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Lone Pine

Lone Pine is in the Eastern Sierra region of California's Sierra Nevada mountains.

Understand
Lone Pine is in the extreme southern part of the Owens Valley. The tallest mountain in the contiguous United States is Mount Whitney, which is easily seen from Lone Pine by just looking up and to the west. However, don't be fooled by the nearer and apparently taller Lone Pine Peak. Look for the portals, to the south, which lead up to and help identify Mt. Whitney.

A unique location with as much cultural and historical significance as natural beauty, the town serves as a launching point for expeditions to the summit of Mt Whitney and the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range as well as the strange depths of Death Valley. Lone Pine is a true 4-season destination.

By car
You can take US 395 north 215 miles from Los Angeles or US 395 south from Reno (260 miles), Lake Tahoe, and Yosemite National Park. If you are coming from the Death Valley region or Keeler, take California State Route 136.

By bus
Eastern Sierra Transit has weekday service as far as Reno and Lancaster (transfer from Greyhound or Metrolink train from Los Angeles).

By shuttle
Shuttle services can bring you from outside the area, but likely at a premium. http://www.eastsidesierrashuttle.com/. Also try Lone Pine Kurt. Email: lonepinekurt@aol.com. Cell:.

By plane
Lone Pine is far from major airports. LAX is the nearest large airport, 215 miles south. Bishop, 60 miles north, has limited connecting service on United to SFO, LAX and DEN. Bakersfield, Las Vegas, Ontario or Burbank and renting a car may work depending on your situation.

Get around
The town is small and compact and can be easily walked. However, you will need a car, or a pre-arranged shuttle, to visit more distant locations like Whitney Portal or Alabama Hills.

Do
You can hike in the Alabama Hills and Mount Whitney (see previous section) or at the Cottonwood Lakes.

Buy

 * Several other gift shops in town are fun to explore, with camping/outdoor/Whitney themed memorabilia.
 * Several other gift shops in town are fun to explore, with camping/outdoor/Whitney themed memorabilia.
 * Several other gift shops in town are fun to explore, with camping/outdoor/Whitney themed memorabilia.
 * Several other gift shops in town are fun to explore, with camping/outdoor/Whitney themed memorabilia.

Eat
At least a dozen eating establishments exist in Lone Pine to cater to a variety of food tastes. Generally the restaurants err on the side of American and Italian fare. If you are staying a few days, it is recommended to try several of the establishments to better experience local cuisine.

Stay safe
Lone Pine exists is a desert climate, so expect dry weather and extreme heat in the summertime. Drink lots of water (and eat a bit of food to help absorb it), and make ample use of the shade.

If you are stranded on the road outside of Lone Pine, be aware that little to no facilities exist outside of city limits. You may have to walk, flag a passing motorist for assistance (take care with this advice), or use a cell phone to get help. Local law enforcement consists of county sheriffs and Inyo National Forest Rangers.

Los Angeles' contentious acquisition of water rights has dried up Owens Lake (south of town), which once was similar in character to Mono Lake. Dust storms now rage during windy times. If the wind is in just the right direction, Lone Pine gets dusted. This alkali dust is not good for your health, though it is worse for the health of the citizens of Lone Pine who must endure it constantly. You can probably safely ignore this warning unless you suffer from conditions like asthma or allergies.

Go next

 * Death Valley (southeast on CA 136, then east on CA 190) Death Valley N.P. is close enough that it can be visited in a long day trip, though there is enough to see there that an overnight stay within the park or east outside of park in Beatty, NV, might be worth it.
 * Fossil Falls Campground (south on US 395) is about an hour away.

title: Lone Pine


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Long Bay

Long Bay is a beachside suburb on the North Shore of Auckland in New Zealand, whose Long Bay Regional Park is a popular recreational attraction.

Understand
Long Bay features the Long Bay-Okura Marine Reserve, part of which is a 1 km long swimming beach edging rural surrounds. There has been some controversy with proposals for building on the farmland near the beach.

There are a few scattered shops, but the nearest group of shops is in nearby Torbay. Long Bay has a primary school and a college. The urban area of Long Bay is very small and is generally considered to be part of Torbay, with the name Long Bay referring to the beach and park.

By car
From Auckland, head north on State Highway 1 (Northern Motorway) and take the Oteha Valley Rd off-ramp. Turn right and follow Oteha Valley Rd to the traffic lights. Go straight ahead into Carlisle Rd and follow the AA signs through Torbay to Long Bay. The park access road leads off Beach Rd. Distance from Auckland CBD: 30 km.

From north of Auckland, use the same exit on the Northern Motorway continuing onto Oteha Valley Rd to your left.

From the west, State Highway 18 (Upper Harbour Drive) will connect to the Northern Motorway.

During the summer months of January and February, the beach is very busy and it can be extremely difficult to find parking nearby. It is advisable to arrive early to get parking, or to park further away and finish the journey by bus (see below).

By bus
Auckland Transport is the local bus operator.

Get around
There is ample parking in the park if you have a car, otherwise walking is the preferred method. There is a bus stop at the entry to the park, but buses do not operate within.

Do
Park activities include: Boating, Diving, Dog walking, Kayaking, Orienteering, Paragliding, Picnics, Surfing, Swimming, Walks - nature and coastal.

Buy
There are no shops in the park, with exception of temporary ice cream stalls in summer. Torbay shops are just up the hill on Beach Road. For retail shopping, Browns Bay or the Albany Westfield are the closest.

Drink
The nearest pubs are in Browns Bay.

Connect
There are no internet facilities available at the park, but there are various scattered phone booths available for personal use (at cost) or for emergency calls (free).

Go next
If the tide is out, it is possible to walk around the rocks to the south to Waiake Beach, continuing to Browns Bay. Those who are especially keen can take this route all the way to Takapuna.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Long Bay


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Long Beach

Long Beach is a large port city in Los Angeles County in Southern California. With a population of 462,257 as of 2010, it is the second-largest city in greater Los Angeles as well as the seventh-largest city in the state of California.

Understand
Long Beach is a large coastal and port city in Southern California. It is situated at the very southeastern edge of Los Angeles County, bordering both the city of Los Angeles and Orange County, in a region known as the Gateway Cities.

Long Beach is recognized as one of the most culturally diverse cities in America. It has large percentages of Latinos and whites (non-Hispanic), as well as very sizeable percentages of blacks (non-Hispanic) and Asians.

You may hear different people say different things about Long Beach, either wonderful or horrible things. This is because the city has quite a large population, with a density rate greater than that of nearby Los Angeles. Therefore, like other large cities, Long Beach encompasses everything, such as large industrial areas, struggling neighborhoods, quiet middle-class communities and exclusive neighborhoods.

Long Beach has some nice people-gathering amenities and genuine tourist attractions, such as a world-class aquarium and the Queen Mary floating museum/hotel. Special events are also held in the city like the annual Long Beach Grand Prix (a premier racing event held on city streets) and the annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride event. When compared to other areas like Hollywood, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and West L.A., Long Beach may not always be at the top of someone's tourist visit to the Los Angeles area, but the city draws its fair share of visitors and has proven it can definitely hold its own.

The area code for Long Beach is 562. For emergency services, dial 911 from any phone.

By plane
Out of the five airports in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Long Beach can easily be reached from three: Long Beach Airport (LGB), within the city itself; Los Angeles International (LAX), 22 miles (35 km) away; and John Wayne (SNA), 23 miles (37 km) away in Santa Ana. All three lie adjacent to Interstate 405. The other two airport options are Burbank, 37 miles (60 km) away; and Ontario , 53 miles (85 km) away. LGB will obviously be the most convenient to use location-wise and, being a smaller airport, provides less hassle; however, LAX offers more frequent service, service from more destinations, and better fares. Long Beach Airport is limited to around 40 daily flights, the vast majority of which are provided by carrier Southwest as of late 2020, as JetBlue moved operations to LAX.

 * Rental cars are available for hire at the airport, which is best for (local/regional) travel in Southern California. Long Beach Yellow Cab +1 562 435-6111 is another option, approximate fares to downtown hotels $30-40 one-way. Long Beach Transit Route 111 bus (Broadway/Lakewood) connects the airport to downtown Long Beach and to Metro's A Line train at the downtown Transit Mall. It runs south to downtown hourly from LGB. To find the bus stop, follow the taxi signs, walk one block beyond the taxi lineup, and turn right. Be sure to ask if the bus goes downtown, since both northbound and southbound Route 111 buses use this one bus stop at LGB.
 * Rental cars are available for hire at the airport, which is best for (local/regional) travel in Southern California. Long Beach Yellow Cab +1 562 435-6111 is another option, approximate fares to downtown hotels $30-40 one-way. Long Beach Transit Route 111 bus (Broadway/Lakewood) connects the airport to downtown Long Beach and to Metro's A Line train at the downtown Transit Mall. It runs south to downtown hourly from LGB. To find the bus stop, follow the taxi signs, walk one block beyond the taxi lineup, and turn right. Be sure to ask if the bus goes downtown, since both northbound and southbound Route 111 buses use this one bus stop at LGB.

 * Los Angeles International Airport : is the nearest airport for travel with multiple US and foreign airlines to more destinations in the US and around the world. Travelers can take the 111 bus from LGB to downtown Long Beach Transit Center. Take Metro's "A Line (blue)" train from downtown Long Beach to the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station. Transfer to the westbound "C Line (green)" train to the LAX/Aviation Station which is connected to the airline terminals by the "G (Green) Line/Metro C Line" shuttle bus. The LAX Flyaway bus no longer go to Long Beach.
 * John Wayne Airport, Santa Ana, Orange County: City buses are limited in getting across longer distances into Orange County as it will require multiple transfers. Renting a car (as you will probably need anyway) or Mickey's Space Ship Shuttle (Tel: +1 714 642-5399) are better options in getting into Orange County. This airport and LAX are about equal distances from Long Beach (albeit, in different directions) and although busy, it is somewhat less busier than LAX for a little less airport hassle.

By rail
Long Beach is linked via the Metro Blue Line to Downtown Los Angeles with connections to Hollywood, Union Station, Universal Studios, Pasadena, and East L.A. among other locations.

Amtrak and Metrolink service Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles. To reach Long Beach from Union Station, take the Metro Red Line to the 7th St/Metro Center station and transfer to the Blue Line to Long Beach. Fare is $1.75 and requires a TAP card, which can be purchased at any Metro station for $1. Note: the Blue Line goes through some inner city locations (such as Watts and Compton) and there are not dedicated security guards on the trains, so it may be discomforting to take the Blue Line late at night.

