It’s no secret that going to Emory is basically the equivalent of staying on Long Island. After all, it seems like every other person that’s not from LA or DC has roots there—or at least is a city kid with a Hamptons house. Being from Long Island myself, I know I’ll never have to worry about finding someone to Uber with me back to Emory after a flight or someone to play Jewish geography with me when I’m looking to procrastinate in Club Lib. That being said, us Long Islanders are ready to go home this Thanksgiving Break—and rightfully so. As fun as the ATL is, it simply doesn’t have all the Long Island staples that keep us going on a daily basis. To be honest, I’m not sure how I’ve kept my sanity without these things over the past three months, but here’s a few favorites that every LI girl can’t wait to go home to this break.
1. Kitchen Kab
This place is basically the capital of Long Island. Anyone who walks in here can expect to run into at least three people she knows—usually one camp friend, one home friend, and one college friend. For those of you not from Long Island, think of Kitchen Kab as Alon’s with a huge social scene and even better food. Between overpriced (but unreal) salads, heavenly iced coffee, and the killer omelette bar, Kitchen Kab is the perfect place to grab a quick lunch or enjoy a meal and catch up with your friends. You’ll most likely end up seeing every single person from your high school that you’re probably not in the mood to see anyway, but don’t pass up the sit-down lunch. After all, if no one sees you at KKab over the break, did you even go home?
2. SoulCycle
After a semester of waiting too long for an elliptical at the WoodPEC during the 5 PM pre-dinner gym rush hour, the Long Island girl who loves to workout is ready to take out her computer during class and reserve her bikes at 12 PM on Monday. CYC Fitness is ATL’s closest equivalent to Soul, but every Soul lover knows that there’s nothing even remotely comparable to tapping it back at a Soul studio. Turn it up, hit all four corners, and enjoy your cardio party because at the end of the day, it’s probably the most exciting party you’ll make it to on Long Island anyway.
3. Yogurt & Such
Honestly, I have no shame in admitting that I’ve missed Yogurt & Such over these past three months more than I’ve missed most people from home. Yes, ATL has YoTap, but there’s nothing like the Yogurt & Such chocolate and vanilla twist with rainbow sprinkles or cookie dough. I’d say more, but the reality is that the yogurt speaks for itself.
4. Roosevelt Field Mall
As great as Lenox is, there’s something comforting about the Roosevelt Field for us LI girls. I mean, we grew up eating samples of Chinese chicken at the food court and taking pictures in Limited Too after waiting in a 40-minute line at Abercrombie, back when that was the hottest fashion. With the new and improved food court and Neiman Marcus on the way, we’ve always been able to count on the Roosevelt Field to keep up with the times.
5. The LIRR
When I’m home, the LIRR (aka the Long Island Railroad) isn’t anything I particularly love, but being in Atlanta has made me appreciate this usually-on-time-sometimes-annoyingly-late transportation method. The LIRR makes it easy enough to get into the city and take advantage of all those Black Friday sales or meet up with your Emory friends that you haven’t seen in all of two days from Westchester or Manhattan. After spending the past three months dealing with Ubers and traffic when trying to get into central Atlanta, you’ll be appreciative of this easy and seamless trip into the city.
6. The Double D: Diners and Delis
There’s something baffling to me about the fact that my non-Long Island friends here simply don’t understand the concept of getting every other meal at a diner or a deli. Besides my one 2 AM trip to Majestic Diner this semester, I really don’t get my diner fix in the ATL. The omelettes at the DUC just don’t compare. Plus, there’s nothing like being able to pick up a sandwich or chopped salad with a deli on every other block. If you’re not from Long Island (props for making it this far into the article), you’re probably thinking that we have a deli at Cox and the DUC that are both five minutes away from just about everything on campus. However, any Long Island native can back me up when I say that it’s not the same. Don’t ask me how a wrap with turkey and honey mustard can taste a million times better when it’s coming from an LI deli—just believe me when I say it does.
After being on Long Island for a few days, you’re probably going to experience some separation anxiety from these things as you head off to return to Emory to finish off the semester. If nothing else, remember that, while you might not have these LI essentials in the ATL, you’ll at least have plenty of Long Islanders by your side at Emory to vent about them with. Let’s be real: there are probably fifteen of them on your flight. See you in the security line!