If you need a compact in your daily life, you should know it by yourself without asking the forum.

When my new bike came with a 34/25 low gear, it took me one ride (including a 1.5 mile 8% climb) to conclude that I can't live with that gearing. Now I'm down to 34/32 and I can keep going up and down the same grade all day.

It is my general observation that people living east of I-35 typically don't need compacts or triples, because they don't have hills like we do. I don't know how you manage to average 50 feet/mile of climbing on Long Island. I see that kind of altitude gain riding in San Diego, where you can't go anywhere without running into a hill. Long Island is practically flat by comparison.