By ship
Carnival Cruise Line has a home port at the new, next to the Queen Mary dock. Cruises return to this port from Baja California and the Mexican Riviera. Others begin or end trips through the Panama Canal destined for or having left major ports in the southern or eastern U.S. In season, some may go to or return from points North, e.g., Alaska. When cruise ships are docked, they receive service from many taxi companies, as well as various shuttle services (noted for LAX above) to and from local airports and select hotels and popular destinations.

A ferry to Catalina Island also operates from Long Beach.

By car
From the west (LAX, Santa Monica) or from Orange County, take the San Diego (405) freeway. Connect to the southbound Long Beach freeway (710) if your destination is downtown Long Beach. From the north, the Long Beach freeway (710) runs along the western city boundary, and the San Gabriel Freeway (605) along the eastern boundary. From the coastal areas of Orange County, a scenic and convenient route is Pacific Coast Highway (Rte 1).

By bus
The majority of the intercity bus stations and stops for the greater Los Angeles area are located in "Skid Row" east of downtown Los Angeles, downtown Union Station, El Monte, Huntington Park and/or east L.A. (along Olympic Blvd but can be elsewhere too). To a lesser extent some also have stops in Hollywood and North Hollywood as well. The following offer direct service to Long Beach:

By public transit from Orange County
There are several ways to get to Long Beach from Orange County if you don't or can't rent a car. The most direct way is to take Orange County Transit Authority's Route 50 bus servicing Katella Avenue, which passes between Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center. The western terminus of this route is California State University-Long Beach (CSULB). If you are in the Beach Cities, take Route 1 servicing the Pacific Coast Highway and also terminating at CSULB. Some trips on Route 60 (Westminster Avenue/17th Street) terminate at CSULA.

Get around
A car is the most convenient way to get around Long Beach. Most areas of Long Beach have free parking but be aware that much of Downtown Long Beach has pay parking lots. The free bright red Passport buses serves the Long Beach downtown and waterfront attractions.

There are several transit agencies with bus routes in Long Beach.

Golf
Long Beach is a very golf-friendly city, home to several golf courses.

Learn
Long Beach is home to two major learning facilities, a California State University campus and a Community Junior College.

Eat
Formerly known as "Iowa by the Sea", but now populated by a diverse community, Long Beach has a full range of dining options.

Stay safe
Most areas of Long Beach are fairly safe, even after dark. There are two major areas that are not quite as safe and should be avoided after dark. Caution is called for even during the daytime in these areas.

The first of these areas is in the southwestern portion of the city. This area is bounded, starting from the southeast corner, by Redondo Blvd. and 4th, running north to the Signal Hill border. Along the Signal Hill border north-west to the 405 Freeway, along the freeway to the western border of Long Beach and Wilmington, down to 4th St.

The second and more dangerous of the areas is North Long Beach (north west of the LGB airport). The approximate boundaries of this area are from Del Amo and Cherry, north to the north border of the city, along the north border to the west border and back south to Del Amo. This area, which borders on Compton, has a reputation for gang activity and is one of the more active police and fire districts in the city.

Police
Long Beach has its own police department operating from four main stations throughout the city. Police can be reached by dialing 9-1-1 toll-free from any phone. The Long Beach Police now receive 9-1-1 calls directly from cell phones however calling 9-1-1 from a cell phone when near freeways will connect you with the California Highway Patrol. To reach the Long Beach Police directly from a cell phone, dial +1 562 435-6711.

Fire/Emergency Medical Services
Long Beach also has its own Class 1 Fire Department. The Class 1 designation indicates that response times to emergencies average 5 minutes or less. To request emergency assistance from the Fire Department, dial 911 toll-free from any phone.

Every fire engine and truck is staffed by fire-fighters with Basic Life Support training. The department also has a number of Advanced Life Support certified Paramedic Ambulances strategically stationed around the city. Fire Department Ambulances are available for emergency medical transport to a hospital, however, be aware that you will be billed for transport.

Hospitals
Long Beach is well-served by hospitals. There are three major hospitals in the city, including two that are trauma centers (Memorial and St. Mary) capable of handling the most critical emergencies. All five of the hospitals listed below have 24-hour emergency rooms.

While there are three hospitals in the city, they are all south of Interstate 405. In North and East Long Beach, the nearest hospitals are located in neighboring cities.

North:

East:

Consulates
Most of the foreign consulates are in Los Angeles. They are mostly located along Wilshire Blvd in/around the Wilshire neighborhood and West Los Angeles, between Downtown Los Angels and Santa Monica. They can also be located in other parts of the Greater Los Angeles area too. The following countries maintain consulates in and around Long Beach:
 * 🇰🇭 Cambodia
 * 🇵🇦 Panama

Go next

 * Catalina Island -Catalina Express, (800) 481-3470 - High-speed boat service
 * Baja California - Carnival Cruise Lines - Long Beach is the home port for the ships "Ecstasy" and "Elation." Carnival built a terminal next to the Queen Mary. Cruises leave from this port to Baja and the Mexican Riviera.
 * Los Angeles - Metro Blue Line - (800) 371-5465 - travels to downtown Los Angeles. Additionally, transferring to the Red Line will lead you to Hollywood.
 * Disneyland - Travel east on Willow Street until it crosses into Orange County  and becomes Katella Avenue - will be to the left side of the road.

title: Long Beach


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Long Beach (disambiguation)

There is more than one place called Long Beach:

South Africa

 * Long Beach Simon's Town — A dive site in South Africa.

United States of America

 * Long Beach (California) — A city in California.
 * Long Beach Island — An island in New Jersey.
 * Long Beach (New York) — A town in New York.
 * Long Beach (Washington) — A town in Washington.

title: Long Beach (disambiguation)


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Long Beach (New York)

Long Beach is a city in Nassau County, on an island across from Long Island, New York.

Understand

Long Beach is an urban community set on a barrier island in the Atlantic Ocean (not surprisingly, called Long Beach Barrier Island), across from Long Island. It can be visited as a day trip from New York City, which is about 50 minutes away via the Long Island Rail Road; for those who prefer to stay longer, there are hotels and housing developments near the beach. There are plenty of restaurants and bars in town, but for visitors, it's mostly really about the long sand beaches.

This small city was founded in the 1880s and started out as a vacation community where visitors crowded for some sea and surf. Through the 1940s, Long Beach was a glamorous resort town that attracted celebrities and other wealthy visitors, but a decline that began with the advent of affordable air travel led to the city developing a reputation for crime and decay by the 1970s, and gang culture took the most indigent areas around the 80s. In the 21st century, however, Long Beach is once again a desirable destination. Long Island residents returned first, followed by Manhattanites looking for a quick, easy and affordable beach getaway, and now, for the first time in decades, hotels have begun to operate within the city limits. There are still notable places of poverty and crime in Long Beach, but they are easily avoidable.

In 2012 the area was devastated by Hurricane Sandy, with many homes and businesses flooded and the city's beloved boardwalk destroyed. Long Beach proved to have both the will and the resources to rebuild, and the city emerged even better than before the storm. In October 2013, just a year after Sandy, workers laid the last plank on the reconstructed boardwalk. Today homes are being repaired and rebuilt and shops, restaurants and bars continue to reopen; many new businesses, often catering to a younger, more-cosmopolitan clientele, are replacing those that unfortunately could not return.

By plane

 * Twenty minutes from John F. Kennedy International Airport

By train
MTA operates frequent LIRR trains from Penn station in Manhattan via Atlantcíc Terminal in Brooklyn. The beach is a short walk from the station.

By car

 * Take the Long Island Expressway from the Meadowbrook Parkway South to Exit M-10 (Lido-Long Beach Loop Parkway), OR take the Belt Parkway East to Nassau Expressway towards Long Beach.

By bus

 * There is a local bus service and a county MSBA line (Schedules here .)

On foot
Long Beach is a supplementary walking city around Park Avenue and Beech Street; there are tons of restaurants and shops within walking distance of the beach and boardwalk. Walking, however is not suggested in the North Park area of Long Beach due to it being a crime spot.

By car
You can drive through Long Beach and there are various parking lots and parking meters located throughout town. Note: parking tends to be packed during the weekends and especially during the summertime so go early for a prime spot.

By bicycle
A great way to get around town. There are tons of bike shops where you can rent bikes hourly or for the day.
 * Local Cycles, 307 W Park Ave, Long Beach,
 * Long Beach Bicycle, 755 East Park Ave,
 * Social Bikes Long Beach, sobilongbeach.com

By bus
Nassau Inter-county Express's Route 33 runs between Far Rockaway and Long Beach LIRR stations via Beech Street and West Park Avenue.

Do

 * The Beach. Long Beach and the surrounding communities on Long Beach Island are well known for their, well, beaches.

Eat
There are many great restaurants in Long Beach. Since it is a laid-back beach community there are tons of bars and grilles that offer everything from delicious home-caught seafood to typical American cuisine like burgers and steaks. What ever you crave, a restaurant in LB will play into your taste buds.

Overview
Long Beach, overall, is a very safe city – although crime does happen like in any other American city of its size and character (see "Crime" section). The City of Long Beach Police Department regularly patrols the city and will assist you in any way necessary should an issue arise.

You can contact emergency services by dialing 911.

Crime
You will not experience any issues if you use basic common sense. Like any city, Long Beach has good areas and bad ones. Overall, the only area of Long Beach which can be considered "bad" by some metrics is the area immediately west of the Long Island Rail Road tracks, behind City Hall. This area contains a housing project – the Channel Park Homes – and is one of the more impoverished areas of the city. Crime does take place here and there is a known gang presence in this area – along with drug trafficking operations. Drugs which have been problematic in this area include cocaine, crack, and MDMA – and gangs which are present include the Latin Kings, P Block Demons, and the MS-13-affiliated Long Beach Lokotes. However, the crimes which take place here are rarely (if ever) targeted at tourists, and are instead between rival gang members, drug-related, or otherwise between people who know each other. There is also nothing of interest for the average tourist in this area of the city, and the Long Beach Police Department's headquarters right in front of this section of the city (at City Hall). The LBPD is well aware of the issue – and as is stated above, it prides itself in keeping the city a great, safe place. Furthermore, despite being located adjacent to this area, the Long Beach LIRR station & Bus Terminal (an intermodal complex which sees 24/7 train and bus service) is safe, well-lit, and well-patrolled by law enforcement; the bus terminal is south of City Hall & the rough area, and the train station is only accessible south of City Hall (thus not from the area of concern).

