Mastic Beach in Long Island, NY: You Are All I Can Afford and Still I Struggle

I'm originally from Hampton Bays, yet years ago when we moved out to Mastic Beach I had not known quite what I was in for. You see I had friends from the Hampton's, friends in Manorville, and friends in Moriches. The moment they heard I was moving to Mastic Beach tables turned and my 'richer' of friends brought out their true colors.

"Mistake Beach", "Mastic Trash", and "Trashtic Mastic" were not uncommon names to be thrown at me.

I liked where I was though. I was 12. The graduating class was nearly 700 or more. There were kids everywhere my age, and none of them were going to judge me based on the shoes or clothes I worse, to them, I was just me. They came from a poor family, I came from a poor family, and everything we had we shared, or borrowed. If Lucy got a newvideo game, we were all at Lucy's house. If Peter got a new bike, we all took turns riding it. It made sense, it was fun, and honestly a bit charming.

So, I figured I, would take you on a tour through my town and some of my favorite spots, the local people, and what to expect if you come to live here.

Okay... I will start with the schools. Oh yes William Floyd will brag about the size, and the new renovations, and the teachers and staff... It took quite a few years for the renovations to complete, but once all was said and done, the school was a glorious building with enough room to get lost. Intimidating to say the least... but offered plenty. From art classes to photography, it's got it all. Seriously, the Highschool alone is like a college sized campus.

You have your normal problems, cliches not getting along with other cliques, but its been that way since the beginning of time. I never got into any fights. I always figured if you hang with the wrong crowd you attract trouble. Choices are what you make of schools.

Why Do I Live In Mastic Beach has always been a common question, and honestly I don't know why. Every town has it's rap. From here to the Hamptons...there is no such thing as a perfect town. HELLO!