Twentysomething: Commack Lacks A Downtown Area

Middle-of-the-Island towns are not all bad; but I wouldn’t really call Commack a “town” by any stretch of the imagination.

To me, the word town implies some sort of central point where the arts, dining, and shopping converge in one way or another. Maybe not a central point, but a general area at least.

Take Northport, for example, where you can park by the Harbor and take a leisurely walk up and down Main Street, checking out the quaint and oddball little shops with a scoop of creamy ice cream in your hands.

Or even Huntington, where it’s actually easier to walk around and make an impromptu restaraunt selection rather than knowing exactly where you’ll be going before you get there.

Babylon also has it’s perks in that like Huntington, all the bars are located in one central area – one that most people can walk to directly from their houses thus saving the issue of finding a designated driver for a later date.

Though I love Commack dearly, a downtown is surely one thing that it is missing.

Commack is textbook suburbia – you absolutely must have a car to get around here. Everything is just too spread out and not within close proximity of each other for getting around without a car to be a feasible idea.

It would be nice to be able to walk to the local grocery store for a change, pick up a few things, and head back home without having to cross a major intersection while walking along a cracked sidewalk with no other pedestrians the whole way. Or even to walk to the nearby bar one night instead of everyone piling in one car so there is less of a chance of drunk driving and no one gets run over while crossing the street in heels.

And no – parking by a strip mall and walking the length of shops does not count and is just not the same as strolling through a downtown in my mind.

Believe it or not, I actually find it rather refreshing to walk places. It gives me the opportunity to  unwind for a minute and not always be rushing rushing rushing to get to my next destination, or to get in front of that car moving at a glacial pace, or to get my coffee fix of the day. You actually get to see what’s around you for a change and enjoy the scenery – rather than just drive by it all the time and pay it no mind while doing so.

Plus, walking is actually good for you…who knew? Instead of piling back into your car after a hearty meal and exerting minimal energy on your way home, you could be walking off that feeling of “full” so you are no longer stuffed like a freshly roasted pig, but instead feel content with the delicious meal you just had. 

If I could snap my fingers or wave my magic wand, a downtown in Commack is surely one thing I would change.