Other than the small, aforementioned area, the rest of the city is very safe.

When Mother Nature strikes
Like other towns on barrier islands, Long Beach is very susceptible to flooding from high surf and wind. During Hurricane Sandy, ocean waves rolled over Long Beach Island into the channel beyond, on their way to hitting Long Island, leaving severe damage in their wake. If there is a warning of a severe storm, reconsider visiting, and if the area has recently been hit hard by a storm, check conditions before coming.

Go next

 * Long Island Rail Road station — at W. Park Ave. and Park Pl. 1 Park Ave, Long Beach
 * Car- Via Long Island Expressway.
 * Bus- There is a local bus service and a county MSBA line (Schedules )
 * Plane- Twenty minutes from John F. Kennedy International Airport

title: Long Beach (New York)


text:
Long Beach (Washington)

Long Beach is a city in the Southwest Washington region of Washington State.

title: Long Beach (Washington)


text:
Long Beach Island

Long Beach Island (LBI), famous Exit 63 off the Garden State Parkway, is an 18-mile-long barrier island in Ocean County, New Jersey. The island has evolved from an important fishing hub to a playground for well-to-do men and women. Nowadays, the numerous tourists attractions and white sandy beaches make LBI a huge tourist spot. The summer months are busiest, "the season" ranging from mid-May through Chowda Fest in October. The majority of the island shuts down during the winter months. Although evolved from the 1950s days of full-coverage bathingsuits, LBI is certainly still a playground of sorts.

Understand
The Island derives its name from its white sand beaches that stretch the entirety of the 18 miles. LBI was discovered in 1614 by Captain Cornelius Jacobsen May, a Dutch explorer and tradesman. During its history, the island was rattled by a few major hurricanes, including the largest in 1944. A famous photograph of a home slowly falling victim to this hurricane is hung in many stores, restaurants, and hotels on the island today.

Get in
The easiest way to get to Long Beach Island is by car. There are bus services, but they are limited, expensive, and/or complex.

By car
Long Beach Island is the perfect embodiment of American car culture. So it is almost certain you will be driving your own car to the island.

Take the Garden State Parkway to Exit 63. Then, take Route 72 E onto the Island. From there, you will want Long Beach Boulevard, which is the main street going the entire length of the inhabited parts of the island. There will be a toll at the exit.

Or, take US Route 9 to the exit marked Route 72. Then, take Route 72 onto the Island. From there, you will want Long Beach Boulevard, which is the main street going the entire length of the inhabited parts of the island. As a US Highway, there is no toll.

By bus
TransportAzumah, a private bus service, will take you directly from New York City (9 Ave-42 St) or Newark Airport to various stops on the island. It only runs during the peak summer period from late June to early October. There is only one bus per day each direction and the ticket costs $40 for adults and $30 for students under 18 (with ID) (2017). The route is TAZ10. Reservations are recommended. .

Or you can take a bus to nearby Manahawkin and then a taxi or rental car to the island.
 * New Jersey Transit provides service from Newark, New York City, and Philadelphia to Manahawkin. From there, you will need to take a taxi to the Island. This will always involve two buses and a taxi.
 * From New York City or Newark, take bus #67 or #319 to Toms River, then bus #559 to Manahawkin.
 * From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, take bus #551 to Atlantic City, NJ, then bus #559 to Manahawkin.

Communities

 * — Home to Barnegat Lighthouse. Other than that, not much.
 * — Mainly residential, with a few stores and restaurants. Harvey Cedars is a getaway from the hustle and bustle of other LBI towns.
 * — Lots of shopping and dining opportunities.
 * — Known as the "Gateway to LBI" since it's the landing place for the Causeway Bridge.
 * — A historic summer resort town with notable Victorian architecture, and ample shopping, dining, and entertainment opportunities. It also hosts the only amusement park on LBI.

Get around
Once on the island, there are not many ways to get around besides private car. A shuttle bus traverses the entire island, charging a nominal fee. Depending on which hotel you stay at, they may offer transportation services. If you are not staying at a hotel and need to get around, you can use a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft. In the summer months, they are very easy to come by. The island is very strict with drunk driving, so when you go out at night, make sure you have a ride back to wherever you are staying.

By bike
Another way to get around the island is by renting bicycles. Throughout the streets, there are bicycle lanes, so it is very safe to get around, and bike racks can be found at most beach entrances, as well.You can bring your own bike, or there are many places to rent them.

Other

 * Uber/Lyft drivers are available, at least in the summer months. They may be hard to come by in the off-season.

Do

Mini-golf
Mini-golf is a popular thing to do on LBI and there are several courses to try out.

Movies
It may seem odd to go to the movies while on vacation, but many tourists to LBI do.

Buy
There are hundreds of shops up and down the Island, ranging in size and mainly along Long Beach Boulevard.

Eat
If you love to eat, you’ve come to the right island! Long Beach Island is packed with restaurants and eateries from Lighthouse to Inlet, with the majority of them centralized in Beach Haven, Surf City, and Harvey Cedars. Many restaurants do not take reservations and some can have waits as long as 3 hours for a meal, so timing is key when it comes to dining on LBI. Because rentals change over on Saturdays, avoid going out to eat Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. Optimum days to dine out are Thursdays and Fridays, when most tourists are devouring the leftovers they have in their refrigerators before departing. Bon appetit!

Drink
LBI has a great night life. There are numerous bars to choose from. Most of the bars require casual attire.

Sleep
Many people rent a house through one of many rental agencies. Houses can be rented by the week usually and come in all kinds. Keep in mind the landlords can be very particular about their house integrity remaining uncompromised and it is not uncommon for them to drive by to see if the house is in order. You may not even notice they drove by.

 * Some homeowners rent their houses without going through a realtor. For those cases, check out websites like VRBO or craigslist. If using craigslist, be very careful, talk on the phone with the homeowner to make certain that it is not a scam.
 * Some homeowners rent their houses without going through a realtor. For those cases, check out websites like VRBO or craigslist. If using craigslist, be very careful, talk on the phone with the homeowner to make certain that it is not a scam.
 * Some homeowners rent their houses without going through a realtor. For those cases, check out websites like VRBO or craigslist. If using craigslist, be very careful, talk on the phone with the homeowner to make certain that it is not a scam.
 * Some homeowners rent their houses without going through a realtor. For those cases, check out websites like VRBO or craigslist. If using craigslist, be very careful, talk on the phone with the homeowner to make certain that it is not a scam.

Hotels
For less hassle, you can choose from many hotels or bed and breakfasts on the island:

Go next
Atlantic City is about 65 miles south of LBI.

title: Long Beach Island


text:
Long Branch

Long Branch is an oceanside city of 30,000 people (2019) in New Jersey. Visitors to Long Branch will enjoy the beautiful beachfront, the boardwalk, and the Seven Presidents Oceanfront Park. There is also a large selection of outstanding restaurants and a lively nightlife. Pier Village is the focus of most of the rebuilding and most tourist attractions.

Understand
The town of Long Branch is one of the largest cities on the Jersey Shore. From the period of the 1860s through the First World War, it was also the most glamorous. Long Branch started out as a resort town, including such names as Astor, Fisk, & Drexel – and even more notorious names such as Diamond Jim Brady and Lily Langtree. First Lady Mary Lincoln visited in 1861, but it was in 1869 that Long Branch had its first presidential visit by President Ulysses S. Grant. The President continued to visit every summer that he was president, a tradition followed by Presidents Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Harrison, McKinley, and Wilson.

In 1870, a racetrack opened, which is still a main attraction today and later on casinos began opening up. After an attempt was made on President James Garfield’s life, he was brought to Long Branch in hopes of a recovery aided by the sea air. Indeed, a railroad spur from the main line to his house was built to make him more comfortable in his travels.

The 1920s was witness to the beginning of Long Branch’s decline as a summer destination. Gambling laws stopped many of the rich and famous from visiting. In addition storms eroded Long Branch’s beachfront. By the late 1960s, organized crime settled in Long Branch, further declining its image. Buildings and houses became run down, and many locals had to depend on welfare. The St. James Episcopal Church built in 1879, is where all seven presidents worshipped and is all that is left of what structures were built during that period. It has since been renamed Church of the Presidents and is located at 1260 Ocean Avenue.

Long Branch is now enjoying an amazing second coming. High-rise condos have replaced many of the old summer bungalows.

By car
Take the Garden State Parkway to Exit 105, Follow Route 36 East 4 miles into Long Branch.

By train
From New York City, take the North Jersey Coast Line directly to Long Branch Train Station.

Get around
Getting around Long Branch is like getting around most any other city. Public Transportation is available but not widely used. When at Pier Village or the boardwalk, walking or bicycle riding is the only form of transportation.

Do
There is plenty to do in Long Branch that will suit your entire group's needs. From fine dining to fun in the sun, Long Branch can offer it. If you have some fisherman in you, not far from Long Branch is the 'Big Mohawk Party Boat' in the Jersey Shore town of Belmar. It offers fishing for New Jersey Fluke, New Jersey Blackfish, and other varieties of fish.

The 7 Presidents Oceanfront Park, a facility of the Monmouth County Park System, features: 38 acres including an activity center, a boating launch, fishing, a playground, swimming, sand volleyball, pavilion with snack bar, and restrooms. Admission and parking fees are charged from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Admission is free during the rest of the year. The park is open every day from 8AM to dusk.

Eat
The restaurants in Long Branch vary from fine French cuisine to great burgers.

Drink
With any beachfront the nightlife will be an integral part and a main attraction. Long Branch is no different with its many bars stretching down the boardwalk, and all along Ocean Ave., the bars/restaurants have become a big draw for tourists.

title: Long Branch


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Long distance walking in Europe

For the more active traveller, Europe provides excellent opportunities for long distance walking, where you can follow long-distance walking trails and take in some of Europe's finest scenery, while getting fit at the same time. Whether going on a trans-continental odyssey or a leisurely weekend stroll, you will find a trail to suit you.

Understand
There are eleven continental trails in Europe, which are in varying stages of completion. These paths are comprised of smaller national paths, which may be enjoyable travel experiences of themselves. It's recommended that you read up on help and advice before setting off on a long distance walking holiday. You will have a fantastic time, but always be prepared for the worst, and take the best kit with you that you can find. The markings are not uniform, and some parts may be missing.

The paths are coordinated by the European Ramblers Association (ERA), also known as Europäische Wandervereinigung (EWV) and Féderation Européenne de la Randonnée Pédestre (FERP), but the responsibility for the individual sections is by national organisations in the countries the path leads through.

