A soul is a thing’s quintessence, its center, its heart. Quintessence is the most perfect example of an object or thing. It is sometimes referred to as its fifth element. Jerry Seinfeld says things like the Swiss Army Knife, a Patagonia back pack and Bic pens are examples of things which possess quintessence, ultimate quality or perfection. And who could argue with a guy who made $1 billion just by making people laugh.

So if quintessence is about things which represent perfection or the soul of a thing, then where can one find the soul of Long Island? That which makes Long Island, Long Island? Long Island’s soul may be found in many places. Places like these:

1) Hildebrandt’s of Williston Park: Not only is Hildebrandt’s home of Long Island’s best hamburger, it’s also the luncheonette that has been used by filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Colin Trevorrow since it has a feel of home town America.

2) Endo Pharmaceutical Building in Garden City: This castle-like structure represents one of the foremost examples of Brutalist architecture and was designed by Paul Rudolph. Similar to the Pompidou Museum in Paris, the building was not praised when it was first built, which only goes to show that quality is not always recognized.

3) Miracle Mile in Manhasset: There is nothing quite as stylish, high end and downright wonderful as this strip of luxury stores. Where else can you buy your wife a Louis Vuitton bag, get yourself some nice- looking sweaters at Prada, and have a cappucino and a croissant at Cipollini’s. It’s not cheap, but quality never is.

4) Kitchen Kabaret in Roslyn: This fine food delicatessen has been around since the 1980s serving specialty items imported from around the world. Its founder, Jimmy King, can still be seen tirelessly walking about handing out samples of fresh sushi or other delicacies.

5) Diane’s Bakery in Roslyn: This bakery is the only place that can get me to cheat on my diet and indulge in their otherworldly pecan pie or marble cake. And there is something about the layout of the place and the display cases that makes it all seem perfect.

6) Jerry Seinfeld from Massapequa. If there was ever a human being who represents the soul of Long Island, it would have to be Jerry Seinfeld. He has an easy, matter-of-fact self- effacing charm that is brilliant, non-offensive and clever.

7) The wooden walkway through Fire Island’s Sunken Forest. This simple boardwalk under the trees on Fire Island offers shade, mild exercise and is only 1.2 miles long. The charm of this walk is that it can feel like you’re far away but not too far.

8) River Cafe Brooklyn: OK, this place is not exactly in Nassau County, but it deserves mention given the fact that it is perhaps the most romantic restaurant in the world, rivaled maybe by the Hotel George V in Paris. When you first walk into the main room at the River Cafe, you hear the tinkle of a piano, the hushed tones of happy conversations and are greeted with a view of the Manhattan skyline that takes you breath away.

Robert Frost wrote “The Secret Sits” which goes like this:

“We dance round in a ring and suppose,

But the Secret sits in the middle and knows.”

Frost was talking about mankind’s soul. And the eight things I mentioned contain Long Island’s soul. An abundant of riches right before our eyes.