insane and then going up Horatio Parkway. There was bumper-to-bumper traffic and that’s a small local street. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about because you live there but it’s depressing. This is why I avoid coming to the five boroughs as much as I can.

6 minutes ago, Andrew said:

Up until the mid 1980s, Bay Terrace had Grand Union supermarket and the Brunswick bowling alley where the Stop & Shop is now and I believe a Chinese restaurant in the middle, but that was about it. Everything else was grass and weeds and dirt and then they started to do a major rebuild in the summer of 1992.

I used to be able to go from Bell Boulevard all the way to Douglaston using the streets like 35th Ave., Cloverdale Boulevard and go by Queensboro community college. When I was there a few weeks ago, there was traffic on Bell Boulevard traffic going by Crocheron Park all the way to Northern Boulevard. It was insane and then going up Horatio Parkway. There was bumper-to-bumper traffic and that’s a small local street. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about because you live there but it’s depressing. This is why I avoid coming to the five boroughs as much as I can.

That's the biggest problem with living on Long Island.

Just now, Analog1888 said:

That's the biggest problem with living on Long Island.

There's a lot of problems with LI

1 minute ago, Snowlover76 said:

There's a lot of problems with LI

Well, if you go out far enough, it's pretty nice and traffic isn't that bad, but the worst thing is you have to go through the city, one way or the other, to get anywhere.

2 hours ago, FrankPizz said:

At least that is good. It is a bit depressing every time I go back to Piscataway. Area's where my friends and I played are no longer there. Town barely resembles what I grew up in.

I went to the train store in Piscataway, and they were building condos and apartment buildings all over the place and they all look the same...you can see them along I78...a hot spot getting hotter...

I'll be driving for 60 years soon, and you could drive to Manhattan from anywhere with very little traffic back then...the only time there was heavy traffic was during the rush hours...but nothing like todays...

Apparently my area of NJ got absolutely clobbered the other day.

1 hour ago, Analog1888 said:

Well, if you go out far enough, it's pretty nice and traffic isn't that bad, but the worst thing is you have to go through the city, one way or the other, to get anywhere.

Out E on the island is getting built up & the farmland is being purchased by developers to build houses. Constant fighting between locals wanting to keep the land undeveloped and developers with money wanting to capitalize on it. The roads aren't wide enough to handle what is to come out there IMO.

1 hour ago, Andrew said:

Up until the mid 1980s, Bay Terrace had Grand Union supermarket and the Brunswick bowling alley where the Stop & Shop is now and I believe a Chinese restaurant in the middle, but that was about it. Everything else was grass and weeds and dirt and then they started to do a major rebuild in the summer of 1992.

I used to be able to go from Bell Boulevard all the way to Douglaston using the streets like 35th Ave., Cloverdale Boulevard and go by Queensboro community college. When I was there a few weeks ago, there was traffic on Bell Boulevard traffic going by Crocheron Park all the way to Northern Boulevard. It was insane and then going up Horatio Parkway. There was bumper-to-bumper traffic and that’s a small local street. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about because you live there but it’s depressing. This is why I avoid coming to the five boroughs as much as I can.

There more cars now in general. But it's not like they tore all the single family houses down and built buildings in their place. I partly blame the GPS apps telling people to take these side streets to avoid traffic.

It's mostly the same housing stock, the only thing that has really changed is that people will tear down a Cape or a ranch and build a mcmansion in its place.

2 minutes ago, uofmiami said:

Out E on the island is getting built up & the farmland is being purchased by developers to build houses. Constant fighting between locals wanting to keep the land undeveloped and developers with money wanting to capitalize on it. The roads aren't wide enough to handle what is to come out there IMO.

How far east are we talking about?

52 minutes ago, Sundog said:

How far east are we talking about?

Riverhead to Mattituck, possibly Cutchogue. Always stories in Newsday on the locals opposing plans at Town of Riverhead meetings.

1 minute ago, uofmiami said:

Riverhead to Mattituck, possibly Cutchogue. Always stories in Newsday on the locals opposing plans at Town of Riverhead meetings.

Well that's depressing. I love that stretch. Why does everything have to get ruined.

1 hour ago, uofmiami said:

Out E on the island is getting built up & the farmland is being purchased by developers to build houses. Constant fighting between locals wanting to keep the land undeveloped and developers with money wanting to capitalize on it. The roads aren't wide enough to handle what is to come out there IMO.

sounds like it will become another Staten Island...

Whenever I have to drive now I go and I drive down to Ocean Parkway and I take that to the Meadowbrook and at least I cut off some of that trip because of southern state is like the cross Bronx. There’s so many cars.

1 minute ago, Andrew said:

Whenever I have to drive now I go and I drive down to Ocean Parkway and I take that to the Meadowbrook and at least I cut off some of that trip because of southern state is like the cross Bronx. There’s so many cars.

Sunrise Highway east of Massapequa is not a bad option, either.

1 hour ago, Sundog said:

There more cars now in general. But it's not like they tore all the single family houses down and built buildings in their place. I partly blame the GPS apps telling people to take these side streets to avoid traffic.

It's mostly the same housing stock, the only thing that has really changed is that people will tear down a Cape or a ranch and build a mcmansion in its place.

I used to play in a softball league and play at Crocheron Park and John Golden Patk and I also used to play at the Peck ballfields in fresh Meadows by Underhill Avenue. There’s a lot more traffic over there now.

1 minute ago, Analog1888 said:

Sunrise Highway east of Massapequa is not a bad option, either.

Actually, it’s east of Babylon when it opens up, but you can still get traffic and there is a merge as you go toward Patchogue.

35 minutes ago, uncle w said:

sounds like it will become another Staten Island...

It's inevitable. Nassau is becoming Queens as vertical condo/apartment buildings are being built anywhere they can get approval. Great Neck it's happening, Roslyn it's happening as well & Mineola is just crazy with all the buildings go up around the hospital & courthouse. Hicksville going through a similar thing too. Traffic only going to get worse with the density going up.

1 hour ago, Andrew said:

I used to play in a softball league and play at Crocheron Park and John Golden Patk and I also used to play at the Peck ballfields in fresh Meadows by Underhill Avenue. There’s a lot more traffic over there now.

I was at Crocheron Park this past Sunday morning. Everyone has two and three cars now. That wasn't the case 30 years ago.

2 hours ago, uncle w said:

I went to the train store in Piscataway, and they were building condos and apartment buildings all over the place and they all look the same...you can see them along I78...a hot spot getting hotter...

Yup, that train store was amazing. Youre right. Condos and apartments galore now