An Island's worth of activities, just one click away

Long Island Business News, Sep 29, 2006 by Adina Genn

Switching from city-dweller to suburbanite may take some time, as Mark and Amanda Levine - recent Manhattan transplants - can attest.

Upon relocating to Long Island in July 2005, the Levines initially longed for the days when they could walk out their door and in a New York minute happen upon a street fair, a chic restaurant or an outdoor concert. By contrast, on the Island, "there was not that much to do," Mark Levine said. "We were wondering where to find something."

So the couple decided to build a Web site for "people like us," he added - computer savvy 20- to 40-year-olds who tend to look online when seeking information. In October 2005, they launched Carle Place-based EastofNYC, an online Island guide for everything from trendy restaurants to little-known shops.

The couple invested about $30,000 in the company, including its Web site development and advertising, not to mention "countless hours of database entry," Levine said.

A basic listing on the site is free and includes a venue's name and contact information. Upgraded listings, which include a photo and detailed description, run $400 a year, Levine said.

To date, the site features more than 1,600 restaurants, 127 hotels, 100 spas and 200 shops. And those numbers "are building every day," Levine noted. "I've always got my laptop with me. I'm always trying to meet the owners."

The more companies listed, the bigger the pool of potential advertisers, he added. The site includes 15 upgraded listings, and Levine said he hopes to see return on investment by March.

Through a friend, the couple discovered Sandwire, an Old Bethpage IT firm that designed and now hosts the company's Web site, www.eastofnyc.com. Sandwire also connected the Levines with an artist who developed the company logo.

The Levines, who are keeping their day jobs for now (he's in real estate management, she works for a nonprofit), spend their spare time looking for places of interest to feature on the Web site. "We scoured every public source, including the Yellow Pages," Levine noted. "We drove around visiting restaurants and collecting business cards."

The site includes sections on places to eat, drink, shop, stay overnight, work out and more in Nassau and Suffolk, and also Brooklyn - where there are trendy spots Long Islanders may enjoy but not know as well as those in Manhattan, Levine said.

The site also provides "free listings to every charity," Levine added.

In addition, EastofNYC is developing an interactive map section, highlighting an area's shops and restaurants, and is developing an escape section featuring three-day detailed excursions for those planning mini-getaways.

The Levines have found support from the Island's restaurant community. Levine reached out to local food writer Lyn Dobrin after reading one of her articles in a Long Island publication, and Dobrin suggested he contact Steve Haweeli, the owner of WordHampton, an East Hampton public relations firm whose specialty includes restaurants. Through Haweeli, Levine said he garnered marketing and advertising pointers.

EastofNYC is now an official sponsor of Long Island Restaurant Week, a weeklong event chaired by Haweeli scheduled for Nov. 5-12.

"I want to align myself with the people whose names are respected," Levine said. "I hope we can complement each other."