Living In the Shadow of NYC's Bright Lights

I tend to have a love-hate relationship with living on Long Island. It varies between my own personal mood and what the weather feels like doing that day.

Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely grateful to have grown up on this Island. My family use to live in Bronx, then Queens before I came along, and I know how tough those neighborhoods can make you. As you get older though, there's nothing more aching than wanting to get off of this Island.

I think it's even harder for the kids who grew up here than in most places, because we do have New York City only a train ride away. The alluring lights are within reach, but not totally yours. Living there isn't cheaper for even a lifetime resident of New York. So, even if you find a job in the "City" that doesn't mean you're an automatic city-dweller. More than a handful of my friends, work and play there but at the end of the night, take that long train ride home.

Mostly, this is where my hate comes into play. It's hard to find excitement on Long Island like you can in New York. It's such a tease to hear of the secret shows, late-night movie-thon and the general excitement of getting delicious pizza at 2 a.m. Let's not even get me started on the subways, life saver.

Right now, I am back in love with Long Island. Until, winter decides to start.

Sincerely, a big part of my excitement is the new music venue in Huntington, The Paramount. I can't tell you the joy I felt when I heard the whispering over the summer and now the venue is in full swing with acts. I remember my poor teen heart breaking when The Downtown closed in Farmingdale. (Sorry, I don't include The Crazy Donkey in the ranks of a "music venue" - and either way, it's closed).

The Paramount is already being compared to the likes of Irving, Roseland, Webster, Brooklyn Bowl and such. The establishment, which I've been to already, is quite impressive. The line-up is even better. They definitely are hitting different genres and finding their footing on what they want to represent.

I'm a closet hipster and I hear a lot of rumbling already from townies that this new place isn't representing underground music. Give it time, man! You know how long Bowl, Williamsburg Musical Hall and the Bowery have been around? Besides the fact that their location is pivotal to what they bring in. Say what you will, The Paramount is definitely feeding starving music lovers on Long Island.

The location is pretty ideal. In the center of Huntington, which has some great ma-and-pop restaurants, the Paramount is surrounded by bars. Then, the venue set up a trolley system (That's right, like those things they use in San Fran) to bring patrons to and from the train station on nights of shows. Long Island's version of the subway? That's far reaching, but you don't know the relief of not drawing straws who will designated driver for a night.

My excitement is continuing through the holidays, we have some hometown heroes coming in. Brand New and Taking Back Sunday, with the first playing 2 shows (if you're a Brand New, you know how extremely rare that is), are checking out the place with their sold out shows. So thanks to the big guys over in Huntington, you're making me fall back in love with my home again.