In addition to these routes, there are regional and national path networks (see e.g. Walking in the United Kingdom), the Grande Randonnée paths, and pilgrim paths such as the Way of Saint James or the St. Olav's Way. These may be partly integrated in the E-paths. For individual paths see also Rheinsteig, Rheinburgenweg, Pieterpad and Nordkalottleden.

Finnish Suomen Latu left the ERA in 2017. ERA doesn't take any responsibility for the legs through Finland of E6 and E10.

The long-distance routes are as follows:

Continental

 * E1 North-South. This path is planned to connect Nordkapp, Norway to Sicily, in Italy.
 * Completed sections: Nordkapp to central Sweden, partly by Nordkalottleden and Grænsesømmen, and on to Scapoli, Italy, via Gothenburg, Aarhus, Hamburg, Frankfurt, the Black Forest and the Apennines. Some distance through Norwegian national parks are left unmarked.
 * Current length: 4900 km.
 * E2 Atlantic - Mediterranean. This path is planned to connect Galway, Ireland to Nice, France.
 * Completed sections: Stranraer, Scotland to Nice, via England, Luxembourg and the Alps.
 * Current length: 4850 km.
 * E3 Black Sea - Iberia. This path is planned to connect Istanbul, Turkey to Cape St. Vincent, Portugal.
 * Completed sections: Cape Emine, Bulgaria to Kom, Bulgaria (near Serbian border); Ártánd, on Hungarian border to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, via western Carpathians, Rheingau, Ardennes, Paris and the Pyrennees.
 * Current length: 6950 km.
 * E4 Mediterranean Arc. This path is planned to connect Cape St. Vincent to Cyprus.
 * Completed sections: Tarifa, Spain to Kato Zakros, Greece via Carcassonne, Grenoble, Bavaria, Vienna, Budapest and Bulgaria.
 * Current length: 10450 km.
 * E5 Atlantic-Adriatic. This path connects Pointe du Raz, Brittany, France to Venice via Brest, Mont St Michel, Fontainebleau, Ballon d'Alsace and Lake Constance.
 * Complete sections: Complete.
 * Completed length: 3050 km.
 * E6 Scandinavia-Dardanelles. This path is planned to connect Kilpisjärvi, Finland to Dardanelles, Turkey.
 * Completed sections: Stockholm to Malmo; Korsor, Denmark to Koper, Slovenia; Igoumenitsa, Greece to Alexandropouli.
 * Current length: 5200 km.
 * E7 Atlantic-Black Sea. This path is planned to connect Lisbon to Ukraine.
 * Completed sections: Monfortinho, Portugal to Piacenza, Italy; Robic, Italy to Nagylak, Romania.
 * Current length: 4330 km.
 * E8 Atlantic to Istanbul. This path is planned to connect Dursey Head in West Cork, Ireland to Istanbul.
 * Completed sections: Dursey Head - Beskid Pass on the Poland/Ukraine border via Dublin, England, Aachen, Bonn, Rhine Valley,Vienna and Bratislava. Mezek, Bulgaria to Svilengrad on the Bulgaria/Turkey border.
 * Current length: 4390 km.
 * E9 European Coast Path. This path is planned to connect Cape St Vincent to Russia.
 * Completed sections: Roscoff, France to Braniewo on the Poland/Kaliningrad border via Brest, Cherbourg, Le Havre, Calais, Ostend, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Gdansk.
 * E10 NE-SW. This path is planned to connect Nuorgam, Finland to Tarifa.
 * Completed sections: Rostock, Germany to Bozen, Italy via Prague and Salzburg.
 * Current length: 2880 km.
 * E11 hiking trail. This path connects Scheveningen (The Hague), in the Netherlands through Germany and Poland to Lithuania.
 * Completed sections: The Hague - the Poland/Lithuania border via Osnabruck, Berlin, Frankfurt an der Oder, Poznan and Torun.
 * Current length: 2560 km.
 * E12 Mediterranean Sea trail. Passes through Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia, connecting the Mediterranean coast, as well as islands such as Majorca, Corsica, Crete, Cyprus, Malta and Sardinia.

Grande Randonnée
There is a trail network in Europe, particularly in the west, called Grande Randonnée.

 * GR 5
 * GR 10
 * GR 20
 * GR 21
 * GR 92
 * GR 223

title: Long distance walking in Europe


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Longford

There is more than one place named Longford:

Australia

 * Longford (Tasmania) – a town in the Northern Midlands, Tasmania

Ireland

 * County Longford – a county in East Coast and Midlands
 * Longford (town) – a town in County Longford

title: Longford


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Longford (town)

Longford Town is the county town of County Longford. It's a quiet market town few limited attractions of its own, but it is a convenient base for visiting for several prehistoric sites.

Understand
Longphort means "ship's port" yet Longford is far from the sea, and some distance from the navigable River Shannon - its tributary the Camlin flows through town but isn't suitable for anything much bigger than a kayak. The name originally applied to Viking settlements, which always had boat access, but it became adopted into Irish as the name for any large settlement. This place was sometimes distinguished as Longfort Uí Fhearghail - Longford O'Farrell, for the local rulers. The O'Farrells ruled a small state that resisted the expansion of Norman Leinster, so Longford never acquired the stout walls, bastions and abbeys of the Norman cities. It was simply a provincial market and light industrial town, growing slowly from 1855 when the railway arrived, and in 2022 it had a population of about 11,000.

The Tourist Office is in Market Square, open M-F 9:30AM-4:30PM.

By train
Trains from Dublin Connolly take just under 2 hours to Longford via Drumcondra, Maynooth and Mullingar; they continue to Dromod, Carrick-on-Shannon, Boyle, Ballymote and Sligo. There are 7 M-F, 6 Sa, 5 Sunday. A walk-up single from Dublin is €15, see Irish Rail for timetables, fares and online tckets. Longford is 200 m south of town centre: there is no ticket office, but there are ticket machines, toilets and a cafe.

By bus
Expressway Bus 22 / 23 runs six times a day from Dublin Busáras, taking 2 hours via Dublin Airport, Lucan, Maynooth and Mullingar. Bus 23 continues to Dromod, Carrick-on-Shannon, Boyle and Sligo, while Bus 22 heads west to Ballina.

Bus 65 runs once a day from Athlone to Ballymahon, Keenagh (for Corlea Trackway), Longford, Granard, Cavan, Clones and Monaghan. On Friday only it also runs from Galway to Tuam, Roscommon, Longford, Granard and Cavan.

Bus 466 runs from Athlone via Ballymahon, Keenagh and Longford, with two M-Sa and one on Sunday.

Andrew Wharton Bus 975 runs five times M-Sa from Cavan, taking 75 min.

By road
From Dublin follow M4 to N4 past Mullingar. From Longford the N4 continues to Carrick-on-Shannon, Boyle and Sligo.

From Athlone follow N55 (for Cavan) and cut off at Ardagh onto R393.

N5 runs from Westport in County Mayo via Castlebar, Knock Airport, Tulsk and Strokestown to Longford.

From Galway it's quicker to take M6 to Athlone then N55, but you could follow N63 via Roscommon.

Get around
The town is compact but you need wheels to reach the outlying sites: they're within range of a bike.

By bus: see above for the intercity 22 / 23 from Dublin, and Bus 466 from Athlone.

Local Link buses supplement the main network: you won't find them on the Bus Éireann timetables. These are:

 * LR24 Ballymahon - Keenagh - Longford, twice M-F.
 * Bus 865 Granard - Ballinalee - Longford, three M-Th and six F Sa.

See

 * Convent of Mercy on St Joseph's Road just north of the railway station is a convent and girls' school. You may be able to look in on the Gothic Revival chapel (1870s), and the starkly simple nuns' graveyard.
 * is a mansion house built 1835-50 in Tudorbethan style. It was closed to visits in 2020 / 21.
 * 25 km north of Longford is a tiny village with a striking dolmen: it looks like giant play-bricks have been balanced on each other. It's in a field 200 m east of the lane through the village. Cleenrath is another dolmen 700 m north. There are 7 ringforts around the village, the best is Sonnagh Fort 1.5 km south. "Sonnagh" means palisade and the ringforts were probably more like fortified farms.
 * 25 km north of Longford is a tiny village with a striking dolmen: it looks like giant play-bricks have been balanced on each other. It's in a field 200 m east of the lane through the village. Cleenrath is another dolmen 700 m north. There are 7 ringforts around the village, the best is Sonnagh Fort 1.5 km south. "Sonnagh" means palisade and the ringforts were probably more like fortified farms.
 * 25 km north of Longford is a tiny village with a striking dolmen: it looks like giant play-bricks have been balanced on each other. It's in a field 200 m east of the lane through the village. Cleenrath is another dolmen 700 m north. There are 7 ringforts around the village, the best is Sonnagh Fort 1.5 km south. "Sonnagh" means palisade and the ringforts were probably more like fortified farms.

Do

 * What's on? Listen to Shannonside FM on 104.1 MHz, or read the Longford Leader, published Wednesday.
 * Cinema: the Omniplex is on Bridge St in town centre.
 * Backstage is a theatre and arts centre off Park Rd, 500 m south of the railway station.
 * Gaelic football: the County GAA team play at Pearse Park, capacity 8000, 1 km north of town centre. This stadium doesn't have a resident club team.
 * Soccer: Longford Town FC were relegated in 2021 so they now play in the League of Ireland First Division, the Republic's second tier. Their stadium (capacity 5100) is at Strokestown Rd (sponsored as Bishopsgate) on N5 three km west of town centre.
 * The Mall is the sports and leisure complex, with pool, gym and fitness classes. It's on the riverbank 500 m northeast of town centre off Templemichael Terrace.
 * Longford Canal is a spur of the Royal Canal. The main canal is navigable all the way from Dublin to the Shannon, but the spur is disused, just a reedy ditch. It has pleasant trails alongside for walking and cycling. In 2020 the government announced funding to re-open the spur.
 * Golf: County Longford Golf Club is 1 km southeast of town off Dublin Rd. It's a parkland course of 6075 m, par 72.
 * Longford Agricultural Show is next held on 3 July 2022.

Buy

 * The shopping centre is a block east of Main St. It has a big Tesco, open M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 10AM-8PM.

