Despite the fact that a majority of New Yorkers have never actually
set foot on the Isle of Staten (the ferry terminal doesn’t count), it
often gets crapped on by residents of the four other boroughs.
Well, as a native and current resident, I’m here to tell you to 1)
shut the hell up, and 2) read this: 11 reasons why Staten Island is
actually pretty damn awesome.
1. There's a giant boat that’s just for us, and you get to drink on it
The five-mile, 26-30-minute Staten Island Ferry ride traverses the lower
New York Bay, and provides you and your loved ones with wonderful views
of blah blah blah. More to the point, they have an onboard
cafe that sells beer that you can legally guzzle down in public without a
brown paper bag.
If you’re coming from Manhattan, work your way through the line to get
to the front of the doors. Once they begin boarding, speed your way over
the right landing platform, and walk up the right staircase to the top
level. Walk allllll the way to the back of the boat, through the doors,
and you now have a front-row seat (literally) to all those astonishing
views and landmarks. Once you’ve secured your spot, send someone
downstairs for another 24oz can of brew.
2. The Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden
This National Historic Landmark is also an 83-acre park, home to the
Sunset Summer Concert Series,
a contemporary art exhibit, a maritime collection exhibit, the Staten
Island Museum, an art lab, music hall, and, um, a botanical garden. Go
Thursday-Saturday, hit up
Blue Restaurant (roughly
a seven-minute walk from Snug Harbor), and indulge in their three-course clam bake special.
The boardwalk brings together South Beach (the beach closer to the
Verrazano Bridge) and Midland Beach. This was one of the hardest-hit
areas by Hurricane Sandy, but it’s since been cleaned up, rebuilt, and
even improved upon. There are bike trails, bocce, basketball, tennis
courts, baseball fields, playgrounds, food trucks, two restaurants (
The Vanderbilt at South Beach and
South Fin Grill),
a long fishing pier, and public BBQs. It’s technically illegal to drink
in the area where the BBQs are, but it’s technically illegal to do
a lot of dumb things, so just bring some Solo cups and don’t be an idiot about it.
Suck on all
that, Rockaways.
If you ride/walk along the bike lane towards the Verrazano Bridge and
follow it straight around all its twists and turns, you’ll end up at one
of the oldest military stations in the nation, which was a major
defense hub during the Revolutionary War. Bonus: a solid Fort Wadsworth
Instagram shot with the bridge in the background is guaranteed at
least 35 likes.
5. We've got 35 acres of hiking trails. How many does your borough have, again?
Marked hiking trails are all over the place, along with the largest
forest preserve in New York mother-sexing City. You can also scale the
260ft Moses Mountain (40+ likes on that Instagram photo if you take it
from the peak).
Founded in the 17th century, Richmondtown is spread out over four sites and 30 buildings, and makes for
an excellent walking tour. If you didn’t give a crap about history
but excelled at things like trading for the good snacks at lunch in middle school, Richmondtown also has a wealth of
BBQ and
chili cook-offs.
Tottenville is the Southernmost neighborhood in the five boroughs, and
at the Southernmost tip of Tottenville stands The Conference House. In
1776, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and a handful of other wig-wearing,
soon-to-be Americans met to try and bring an end to the Revolutionary
War. But before you follow in Ben Franklin’s footsteps, do yourself --
and your country -- a favor and make a pitstop at nearby
Reggiano’s Brick Oven Pizza. Isn’t your right to stuff your face what they fought for, after all?
9. We can play with llamas pretty much whenever we want
On any given day, you can pay $8 to gain access to the Staten Island Zoo
and feast your eyes on birds of prey, ostriches, sea otter, et al. And
if you were to go on a Wednesday, between 2pm and 4pm, it would be FREE
to enter.
10. A Staten Island Yankees game > Any other minor league team's game
They play in the lowest minor league division, but so what? Tickets are
cheap, the ferry essentially drops you off at the front door of Richmond
County Bank Ballpark, and, most importantly, the food and beer cost
half
what it does at a major league game. If you manage to get a few
buddies/family members to go with, opt for the $30 (which would net you
approximately one beer in a souvenir cup at Yankee Stadium)
BBQ Pit,
which includes picnic-style seating at the game, and an unlimited BBQ
feast 30 minutes before first pitch, and an hour after the game starts.
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