Adam Waldman - Long Island REALTOR®

Long Island is a place that features some of the highest home prices and highest property taxes in the country.  You might think that the people that live here are well-off, or at the very least, able to make ends meet.  However, this is not the case.  There is far more poverty here than most people would imagine.

Island Harvest is a local charity that distributes seven million pounds of food through the cooperation of hundreds of community-based groups.  In a recent post, I wrote about the Turkey & Trimmings Collection Campaign that Island Harvest was sponsoring.  Last year, this program was responsible for the distribution of 9,000 donated turkeys.  This year, Island Harvest has set their goal at 22,000 turkeys to be donated, which is an ambitious goal that can only be achieved with a great deal of support. 

There are two major objectives of the Turkey & Trimmings Collection Campaign.  The first is to have a successful collection so that there will be enough food to go around during this holiday season.  The second is to raise awareness about this program so that people will continue to donate during the rest of the year as well.

Island Harvest expects there to be an increase in demand due to the rising cost of home heating, gas prices, and health insurance.  Even those that receive health insurance from their employer are not immune to the need for assistance as money gets tight.  In fact, most of the people that access food from Island Harvest are working class people.  Only 4% of the people that use Island Harvest for food are homeless. 

Here is an astounding fact that shows just how difficult it is to make ends meet on Long Island.  To pay the average rent, a Long Islander making minimum wage would have to work 168 hours per week, the exact amount of hours that there are in a week!  Is it any wonder that Island Harvest collects and distributes approximately $15 million worth of food each year?

This wouldn't be possible without the support of local businesses.  One business, in particular is really stepping up to help.  Waldbaum's supermarket chain will donate a turkey to go along with any customer's donation of the trimmings. 

Individuals can also easily make a donation by sponsoring a light bulb to be hung on the Christmas tree in RexCorp Plaza in Uniondale.  The cost is only $1, and each dollar will be going directly to Island Harvest.  There are 50,000 bulbs on the tree.

If you are interested in donating or volunteering, you can call 516-294-8528 or go to Island Harvest's website.

As a youth growing up on Long Island, the only organized sport that I played was little league baseball.  There was one season of junior high school football sprinkled in, but for the most part, baseball was the sport that I looked forward to most.  As a grown-up, football grew to be my favorite sport.  My son, following in my footsteps, has been a huge football fan since he was around 2 years old.

In previous posts, I wrote about my son playing football for the Hauppauge Youth Organization in the five and six-year old division.  On a team of fourteen kids, my son was amongst a handful of kindergartners on the team.  Although he is mature for his age, he did struggle at times with the complexities of organized football.  As one of the coaches, it was my job to help him and the rest of his teammates improve over the course of the season.

Most of the kids showed meaningful progress from the first practice in August until the recent final game of the season.  It was truly amazing to see progress happening right before my eyes.  This is the first time that I've gotten to experience anything like this, and it was very satisfying.  As a youth playing little league baseball, we kept the same team together for several years, so we all progressed together.  When you're playing the game, you just have so much fun that you fail to realize that improvement is happening on a regular basis.

When I look back on the days of playing little league, all I can remember is the good times.  Maybe it's because nostalgia can really polish up a memory and make it exactly what you want it to be, or maybe it's because things really were fun.  At times during this season, these kids seemed to be having the time of their lives.  However, the football season is long and it takes a lot of time and dedication to get the most out of it.

The team was made up of basically good kids, but they would act up from time to time.  In our short attention span world, the mind of a five or six-year old seems to be constantly racing.  At times, I was amazed that any progress was made, especially during the practices where the kids were "acting up."

As I reflect back upon this season, the thing that I am most proud of is not the development of the kids as football players, although it was exciting to experience it first-hand.  For me, my proudest moment is that my son dedicated himself to playing the game, and kept a laser focus throughout the season.  He missed one practice and one game during the course of the entire season, and his limited absences were caused by family obligations and not by his own doing.

When judging the skill level of the kids on the team, my son would be considered average at best.  The same can be said for most of the team, although a few of them really shined.  As a first-year player, it was to be expected.  What I can say with 100% conviction is that he was the most dedicated player on the team.  Maybe it stems from the fact that the same discipline that he receives at home was continued by having me coach him on the field.  Whatever the reason, he always played the position that he was told to play and did whatever was asked of him in practice without ever complaining. 

If not for the fact that I pushed him to execute the plays more efficiently, my son would probably tell you that it was a perfect season.  Now that the season has ended, he genuinely misses going to practice and told me that Sundays don't feel the same.  I can honestly say that my son is wise beyond his years, and he often times observes the world with the awareness of an adult.  Most kids couldn't wait for practice to end, but my son actually was excited to go to football practice.

Many parents have a hard time being objective when it comes to their children, but that is not an issue for me.  There are things that he can use work on and things that he does very well.  Other parents and teachers have spoken to my wife and me about my son's wisdom and maturity level in relation to their own children, so I know that he is different than most kids his age, which can have its drawbacks at times as well.

Overall, the coaching experience was a great one.  The ability to teach and connect with kids was something that I didn't even know that I possessed until I started coaching the team.  It's a great feeling to see one of the kids from the team come up to you in school or around town and be excited to see you.  In a day and age when parents and coaches tend to take things to unfortunate extremes, it makes me proud to say that this team, the parents and the coaches were as tight-knit as the little league baseball team that I played on as kid.

The season to remember culminated in a team pizza party.  All of the kids wore their jerseys and got to bond for one last time as a team, as they will not all be together again next year when the six-year olds move up to another division.  Many of the parents have older children that have been playing organized sports for a while.  These parents, in particular, were so impressed with the way that we coached the team, that they presented us each with a gift and a thank you card at the party.