Eat

 * Vocella's at 4 Main St is a friendly Italian bistro, open Su W Th 1-8PM, F Sa 1-9PM.
 * Mekong at 46 Main Street is Asian street food, good flavour and filling portions, open M-W noon-10PM, Th-Su noon-11PM.
 * Take 2 on Earl St is open M-Sa noon-9PM, Su 10AM-10PM. They also have rooms.
 * Viewmount offers the best food in town, see Sleep.
 * Keenan's: see Sleep for this bistro and hotel 5 km west on the riverside.

Drink

 * In town centre are Corner House (formerly Anvil Bar), Milo's, The Greyhound, Doyles, Valentines and Lyons.
 * Lough Ree Distillery is at Lanesborough, 10 km southwest on the boundary with County Roscommon. They produce gin, vodka and whiskey; no tours.

Sleep

 * Cathedral View Apartments are spacious self-catering apartments near the railway station.
 * Cathedral View Apartments are spacious self-catering apartments near the railway station.
 * Cathedral View Apartments are spacious self-catering apartments near the railway station.

Connect
As of Jan 2021, Longford has 5G from Eir and Three, and 4G from Vodafone.

Go next

 * Carrick-on-Shannon is the main base for exploring the upper Shannon and County Leitrim.
 * Roscommon has a Norman castle and friary, and several prehistoric sites.

title: Longford (town)


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Long Grove

Long Grove is in Chicagoland.

See

 * Old Long Grove - When someone says they've been to Long Grove, they are usually talking about this historic street filled with moderately expensive yet very interesting stores and restaurants. Different festivals go on there during the year.

Eat

 * The Long Grove Confectionery is a great place to buy candy, particularly chocolate-covered strawberries.

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Long Island

Long Island stretches eastward from New York City in the Metro New York region. The island is approximately long from Brooklyn and Queens at the western end, to Montauk at the easternmost point. At its widest, the island is about from north to south. While Long Island geographically includes the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, and the more suburban counties of Nassau and Suffolk, colloquially the term is often applied only to Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York State.

While Long Island is home to seven million year-round locals, many commuting in and out of New York City, the Island is home to a lot of discreet tourism (concentrated in certain towns—Huntington, Fire Island, Montauk) and also serves as the zip code for the vacation homes of many wealthy city dwellers, particularly in the Hamptons.

Regions
While Long Island also includes Queens and Brooklyn, both boroughs within New York City, most people, when talking about Long Island, mean:

Cities
Long Island is essentially a suburban area throughout (except for the Twin Forks region, which is rural) and has few major towns.

Understand
From a tourist's point of view, the best times to visit Long Island are the summer for swimming and the fall when the scenery can be most appreciated.

Nassau County and Western Suffolk County are relatively highly developed and densely populated, and are home more to the suburban neighborhoods which Long Island became famous for after World War II, where most year-round residents live (e.g. Levittown and Oceanside). Central and Eastern Suffolk County, however, retain a somewhat rural feel, relative to the rest of the New York area, and are home to agriculture, wineries and beach towns. Many summer homes and hotels are located here, and this is where most wealthy New Yorkers congregate in the summer months when the concrete jungle is too hot to bear. Tourist attractions can be found equally in both counties and throughout the entire island.

Long Island's only downside to tourism is harsh north-eastern winters that make traveling somewhat difficult, and the fact that it is an expensive place to both live as a permanent resident and also as a tourist. There are towns that are more friendly to the wallet than the notoriously expensive Hamptons, or "Gold Coast" North Shore towns; however, Long Island is home to some of the most expensive zip codes in the entire world. Do not expect a bargain vacation when traveling to Long Island.

Tourist information
The Long Island Conventions & Visitors Bureau provides information about Long Island and the places to visit.

By plane

 * MacArthur Airport, centrally located in Islip, is the most convenient airport for much of Long Island; however, it only has a few scheduled flights per day. A primary carrier flying in and out of this airport is the low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines, which flies from ISP to Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, Nashville, Orlando, Tampa, and West Palm Beach. Frontier Airlines also has a heavy presence at ISP, with flights to Fort Lauderdale, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Raleigh–Durham, Tampa, and West Palm Beach. Breeze Airways also serves the airport.
 * John F. Kennedy International Airport is located in Queens. It can be a convenient choice because AirTrain JFK connects JFK's terminals to the LIRR at Jamaica for $8.
 * LaGuardia Airport is also located in Queens, but it does not connect to the LIRR. However, the Q79 bus route, known as the LaGuardia Link, connects the Woodside LIRR station with the airport and is free.New Terminal (50398644081).jpg
 * Newark Liberty International Airport is located in Newark, New Jersey – a long drive from Long Island. Most United Airlines flights serving the area depart and arrive at United's hub at Newark.

By train
The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) runs from Penn Station and Grand Central in Manhattan, from Long Island City and Hunterspoint Avenue in Queens, and from Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, to various points on Long Island on many branches. Service is not as frequent as the NYC subways but it also runs 24/7. The new line to Grand Central Terminal opened on January 25, 2023. That project, infamous for cost overruns and delays, is called "East Side Access".

The following lines have the most service from Grand Central and Penn Station: The following line starts from Atlantic Terminal more often: The following services usually require a transfer, due to the diesel-operated trains which cannot go into Grand Central or Penn Station:
 * Babylon Branch, which goes to a lot of the South Shore suburbs, ending in Babylon
 * Far Rockaway Branch, which goes to some of the southern suburbs before ending at Far Rockaway in Queens
 * Hempstead Branch, which goes to Garden City and ends at Hempstead
 * Huntington Branch, which goes to the North Shore, as well as to places like Westbury, and Mineola, before ending in Huntington
 * Long Beach Branch, which goes to some of the southern suburbs and ending at Long Beach
 * Port Washington Branch, which goes to "East Egg"
 * Ronkonkoma Branch, which goes to some of the suburbs in Suffolk County, ending at Ronkonkoma
 * West Hempstead Branch, which ends at West Hempstead
 * Montauk Branch, an extension to the Babylon Branch which goes to the Hamptons and ends at Montauk, although some trains operate via the Huntington Branch instead – change at Jamaica
 * Oyster Bay Branch, which goes to the North Shore, in Glen Cove and Oyster Bay – change at Jamaica or Mineola
 * Port Jefferson Branch, an extension to the Huntington Branch which goes some the North Shore suburbs before ending in Port Jefferson in Suffolk County – change at Jamaica, Hicksville, or Huntington
 * Greenport Branch, an extension to the Ronkonkoma Branch which operates "scoots" which go to the North Fork, ending at Greenport – change at Ronkonkoma

By boat
There are several ferry services that can be found on Long Island. Always check their schedules carefully as they may not be available during late night.

Ferry services from Connecticut, Rhode Island and Block Island
 * The Bridgeport and Port Jefferson Steamboat Company service from Bridgeport for passengers, motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, and trailers. Children aged 12 and under ride for free, but responsible adults must accompany them. (1-888-44FERRY).
 * Cross Sound Ferry service from New London for passengers, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, campers, and trailers. and.
 * Viking Fleet Ferry from Block Island for passengers only and bicycles and surfboards are accommodated, no cars..

Ferry services to Shelter Island are unavailable during late night, so always check their schedules.
 * North Ferry Company is available year-round and allows passengers, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, and commercial vehicles..
 * South Ferry, Inc. is also available year-round and allows passengers, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, and commercial vehicles..

Ferry services to Fire Island
 * Davis Park Ferry does not allow vehicles and is available from March to September..
 * Fire Island Ferries does not allow vehicles and has limited services year-round weather permitting. Bicycles are allowed on freight boats with shipping fees paid, not passenger boats..
 * Sayville Ferry Service does not allow vehicles and is available April to November (May to October to and from Sunken Forest)..

By car

 * There are many controlled-access highways that run through New York City from Connecticut and New Jersey. It is advisable, however, to travel on routes that do not cross Manhattan Island (where traffic is perpetually horrendous). From New Jersey, I-278 runs across Staten Island to Brooklyn where major roads (including State Route 27 and the Long Island Expressway) can be reached. From Connecticut, take I-95 South to I-295 and the Throgs Neck Bridge. Once into Queens, nearly every major thoroughfare is encountered while still heading south on I-295.
 * A convenient way to bypass most traffic is to take a car ferry from either Bridgeport, CT to Port Jefferson (on the North Shore in the center of Suffolk County) or New London, CT to Orient Point (on the North Fork), but they do not operate overnight, so always check the ferry schedules.
 * The Southern State Parkway (SSP) runs from East Islip to Queens where it becomes the Belt Parkway. The SSP is a very busy thoroughfare during rush hours and connects most of Nassau to each other. The Northern State Parkway connects Queens with the Grand Central Parkway. The Long Island Expressway (I-495), or The LIE is billed as the world's longest parking lot, especially during peak rush hours. The LIE connects Manhattan to Riverhead. Sunrise Highway, or NY-27, as a divided highway goes from Queens along the south shore of Nassau County, becoming an expressway in Babylon, back to a divided highway in Suffolk County and ending at the east end of the island in Montauk.

When traveling along the North Shore, you may take the scenic and relaxing route of 25-A, a single lane road that runs through historic, wealthy towns on the northern shore.

Get around
Long Island is long. It can take hours to travel from one destination to another – especially during morning and afternoon rush hours, when the main roads suffer from high congestion and the trains are crowded.

By bus
There are two main bus operators on Long Island: Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE, the former Long Island Bus) in Nassau and Suffolk County Transit in Suffolk. Each maintain extensive bus networks throughout their counties. For schedules, fares and route maps for NICE, visit their website. For the same for Suffolk Transit, visit their website.

By train
The Long Island Rail Road crosses the entire island, with stops in virtually every community of note. As it is designed to take residents into and out of Manhattan, connections between branches are virtually nonexistent. However, with the exception of the Port Washington Branch, every branch does come into Jamaica station in Queens, so if you do need to change branches, Jamaica is where you will likely do it (in fact, many locals will tell you that one of the most infamous terms on Long Island is "Change at Jamaica").

The Port Jefferson Branch goes all the way out to Port Jefferson on the North Shore in Suffolk County. The Ronkonkoma Branch goes to Ronkonkoma, while "scoot" service continues east to Greenport on the North Fork. The Babylon Branch goes to the Village of Babylon, while the Montauk Branch goes to its namesake hamlet on the tip of the South Fork. The Hempstead and West Hempstead Branches go into the heart of Nassau County. The Far Rockaway and Long Beach Branches carry beach goers from the city to the popular beaches on the South Shore. The Port Washington Branch extends to Port Washington, serving communities in the northwestern portions of Nassau County.

For schedules and fares, visit the LIRR website.

