Rain, Shine or Hurricane, Life Goes on At Little Neck Inn

To the patrons of , the wind and rain that spattered the world outside on Sunday afternoon didn't much matter.

In fact, it wouldn't have much mattered if it had snowed, hailed, sleeted or earthquaked. The bar, situated at 251-03 Northern Blvd., would have remained just as it does every other day of the year starting at 8 a.m. - open, and serving drinks.

"We're always open," said the bartender, who identified himself only as Philly, shrugging. "We got the best drunks in Little Neck."

Though Little Neck Inn wasn't crowded per se, it was comfortably full at 2 p.m., mere hours after Hurricane Irene whipped her way through New York City, and causing enough havoc that the city's entire public transit system .

Teri Simon, a Doulgaston resident and Little Neck Inn regular, said she wasn't planning on going to work in Port Jefferson on Monday, since mass transit was out.

"We’re just chilling out and enjoying," she said. "I say it’s very good that the city did what it did to be proactive. You know what? Better to be safe than sorry."

Another group of men stopped in for a drink after checking on their boats docked in Port Washington. Little Neck Inn was the only bar open for miles, they said.

“All the boats survived. So we’re celebrating the survival of the boats," said Douglaston resident Michael DiFonzo. He paused.

"Or we just needed an excuse to drink.”