Long Island, New York State, Niagara Falls, Lake Erie Seaway Trail, Belt Parkway, NY Thruway, I-287

October 14^th, 2009

I spend time in New York, typically on Long Island. It is a nice place with nice beaches; but be prepared to pay to park a vehicle at the beach or to pay for beach access if its summer time.

On this latest sojourn to the west coast, I also enjoyed the opportunity to spend some time in western New York State as well. If one ever has the opportunity to visit this part of the United States, of course, a detour to Niagara Falls is a must – regardless of the time of year of your visit. On both sides of the international border, the drive by automobile up and down the Niagara River is also quite enjoyable. However, if you are an American, you probably want to make sure that your name is not included on any U.S. government list of those not liked on the U.S. side of the border by the U.S. Government, because the Canadians will be as sheep and assume that you are a bad person and probably wont let you into their country. But anyway, barring that, it is a great drive!!

Another great drive is along the Lake Erie Seaway Trail (New York State/County Route 5); which heads towards Erie, Pennsylvania from Buffalo. It is a great place to bring a picnic and enjoy the Lake – at least in fair weather, anyhow. It’s probably a pretty cool site in the winter too, I would wager.

Otherwise, most New York roads are in good condition - with the noted exception of those in and close to New York City (such as the Belt Parkway). For instance, one really needs to be a good driver and take-it-easy to survive a drive on the Belt Parkway during foul weather. Overall letter grade of "B -" for the roads in the State of New York. (Qualify this grade with an average grade of "C-" for NY roadways in the NYC area.)

AVT