Yes, the Belt Parkway leaving JFK is about as bad as it gets. If you were in Hauppauge, you were pretty much in the dead center of the island. 495 runs east-west lengthwise roughly along the middle of the island. Almost all of the north shore is beautiful, most of the south shore is also beautiful in a very different way. Out east, the island splits into a north fork and a south fork. Both also beautiful. North fork is still very rural and laid back, used to be mostly potato farms many of which now are vineyards. The wineries have nice tasting rooms and patios, and have entertainment most weekends. The south fork has the famous Hamptons which are uber-trendy. Montauk is all the way at the end, and is more laid back and quite lovely. LI is a big, diverse place. 120 miles long.
*Sorry for the hijack*