By car
In addition to highways connecting New York City and other points west with Long Island, there are more roads to get around:

The Long Island Expressway (Interstate 495; locally known as the L.I.E.) has high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes in both directions in Nassau and western Suffolk Counties (between exits 32 and 64). On M-F, from 6AM to 10AM and from 3PM to 8PM, the HOV lanes on I-495 can save time for motorcycles (even without passengers) and cars with at least two occupants.

Use an HOV lane if you can. Traffic jams can last for hours and disrupt travel plans. Just make sure that you know what exit you will get off at. There are only certain points at which you can get out of the HOV lane.

The Meadowbrook State Parkway runs from Jones Beach to Westbury, connecting the South Shore towns to Mineola and the Northern State Parkway.

See
The primary tourist attractions are the large number of excellent beaches along Long Island Sound on the North Shore (the setting of the famous novel and movie "The Great Gatsby", and the more famous South Shore, which is home to the Atlantic Ocean's waves and white-sand beaches.

The North Fork is also home to many wineries, farms and culinary outlets.

Other attractions include North Shore harbor towns such as Port Jefferson, Huntington Village, Stony Brook, and Northport, where a variety of eateries and small businesses thrive in a bohemian atmosphere.

 * Take a day trip on the Hampton Jitney.
 * Long Island Wine Country on the North Fork.
 * The Hamptons on the South Fork.
 * Long Island has some great villages, like Great Neck, Roslyn, and Huntington where you can just wander around and see cute little stores and take in nice views.
 * Port Washington has a beautiful bay with a public park where you can see all the boats and the water.

Museums

 * Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society operates a museum in a historic Flower Hill home, in which it has its headquarters. The organization also operates another museum in another historic house in Port Washington.
 * Garvies Point Museum and Preserve near Mineola has Native American artifacts, local geology displays, and wooded hikes with sea views.
 * Old Bethpage Village Restoration: It has a farm, houses and businesses from the early-to-mid 1800s.
 * The Village of Roslyn: A historic town on Hempstead Harbor on the North Shore. Homes date from the 17th century.
 * The Village of Roslyn: A historic town on Hempstead Harbor on the North Shore. Homes date from the 17th century.
 * Sagtikos Manor in West Bay Shore was built in 1697. It served briefly as headquarters for the British army during the Revolutionary War. Take a tour of period rooms through the Manor House led by costumed docents and stroll through the grounds and nearby Gardiner County Park.
 * Vanderbilt Museum
 * Stony Brook Village: Visit historic Stony Brook Village, and get afternoon tea.

Do

 * Take historic walking tours of local communities. Many communities, such as Flower Hill and Great Neck Plaza have municipal historic walking tour routes with guidebooks, which can be a great activity for children and adults alike, and can be enriching while allowing tourists to remain fit. Likewise, many historical societies offer their own historic walking tours, including the Roslyn Landmark Society.
 * Swim at any of the great South Shore/Ocean beaches. Jones, Hamptons, Montauk, Robert Moses, Smith's Point.
 * Splish Splash water park in Calverton near Riverhead
 * — in Deer Park Long Island.
 * Bar hop through Huntington, Port Jefferson, Smithtown, Babylon, Bay Shore, Farmingdale, Garden City, Mineola, Rockville Centre, Long Beach, Patchogue, Riverhead, Montauk, the Hamptons, Great Neck, and other locales.
 * Strike Go-Karts/Bowling/Arcade in New Hyde Park.
 * ICE Nightclub in Farmingdale.
 * Jones Beach and Captree State Park.
 * Visit the Saint James General Store off route 25A in Saint James.
 * Visit "Polish Town" in Riverhead.
 * Explore Italian-American culture — go to Uncle Giuseppe's Market - trademark stores in Smithtown on Route 111, in Port Washington on Route 101, and in East Meadow on Route 24.
 * Drive around Old Westbury and the Brookvilles and look at how gigantic the houses are.
 * West Meadow Beach in Setauket

Learn
Long Island is also the home to Stony Brook University (with campuses in Stony Brook and Southampton), one of the top-100 Universities (U.S. News & World Report), which is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, providing a very academic and international community within central Long Island. Brookhaven National Laboratory, affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is also located on Long Island. Both labs are affiliated with Stony Brook University.

Other notable institutions of higher learning on Long Island include, Hofstra University (Hempstead and Uniondale), Adelphi University (Garden City), Long Island University (Brookville, Brentwood, and Riverhead), New York Institute of Technology (Old Westbury and Central Islip), SUNY College at Old Westbury (Old Westbury), Farmingdale State College (East Farmingdale), Polytechnic Institute of New York University (Melville), Five Towns College (Dix Hills), Nassau Community College (Uniondale), Suffolk County Community College (Selden, Brentwood, Riverhead, and Sayville), Briarcliffe College (Bethpage and Patchogue), Molloy University (Rockville Centre), Saint John's University (Oakdale), and Saint Joseph's College (Patchogue).

Buy
Long Island has many shopping malls, including:
 * Tanger Outlet Deer Park in Deer Park.
 * Tanger Outlet Riverhead in Riverhead.
 * Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City.
 * Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove.
 * The Americana Manhasset, popularly considered the centerpiece of the Miracle Mile, is located in Manhasset. Some of the richest people on Long Island shop in this stretch of conspicuous consumption, beautiful store layouts, and mind-boggling prices.

Eat
Long Island is a lot like New Jersey and parts of Connecticut, in the sense that there are a lot of-24 hour diners that serve pretty much anything whenever. Young people congregate in these diners at odd hours, and they can be found spread out on the major roads like Jericho Turnpike or Sunrise Highway. There are also many seafood restaurants (especially with local clams and mussels-local Long Island specialty foods). Because there are so many local restaurants (many Zagat-rated), with influence from European families and the nearby international cuisine of New York City, a Long Islander wouldn't recommend to eat at a chain restaurant that could be found anywhere.

The bagel shop is a Long Island institution, and while nearby New York City is better known internationally for its bagels, they're just as good here. It's very likely that a great bagel shop is just a few minutes by car from wherever you are, and while you'll always find the standard sesame-seed bagels, plain cream cheese and smoked salmon, many offer a dizzying array of bagels and fillings, in addition to bagel-shop staples such as black-and-white cookies. You can't do any better for a quick breakfast or lunch.

Be sure to visit a local farm stand, especially those out east and on the North Fork (i.e.: Briermere Farms). Local produce and farming is a major industry on Long Island – especially on its eastern end.

Drink
The well-known cocktail, the Long Island Iced Tea, was created on Long Island. One of the most celebrated local beers is named Blue Point, named for the town of the same name.

Drinking on Long Island is tough because you need a car to get around. Bearing this in mind, use the Long Island Rail Road to your advantage. Take it from town to town, or take it into the City for a night out. At night, there is little public transportation besides the LIRR, but there are taxis. The South Shore in Nassau County has some good bars (with a somewhat rowdy crowd, however). Long Beach in particular has a bustling bar scene, particularly in the summer, when day trippers flood the city for its gorgeous beaches and college students pack themselves into rented bungalows. The city's West End has the greatest concentration of bars and is entirely walkable, though it's a bit of a hike from the train station without a taxi or bus ride.

On the North Shore you will find a buzzing college-bar scene year-round, mostly for those college students and other 20-somethings looking for a night out that doesn't involve a dorm party, frat or sorority or an expensive trip to NYC. The most popular towns for this kind of bar-scene are Huntington Village, Port Jefferson, (both along Route 25A) and Smithtown along Jericho Turnpike/Route 25, which has a bar scene by night despite their charming shopping and family-oriented atmospheres by day.

Montauk and Fire Island, which are very much touristy beach towns, are home to many bars — what else is there to do on a warm summer's night?

Stay safe
Be smart: don't travel to communities with a lot of crime at night. These communities include Roosevelt, Hempstead, North Amityville, North Baldwin, Wyandanch, Rosedale, North Bay Shore, Central Islip, New Cassel, Brentwood, Green Acres, Uniondale, and northern Freeport. In the daytime, these areas are generally safe.

Other than those towns, which most locals could tell you is where most of the dangerous crime occurs, crime on the rest of Long Island is related to drug-arrests and burglaries of high-end neighborhoods and of cars that remain unlocked or have their key fobs left inside of them at night. Most robberies are related to hired help, and are low-profile crimes. However, there is an epidemic of heroin use among Long Island teens, particularly of wealthier neighborhoods along the North Shore. Generally, this should not be a problem for a tourist.

One of the biggest safety hazards Long Islanders face when preparing for natural disasters such as hurricanes is the lack of ways to get off Long Island. There really is only one immediate way out via car, through the highly congested bridges of New York City. You may also exit via ferry to New England, take the Long Island Rail Road to Manhattan and transfer to New Jersey Transit or Amtrak, or fly out of one of the three major airports. Fortunately, dangerous hurricanes are very rare for Long Island; however, even moderate storms often down power lines, causing outages that can last for a week or more and hindering driving. Also watch out for flooding in coastal and low-lying areas.

If you plan to hike in areas with undergrowth, watch out for deer ticks that can cause Lyme disease. You will also want to use insect repellent to ward off mosquitoes if you plan on being on Fire Island near twilight - they are unlikely to spread disease but will bite you in many places.

Stay healthy
In the even you require medical treatment, a good hospital is never far away on Long Island. In fact, some of the best hospitals in the entire country are located here. These include (but are not limited to) St. Francis Hospital in Flower Hill, North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, Stony Brook University Hospital in Stony Brook, Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip, and St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson.

Cope

 * The daily, Island-wide newspaper is Newsday, which also provides a detailed history of the island.
 * News12 also covers local news, and is the main cable channel for local news.

Respect
While the typical Long Islander is friendly and enjoys a good conversation, there are certain topics which are very sensitive to many locals. You should be careful discussing these topics or avoid them altogether.

Long Island was devastated by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks – especially in terms of lives lost. The memories are still very upsetting for many and it is an understandably-sensitive topic. It is best to ask first and not make any comments that could be disrespectful. If someone would rather not talk about it, it is proper to respect that and avoid the topic. You will also find dozens (if not hundreds) of 9/11 memorials across Long Island.

Many Long Islanders – especially those living on the South Shore and barrier islands – were impacted severely by Hurricane Sandy, and the memories for some are still very raw and heart-wrenching. It is wise to ask first before asking a local about it, and if someone would rather not talk about it, it is polite to avoid the topic.

Go next
You may leave Long Island to go on day trips to any borough of New York City or parts of Connecticut, and seasonally to parts of the Jersey Shore or Rhode Island that are accessible by ferry.

