6 Long Island Quirks That Confuse Everyone Else in New York

Ask a Long Islander for directions, and you might get an answer that wasn’t what you expected.

That’s only the start.

Some Long Island habits and landmarks can confuse New Yorkers from upstate, too.

Here’s what to know before you visit, so you’re not the one asking for a translation.

1. The Big Duck

The Big Duck is a Long Island building shaped like a Pekin duck.

A duck farmer named Martin Maurer commissioned it, and it went up in 1931, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s travel site.

The idea came after a couple on vacation in California passed a roadside coffee shop shaped like a coffee pot.

At one time, it had ducks and eggs for sale.

In 1987, instead of demolition, a tractor trailer carried it to a nearby county park.

It’s a museum and gift shop, so check the hours before you go.

Yes, it’s a duck.

Many people from other parts of the state do a double take at a duck-shaped building, and you might too.

2. Bonac Speech

Bonac is a Long Island dialect from East Hampton, according to a 2023 East Hampton Star column.

Bonac is also a place and a way of life, all three fading.

Its roots go back to the early British colonists instead of the Dutch.

Say it out loud.

Line becomes “loine” and harbor becomes “habah,” and to some ears the dialect sounds a little like English from the 16th and 17th centuries.

A 1983 language guide, reprinted in the Star in 1998, gives Bonac a phrase for the last guest to leave a party.

That phrase is “clam the tide out.”

The guide also called Bonac a vestige of folk speech that was rapidly disappearing as the area urbanized.

If you want to hear it, the East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection has recordings of interviews with Bonackers.

3. Suffolk’s Tap Water Comes From Underground

Long Island’s Suffolk County gets its tap water only from groundwater, according to the state’s Central Pine Barrens commission.

If you live in Suffolk County, the water you drink comes from that groundwater.

The Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) says lawn irrigation is a major draw on Long Island’s sole-source aquifer.

As of 2021, 70% of the water it pumps goes to outside use, most of it lawn irrigation.

For its Suffolk County customers, the authority ties lawn watering days to your house number.

Check your house number first.

Addresses ending in 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 water on odd calendar days, and those ending in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 water on even ones.

A house number ending in 7 means the 15th is a watering day and the 16th isn’t.

The authority also restricts automatic irrigation from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, when evaporation is highest.

4. Shelter Island’s Two Ferries

Shelter Island is served by two independent ferry companies, according to a town planning document.

North Ferry takes you between Shelter Island and Greenport in about 15 minutes, while South Ferry takes you to North Haven, close to Sag Harbor, in about five.

You pick your ferry.

The two ferries are Shelter Island’s only connections to “the mainline.”

South Ferry says its boats shuttle people and vehicles between Shelter Island and North Haven every 10 to 15 minutes, 365 days a year.

North Ferry lists its last boats, which leave Shelter Island at 11:45 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

Check each company’s schedule and rates before you go.

5. Getting Around Fire Island

Getting around Fire Island takes some planning.

You can reach mid-island attractions like Watch Hill and Sailors Haven by passenger ferry or private boat.

Fire Island Water Taxi is authorized to provide lateral ferry service between the communities on the island, the park service says.

If you're bringing a wheelchair, stroller or wagon, the park permits them, but bicycles, scooters, roller skates and rollerblades are prohibited on all park boardwalks.

Not every trail and facility is fully accessible.

6. Brooklyn and Queens Are on Long Island

Queens is on the far west section of geographic Long Island, according to the county page.

Brooklyn's roots are there too.

Kings County began in the 17th century as the Dutch-founded town of Breuckelen on the East River shore of Long Island.

If you live in Brooklyn or Queens, you live on Long Island, geographically speaking.

Some New Yorkers use the name only for Nassau and Suffolk counties, so the geography can surprise them.

When you're giving directions, say Nassau or Suffolk if that's the part of the island you mean.

The Pine Barrens Protect Suffolk's Groundwater

New York's Legislature passed the Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Act in 1993 to protect the region now known as the Central Pine Barrens.

The commission says the law was designed to ensure protection of groundwater for the residents of Suffolk County.

If you live there, it was written with your water in mind.