Im from Long Island, New York and spiders around here dont get as big as this one, or look like this one. I found it in a large box of wood planks. I no the picture isnt that great but if you can identify this spider it would be greatly apprecitated.
Any spider that large in your area just about has to be a dark fishing spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus; family Pisauridae) - see http://tinyurl.com/2al9y4f for some images. They are active hunters that do not spin a capture web, and often are found quite some distance from water. They are not aggressive, but large specimens are capable of inflicting a painful (but not dangerous) bite if mishandled.