Farther afield are Northern New Jersey, Westchester County and other areas west, north or south of New York City that require either several changes of public transportation line to get to or a risk of tie-ups getting through large parts of the New York Metro Area and the city itself by car.

Try to avoid rush hours (~7-9 AM toward New York City; ~4-7 PM toward the suburbs) if possible, as peak train tickets (see here) cost more on the Long Island Rail Road and may require you to stand in a crowd for an hour, while if you are driving, it's not for nothing that the Long Island Expressway has been called "The World's Longest Parking Lot".

title: Long Island


text:
Long Island (Andaman and Nicobar Islands)

Long Island is a small island in the North and Middle Andaman district of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India.

Understand
Long Island has very little infrastructure. There is one small village, one government rest house that must be booked through Port Blair and a hotel in the form of huts.

Landscape
The village is spread out on the western side of the island within a good walking distance of the boat jetty, and you have to walk: there are no cars or rickshaws, only narrow concreted paths if you are lucky. Much of the island is forested and unexplored, and not even mapped: even the police do not have an accurate map of the island!

Climate
As in the rest of the Andaman Islands, the climate is a fairly steady 27-32 °C throughout the year, with a good chance of torrential monsoon rain between May and September. The main tourist season starts in October and goes through to March or April. Long Island is sheltered on the western side by other islands and the village was not too badly affected by the tsunami. Lalaji Bay is more exposed.

Get in
The permit you receive on arrival in Port Blair is good for Long Island. The officer in charge on the Island will gently remind you to register as you walk to the Blue Planet resort. You do not need to check out when you leave the Island.

Get around
Getting around is limited to the village near the Jetty, a walk on the beach or a trek to Lalaji Bay. Only a few motorised vehicles circulate so you'll have to use your feet like everyone does here. A walk with luggages from the Jetty to the resort can be long, but you may ask for a ride if you see a motorcycle. You may want to take a boat to the beach (beware that the boat owners don't do trips in the dark.

If you want to cross the Island to go to Lalaji Bay, you must get an additional permit (forest permit) delivered by the Forest Office near the jetty. This office is closed on Sundays, so have you permit ready in advance. The Blue Planet manager will be happy to help you with it.

See and do
There are two reasons to come to Long Island:
 * To appreciate an unspoiled island where there is very little tourist development and a lovely village atmosphere.
 * To explore the forests, beaches, go snorkelling and maybe get out on day trips to nearby uninhabited islands.

Activities:

Buy
You can buy all the basics in the village shops. There are no souvenir shops.

Eat and drink
Alcohol is not supposed to be available on this island, but a few road booths will be happy to hand you a couple of beers under the table. As for food, options are limited:

Lodging
There is one government resthouse close to the boat jetty with

Camping
Camping is illegal on public land and on beaches anywhere in Andamans, and can only be done if it is arranged through a guest house where you have registered. Check with the local Forest Office in case there has been any change in the rules.

Go next
You can walk to Lalaji Bay in 1 or 2 hours or you can hire a local boat. Or you can go by boat to a deserted island. The trip to North Passage Island is well worthwhile: the beach is beautiful and deserted and you are very likely to see dolphins on the way to or from.


text:
Long Island (Bahamas)

Long Island is located in the Southern Bahamas. It is one of many Family Islands or Out Islands

Deadmans Cay

Other destinations
Clarence Town, capital. Stella Maris Salt Pond Burnt Ground Whymes Petty’s Pinders The Bight Simms Cape Santa Maria Buckleys Cartwrights

Do
Dive Dean's Blue Hole

Saturday Nights Cave Party at the Stella Maris Resort

Eat
Gary's Conch Bar

title: Long Island (Bahamas)


text:
Long Island (disambiguation)

There's more than one place called Long Island:

Australia

 * Long Island (New South Wales)
 * Long Island (Queensland) – the closest island to the mainland in the Whitsunday Islands group

Bahamas

 * Long Island (Bahamas)

Canada

 * Long Island, an island and lockstation on the Rideau Canal (locks #14-16) in Manotick, south of Ottawa-Gatineau

India

 * Long Island (Andamans) - An island in the Andaman and Nicobar island chain

United States of America

 * Long Island (Boston)
 * Long Island (Kansas)
 * Long Island (Maine)
 * Long Island - in New York (state)
 * Long Island (Virginia)
 * Long Island (Wisconsin)
 * Long Island (formerly Outer Long Island) as one of fourteen islands which comprise tiny Frenchboro, Maine.

title: Long Island (disambiguation)


text:
Long Island (Maine)

The Town of Long Island covers Long Island in Maine. It has a population of around 200 people. Seasonal residents causes the population to increase to over 700 during the summer. It seceded from the City of Portland in 1993 and became a town. The island became a popular tourist spot after World War II.

Get around
The best way to get around is to walk or use a bicycle. You can transport your car to the island via the Casco Bay Lines, but it would be best to park at the ferry parking lot.

See
Long Island is a popular summer destination and is a 35-minute ferry ride from Portland.

Eat
There are no restaurants in operation on Long Island.

Sleep
Vacation rentals are available on the Island.

Go next

 * Portland

title: Long Island (Maine)


text:
Long March

The Long March (长征) was a retreat by Communist forces from Kuomintang (Nationalist) armies in 1934 and 1935, and is considered a strategic feat that directly led to the foundation of today's People's Republic of China. Long March veterans — Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Lin Biao, Deng Xiaoping and others — became leaders of the Communist Party and important figures in 20th-century Chinese history. The March was in response to Chiang Kai Shek's determination to wipe out Communists strongholds in Jiangxi and Fujian once and for all. Their strategy was to encircle and crush, moving slowly and building fortifications. The Communists broke out of the encirclement and set off west. Eventually they settled in a new base at Yan'an in Shaanxi.

Exact numbers in various sources differ, but all say the journey took more than a year, covered several thousand kilometers mainly on foot, and crossed eight provinces. Over 80,000 men set out and not many over 10,000 completed the journey. Whatever else it is, the Long March is quite a tale of persistence in the face of adversity — climate, terrain and enemies.

There were several Communist armies which took different routes.

The main Red Army
The main Red Army started in Jiangxi and Fujian and travelled by a very circuitous route to finally reach Yan'an in Shaanxi.

 * Ruijin on the Jiangxi/Fujian border
 * Start from Yudu
 * across south of Hunan (Rucheng, Yizhang)
 * Northeast of Guangxi (Xing'an, Guangyang, Quanzhou)
 * Southwest of Hunan (Tongdao)
 * into Guizhou (Liping). At a conference in Zunyi, Mao was first appointed to the Central Committee.
 * Southern Sichuan (Gulin, Xingyi)
 * into Yunnan (Weixin)
 * through the Kunming region
 * North to Haili
 * The Diqing Long March Museum is in this area
 * into western Sichuan, passing near Xichang, Luding, Barkham, Maoergai
 * into Gansu
 * into Shaanxi, Wuqi, Yan'an became their headquarters in the North.

The second and sixth Red Armies
Other Communist units started in Northern Hunan, around Hefeng and Longshan, and went southwest. They crossed the path of the main army in Guizhou, then went on to Kunming and from there up into Western Yunnan (near the modern routes described in Yunnan tourist trail). They went north on a route more or less parallel to the main army but further West, passing through Gatze and Aba into Gansu, and finally linking up with the main army near Yan'an.

The fourth Red Army
The fourth army started near Tongjiang in Sichuan, went more or less due west to link up with other forces at Gatze, then swung north through Aba to Gansu. Once in Gansu, it split with some troops going to Yan'an while others moved west to hold some Silk Road areas and try (unsuccessfully, as it turned out) to connect with Soviet forces who might provide arms and other support.

Following the route today
Young Chinese all learn about the Long March (of course, the official Party version) in school and some retrace its route.

Some fairly expensive tours with English-speaking guides are available.

Starting in 2002 two British travelers retraced the route on foot, and one of them wrote a book about it, The Long March: The true story behind the legendary journey that made Mao's China. The book was controversial and is banned in China. Among other things, it claimed the route was quite a bit shorter than the 9,000 km in the official histories.

title: Long March


text:
Longmeadow

Longmeadow is an affluent, postcard-perfect looking town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, between the City of Springfield and the Connecticut border.

Understand
Longmeadow has one of the highest incomes per capita in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and since White Flight in the 1960s, has been Hampden County's most affluent community. Although it features Bay Path College, a largely women's university, Longmeadow is not a college town. Tourists are drawn to it by its historic houses, clustered around its postcard-perfect New England Town Green, (replete with ancient white church.) First settled in 1646 by residents of nearby Springfield, it measures only about 3x3 miles; however, it's packed with prototypically New England charm. Longmeadow’s Town Green is a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is surrounded by a number of buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. Longmeadow is unique as the town green has maintained its residential purpose and has resisted commercial pressure. Houses along the photogenic main street (Longmeadow Street) are set back farther than in most towns of similar residential density.

There is no industry in Longmeadow, and highly restrictive zoning laws force businesses into several, specific areas, (and even regulate the types of signage that businesses can use.) Owing to high real-estate values, gorgeous properties, and a palpably competitive attitude, Longmeadow is regarded in New England as exclusive. Most residents commute to Springfield to work.

By car
From the north, Longmeadow is at exit 1 of Interstate 91. The exit is labeled "Route 5 South, Longmeadow". The exit ends at US route 5 southbound which is the main north-south road in town, (also known as Longmeadow Street. Longmeadow Street passes Bay Path College, the Longmeadow Green, and many of Longmeadow's historic houses.)

From the south, take exit 49 of Interstate 91 in Connecticut. The exit ends at US Route 5. Turn right for Route 5 North. Within about 200 yards, when you cross into Massachusetts, you are in Longmeadow. You'll be able to tell after you cross the border from Enfield into Longmeadow because the scenery changes dramatically from typical "Connecticut commercial" to Massachusetts upscale.

By bus
There is limited bus service to Longmeadow from Springfield. Longmeadow features the fewest PVTA (Pioneer Valley Transit Authority) stops of any city or town in the Pioneer Valley. Most Longmeadow residents use cars so there is little call for PVTA service.

Get around
Longmeadow has one major North/South road (US Route 5, Longmeadow Street, which features businesses that have become a part of Longmeadow's community fabric, like Hampden Bank and Rinaldi's Pizza. There are several East/West roads which bisect Route 5. From North to south, they are, Converse St, Bliss Road, Williams St, and Maple. There is virtually no public transportation, save the PVTA busses which runs infrequently between Springfield and Longmeadow.