This surprising gesture was very moving, and greatly appreciated.  Each coach received a gift certificate to a restaurant inside of the thank you card.  This alone would have been more than enough, but we also each received a framed copy of the team photo.  This will hang in my home office for years to come as a constant reminder of a season to remember.

Long Island towns have many similarities, but each one has its own unique quality as well.  In the case of Levittown, the distinguishing feature is that it is known throughout the world as one of the first suburban towns.  The Levitt Home is the model that was used for many post World War II suburban communities.   This community originally started out as an experiment in low-cost, mass produced homes.

Years later, this Long Island town is again on the cutting edge.  "America's first suburb" is now on the cusp of becoming "America's first green suburb."  To achieve this goal, a dozen professional canvassers from Citizens Campaign For The Environment will go door-to-door to all 17,000 homes in the community trying to convince homeowners to get an energy audit.

The goal is to get at least 5,000 homeowners to agree to the complimentary energy audit, and then follow-up by making the recommended changes to improve on energy efficiency.  This would be achieved by homeowners agreeing to upgrade heating and cooling systems as well as their insulation, and also to take other energy-saving measures.

To fund this outreach and audit campaign, eight private firms are providing up to $300,000.  Homeowners that participate in upgrading their energy efficiency will be able to qualify for low-interest loans to do so.  The energy savings that each homeowner will receive will make repaying these low-interest loans fairly painless.  With energy costs, particularly home heating costs, on the rise, the savings will be immediately noticed by the homeowners that participate in this program.

Nassau County Executive, Tom Suozzi, is planning to hold an Earth Day celebration in Levittown in April.

As a relocation specialist, I am aware that many Long Islanders are looking to leave the Island to move to a warmer climate.  Florida is one of the most popular relocation destinations for Long Islanders.  If you've been thinking about making a move to Florida, or possibly buying a vacation home, you will have the opportunity to get a lot of your questions answered this weekend. 

On both Saturday and Sunday, a program called Florida Discovery Weekend will be featured from 11am - 4 pm.  You will have the opportunity to learn about every aspect of the Florida lifestyle.  Learn about the weather, the history, the population and more.  You can also learn about the housing opportunities that exist in Florida.  A "Florida Update" seminar will discuss the latest market trends.   

Admission to this event is FREE.  For registration information, please call 800-511-0814.

This event will take place at the Smithtown Sheraton on Motor Parkway.

For driving directions to the Smithtown Sheraton, please click here.

                                                                 TAKE A BITE...LONG ISLAND 

Welcome to the first installment of Take A Bite...Long Island.  This recurring column will feature reviews of various restaurants and food on Long Island.  This first column happens to indirectly tie-in to real estate.  Years ago, I took did my real estate training to get licensed in Woodbury.  The class was given at a hotel on Jericho Turnpike, just down the road from the shopping center where Butera's Restaurant of Woodbury is located.

The real estate class was given over the course of six full days.  On the first day, I stumbled upon Butera's, and after the first lunch, I was hooked!  One of the things that I looked forward to in each of the following five days of classes, was the lunches that I would have each day at this fine dining establishment.  Even though I spent each day eating alone while working on the class materials during the lunch rush, I was always made to feel as welcome as a large group that would generate bigger tips.

Aside from the great service, the food was outstanding, and considering the portions, actually very reasonably priced.  This was the kind of place that you want to return to again and again.  For Suffolk County residents, traveling to Woodbury or to Massapequa may not be ideal, even though it would be well worth the trip.  This problem was solved recently when Butera's opened another establishment on Main Street in Smithtown.

At first blush, you may think that Butera's Restaurant of Smithtown is too fancy for young children, but it is actually "kid-friendly."  Upon arriving for lunch, we were greeted by the friendly staff and promptly escorted to our table.  The staff was happy to oblige our request for a high chair for our one-year old, and provided my five-year old with a nice supply of crayons.

Most places give the kids a menu with some games to color, but Butera's really caters to kids by allowing them to color on the whole table.  Well, ok, not the actual table, but the tables are all covered with brown paper to protect the table cloths.  My son and I had a great time drawing sports figures and logos from our favorite teams.  During this particular lunch, we were the only ones with kids, as it was mostly business people, but we never felt out of place.

Coloring is fun, but the real reason to go to Butera's is for great food and service.  Upon sitting at the table, one of the very friendly staff members immediately takes your drink order, while another staff member brings out the delicious assortment of breads and glasses of water.  This may seem like a small detail, but sometimes it's the little things that really make a difference.  After pouring a glass of water for each person, a large carafe of ice water is left on the table so you never have to wait for more water.

The bread basket features some amazing focaccia bread and garlic knots.  You could fill up on the bread and water and go home satiated, but you wouldn't want to because the food is so good.  At lunch time, focaccia is all the rage, as it is the bread of choice for the delicious sandwiches that Butera's has to offer. 

The lunch menu features the perfect blend of sandwiches, salads, pasta.  There is a nice variety, but the menu isn't so large that the decision-making becomes a chore.  The whole family chose focaccia.  My wife chose the grilled chicken sandwich with spinach, roasted pepper and melted mozzarella cheese, and I went for the classic, chicken parmesan sandwich.   Each of the sandwiches came with a huge amount of perfectly crip french fries.  My son chose the focaccia pizza from the kids menu, and this fussy eater loved every bite!

Everything was outstanding.  The portions were tremendous, and we each had another meal the following day.  Soda and iced tea refills were offered, and we were checked on regularly by the wait staff and the management.  If you're looking for a place with great food and great service with reasonable prices and large portions, you MUST check out Butera's!  You will leave happy and full.