By Christina Lorenzen
Babylon is a small village on Long Island located at the 'tail' of
New York state. Though Babylon Village is a part of the Babylon township
consisting of a dozen towns, with a population of just over 12,000, the village
has a cozy 'everyone knows everyone' feel to it. Residents of the village enjoy
certain amenities that are exclusive to them alone, such as the village
beach and pool. Situated on the Great South Bay, the village has a beach town
feel to it all year round.
This first picture is my church, the First Presbyterian Church of
Babylon. was built in 1730. The steeple of the church can be seen from all
directions on Main Street where it has been located from the beginning. Each
day at noon the church bells chime and it's quite lovely to hear them as you're
walking about or shopping. Next to the church there is an old house that for
many years was the office building of the Babylon Christian School.
Unfortunately, due to a drop in enrollment, the school closed years ago but
former students still to this day talk about the wonderful learning environment
the school was.
Glen's Dinette has been the local place to eat since 1948. A small
cozy eatery, there are only a dozen tables inside. What sets Glen's apart is
the original, old fashioned lunch counter complete with red vinyl upholstered
stools. In Glen's everyone does know everyone, there's always a smile and a big
hello. The food is great and the prices are reasonable. The interior of Glen's
takes you back in time, especially the nostalgic pictures on the walls and
advertisements for Coca Cola for only five cents. Unlike today's fast food
places, they only serve breakfast and lunch and their doors are locked by
4pm.
This last picture is a look down the sidewalk of Main Street,
Babylon. Though it sounds typical of any other Main Street, USA, this Main
Street is filled with unique mom and pop shops offering a mix of eclectic items
from designer handbags to handmade jewelry. What I love most is that these
merchants often feature products from local artists, whether it be a painting,
jewelry or candles. There are no big box stores here in Babylon Village and you
won't find any two stores with the same products. There's Kilwin's the candy
store that features it's signature chocolates and ice cream. Among the mix are
a children's clothing store that also offers one of a kind birthday parties, a
handbag store, a stationary store with every kind of journal you can think of,
an antique shop where the owner is as old as her wares and a surf shop because
the close proximity of the water means swimming, surfing, paddle boarding and
boating.
Babylon Village is the ideal place to live if you love small town
life!
