Opinion: Long Islanders Partying Past Covid Blues

Was it a bad dream? Did everyone wear surgical masks and get vaccinated in wartime fashion? Were we forced to line up yards apart like potentially condemned folks? Did we suspend birthday celebrations and even funerals? Sounds horrible because it was, but those days are “over!”

This summer restaurants are filled with patrons, beaches are packed with families and masks are no longer hiding the summer smiles that so many Long Islanders have all summer long. I attend and sometimes cover events for websites and I can now say the pandemic paranoia is over. Yes, I too was once afraid to go about because maybe I would catch the virus and end up on a ventilator. Not now! I kiss folks hello and goodbye, get hugged and have drinks with friends and new acquaintances! Happy days are here again.

Long Islanders have a unique sense of humor and an even more unique way of phrasing their observations. It’s what makes Long Islanders able to connect with each other so easily. It’s like they are all in one huge extended family! It does seem like everyone knows someone who knows you or you know! Not to mention almost every Long Islander knows someone from every Long Island town, hamlet or village.

Unfortunately the traffic is back to pre-pandemic days if not worse. Remember the empty roads during the pandemic? Even the police were not on the roads! Watch out they are back looking for speeding cars.

The only difference so far in 2023 seems to be the shortage of laborers for restaurants, and stores. Not sure why even the diners aren’t back to the old normal hours? It’s tough to get a good meal after 10:15 pm anywhere? I remember once in my life I never had a dinner before 10 pm and knew all the speciality places that were opened to serve late meals!

Things have become costly! Inflation may be officially down but prices for food and gas are officially higher than before the pandemic. It cost more to live. I am beginning to sound like my dad and his stories of $.15 milkshakes and ice cream cones! Yet Long Islanders almost never pay retail for things because everyone knows someone or has a relative who can get them a deal on almost everything! It’s part of being a Long Islander.

Not to downplay the hardship of paying more for less it is true that happy days are here again for most Long Islanders. Being quarantined, sequestered, wearing masks, showing vaccination cards- forget about it!