See

 * The cemetery at First Church Known as the Olde Burying Yard, dates back to the mid-late 1600s and contains a fascinating variety of old grave stones. Despite its age, the cemetery is in fine repair, owing to the active congregation at the First Church. (To any would-be vandals out there, don't even THINK of trying anything - aside from being reprehensible behavior, the cemetery is directly across the street from the Longmeadow Police station - and the Longmeadow Police have a reputation as being arrest-happy for even minor incidents.)
 * Historical homes An interesting feature are all the houses along Longmeadow Street (Route 5) with red, blue, or green stars on them. These stars signify that the house is a historical site. The general understanding is that the different color stars represent different ages, starting at 100+ years. Empirical evidence would seem to show that green stars signify the oldest, as there seem to be far fewer of them.

The largest concentration of historical homes is around the area of the town green (an area approximately halfway through Longmeadow, directly on Route 5 (Longmeadow Street). This part of town was the first settled, and contains some absolutely breathtaking homes. One of the finest examples of this is a home known as the Young Estate . Apparently this home was built by the Young family who founded the WF Young Company. You might know of them by their product line, Absorbine Junior. The house is three stories tall and has servants quarters, a carriage house bigger than many other homes in town, a solarium, a series of vaults in the basement, and a large number of bedrooms. It is a privately owned home, but on occasion during "Longmeadow Days", guided tours of this historical home are offered.

Do

 * Longmeadow Days - an annual arts and crafts show held over a weekend every May with all sorts of local vendors and historical activities.
 * Bird watching - Longmeadow has a considerable amount of Audubon Society Preservation Land which contain walking trails and numerous opportunities for bird watchers and nature lovers alike.

Buy
The largest pocket of business enterprise is Longmeadow Shoppes in the 600 to 800 block of Bliss Road, which contains quite a few high-end specialty retail establishments as well as a few restaurants.

Take-away

 * Li's Brother's Inn - Chinese food and Sushi delivered very quickly
 * DeNardo's Pizza - actually in East Longmeadow, they deliver excellent Italian style pizza to Longmeadow addresses
 * Quickie's - ribs and chicken and other movie night type foods. Orders will often take 45 minutes to an hour for delivery, but they're worth it.

Eat in / take out
You'll have to go there to eat in or take out yourself, but there are some decent restaurants in town.

 * The Grapevine is home to delicious Greek fare and great pizza. It has a casual, family atmosphere, and is nicely decorated.
 * "Iron Chef" One of three Asian restaurants, Iron chef is the best in town; Great sushi
 * The Grapevine is home to delicious Greek fare and great pizza. It has a casual, family atmosphere, and is nicely decorated.
 * "Iron Chef" One of three Asian restaurants, Iron chef is the best in town; Great sushi

Bars
See Hu Ke Lau in the Eat section

Max Burger has an active, lively bar on the weekends.

Package Stores
We New Englanders like to call them Package Stores, but most everyone else calls them Liquor Stores. Longmeadow has two.

Sleep
There are no hotels or bed & breakfast establishments in town. The closest choice is the Crowne Plaza in Enfield, Connecticut.

title: Longmeadow


text:
Longmen National Park

Longmen National Park is in Henan Province of China. It's inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Understand
Among Longmen's wealth of world-famous treasures are flying Apsaras, and fine works of Chinese calligraphy, represented by the 20 Longmen Calligraphic Samples. These are 20 pieces of calligraphy deemed perfect and correct representatives of the time they were created.

Enshrined in 2,100 cave-temples are 3,600 stone inscriptions and over 100,000 large and small Buddhist statues. The 17-m-high statue of Vairocana in Fengxian Temple is the most representative of the trove.

History
Construction of Longman Shiku (Dragon Gate Grottoes), one of three major grottoes in China, began in 494 CE, but it was not until the Sui and Tang dynasties that it acquired the scale as we see it today.

Get in
Longmen Caves are about 13 km southeast from the city of Luoyang.

Opening hours:

 * March-Oct: 7:30AM-7:50PM
 * Nov-Feb: 7:30AM- 6:50PM

Bus route 81 (¥1.50) from East side of Luoyang train station. Journey lasts 50 min.

The last bus back to Luoyang leaves at 8:50PM.

Or, you can take a taxi.

Fees and permits
Admission charges: ¥120

See

 * 宾阳三洞 Binyang San Dong (Three Binyang Caves)
 * 万佛洞 Wanfo Dong (Ten Thousand Buddha Cave)
 * 莲花洞 Lianhua Dong (Lotus Flowers Cave)
 * 奉先寺 Fengxian Xi (Ancestor Worshipping Temple)
 * 药方洞 Yaofang Dong (Medical Prescription Cave)
 * 古阳洞 Guyang Gong (Earliest Cave)
 * 石窟洞 Shiku Dong (Stone Room Cave)

title: Longmen National Park


text:
Longmont

Longmont is a city of about 100,000 in North Central Colorado. The city lies in Boulder and Weld counties 30 mi north-northwest of the Denver.

Understand

 * Municipal government website.

By car
Sheridan Blvd. north/south US 287 off of reference Colfax Blvd., Denver.

By plane

 * The nearest airport providing regular commercial service is Denver International Airport (DIA)
 * Vance Brand Airport in Longmont provides access to private aircraft only.

By train
There is no commuter rail service.

By bus
Regular bus service between Longmont and other Denver metropolitan cities is available through RTD-Denver. National bus service is available through Greyhound.

Get around
The Regional L/LX/LNX, Boulder Jump Local routes 23rd St - Main to Ken Pratt 324/323/327/326.

title: Longmont


text:
Longquan

Longquan is a city in Zhejiang.

Get in
Thanks to a good transport system, Longquan is relatively easy to get to. From Shanghai there are two options. Firstly there is a bus that leaves once a day from Shanghai South long distance bus station. The trip costs around ¥250 and takes 6-7 hours. If you really don't like transferring then this is the option for you as it goes straight there. Secondly, and more popular, is taking the high speed train from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway station to Lishui and then getting a bus to Longquan. The train takes between 2.5 to 3 hours to Lishui and then the bus take 1.5 hours to Longquan. There are quite a few train departures each day and numerous buses between Lishui and Longquan.

Buy
Longquan celadon (龙泉青瓷) is a celadon-glazed porcelain made in Longquan and nearby areas. It has been in production since the Song dynasty, over a thousand years.

Longquan has been a center of sword manufacturing since several hundred BCE. The techniques spread from here to the rest of China and later to Japan.

Eat
Longquan has many places to eat where you can get anything from a chicken burger to duck's tongue! For Western tastes there is a KFC, Bobi's pizza (an east meets west fusion restaurant which has the best pizza in town) and a Chinese chain called Ba Bai Li (八百里) which is pretty much a cheaper KFC. The two nicest bakery chains in the city are Shinians and A'Paris. Both offer delicious baked goods at reasonable prices. If you find yourself near the north-east of town Cake Town is also worth a quick visit. The Chinese offerings are too numerous to mention but suffice it to say you definitely won't go hungry.

title: Longquan


text:
Longreach

Longreach is a visitor-friendly town in Central Outback Queensland. Longreach is a popular outback destination for many travelers, particularly those doing road trips around Australia. The town has focused on the visitor experience and despite its isolation has a number of attractions and experiences to engage visitors.

Understand
This small town of 3,000 people (2016) is named after the 'long reach' of the Thomson River upon which it sits. Unlike many other rivers in Outback Queensland this part of the Thomson River tends to retain water year round and doesn't often go dry. The town has a strong connection with Qantas and its airport was one of the first bases of the then 'Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service' which later became the national carrier Qantas. The nearest large settlement is 687 kilometres away in Rockhampton.

Given the Outback setting the climate is particularly harsh in summer with the daily temperature often in excess of 40°C / 100°F. Visitor season runs in the cooler months from April to October, with Easter often marking the beginning of each season. During off-season the number of experiences available for visitors is reduced with tour offerings and dinner experiences in particular less available.

Along with many other areas of Queensland, Longreach is in the midst of a long standing drought resulting in difficult times for the town and surrounding areas. Tourism is a key contributor to the towns economy while the drought continues.

By plane

 * QantasLink flies once a day from Brisbane, with a journey time of 3 hours. The flight timings differ throughout the week. Visitors looking to experience Longreach over a long weekend will find the Friday morning departure from Brisbane and Sunday afternoon departure from Longreach offers more time at the destination compared to flight timings on other days.
 * Rex flies twice a week from Townsville, with a journey time of 2½ hours.
 * Rex flies twice a week from Townsville, with a journey time of 2½ hours.

By train
Longreach is the terminus for the Spirit of the Outback train from Brisbane via Rockhampton

Get around
There is no public transportation in Longreach. A car while not being essential to enjoy a trip to the town, may make the experience more pleasant.

A taxi service is available within the town. Tour operators will pick-up and drop off from your accommodation. Some accommodation providers offer bicycle hire and pick-up from the Airport.

Eagle St stretches southwest from the train station and all the shops are along here, along with several hotels and motels. Other motels stretch 2 km east along the highway to the airport, Qantas museum and Stockman's Hall of Fame - walkable if you can handle the heat.

Petrol costs 20c/litre more than on the east coast.

Do
In addition to the Outback Museums, a sunset cruise of the Thomson River is one of the must do activities while in the area. Dinner elements are included in the cruises during peak season (April to October). The sunset cruise offers the opportunity to observe the wide variety of bird life and take in the glorious colours of the outback sunset.

Other tours include:

Outback Pioneers Cobb & Co Stagecoach Experience. Visitor season only. Includes stagecoach ride on old mail route and Harry Redford Old Time Tent Show. $99

Outback Pioneers Nogo Station Experience. Visitor season only. Includes sheep shearing, station safari and morning tea. $99

Eat
The main street (Eagle St) has a few cafes, takeaways and bakeries, most of which are not open in the evenings. The pubs on Eagle St also offer meals.

Dinner options in visitor season include dinner packages available via the Thompson River Cruise Operators, at the Stockman's Hall of Fame Show and Dinner packages and on occasions dinner packages are available at the Qantas Founders Museum.

Drink
Several pubs offer drink and accommodation, including the Lyceum.

Connect
Telstra and Optus have a good 4G and 3G coverage in town, but it starts to fade away about 10 kilometres from the town centre. However Vodafone does not have any coverage at all.

Go next
Winton is the next town on the highway (and quite a pleasant little town with a few attractions), about 2 hours' drive northwest.

title: Longreach