Staten Island
Introduction
Staten Island is the southernmost of New York City's five boroughs, set apart from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and from the rest of the city by New York Bay. It is also the least densely populated and most suburban of the boroughs, coextensive with Richmond County and home to the southernmost point in New York state.
Before you go
Staten Island is New York City's only borough without a predominant numbered street grid, so you cannot rely on street numbers to tell you where you are. Instead, orient yourself by the main highways: the Staten Island Expressway runs east–west from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to the Goethals Bridge; the West Shore Expressway runs south to the Outerbridge Crossing in Tottenville; the Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway runs north to the Bayonne Bridge; and the Korean War Veterans Parkway branches off the West Shore and runs northeast to Eltingville. Most other streets follow a simple triangular pattern, running parallel to the northern, western, and eastern/southern shores, so knowing the main roads that form each side of the triangle will keep you from getting lost. It is worth setting aside the movie-and-reality-TV image of Staten Island as a mob haven: it is no more dangerous than the other boroughs, though crime does exist and varies by area. The North Shore, home to large low-income housing projects, has a somewhat elevated crime rate and attracts petty and some more serious crime, so be careful walking alone at night. Below the Staten Island Expressway, the South Shore has a relatively low crime rate. If you visit the South Shore in spring, be aware that the many street trees bring high pollen counts in April and May, along with squirrels, birds and their droppings, ants, bumblebees, and large birds such as woodpeckers and owls; take precautions if you have severe allergies or strong aversions.Getting there
Staten Island is most memorably reached by passenger ferry from Manhattan, which departs from Battery Park and arrives at St. George Terminal. The ride is the most visually pleasing way onto the island: it passes Liberty Island and offers views of the Manhattan skyline and New York Harbor. The ferry is free and runs around the clock; even in the early morning hours it never departs less than once every half hour, at the half hour. The crossing takes about 25 minutes and can sometimes be a faster trip from Lower Manhattan than going by car or bus. Bicycles are allowed on the lower decks, where bike racks are usually available. St. George Terminal also connects to the Staten Island Railway and many of the island's local buses.
By car, you can arrive by bridge from Brooklyn or New Jersey. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge connects Brooklyn with Staten Island, while the Bayonne Bridge links Bayonne, New Jersey with the northern part of the island, the Goethals Bridge connects Elizabeth, New Jersey to mid-western Staten Island, and the Outerbridge Crossing connects Perth Amboy, New Jersey and Tottenville. Tolls on these crossings are payable only when entering Staten Island, not when leaving, and the Bayonne and Verrazano-Narrows bridges use all-electronic tolling, so no cash is accepted. Express buses from Manhattan are a moderately priced alternative and are especially handy for the South Shore, the section furthest from the ferry with fewer local routes; most run only on weekdays under the SIM acronym, with the SIM2 serving lower Manhattan and the SIM10 serving midtown. You can also take the S53, S79, or S93 from the 86th Street subway station of the R train in Brooklyn, which cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge: the S53 serves the North Shore through Port Richmond and West New Brighton, the S79 runs along Hylan Boulevard and Richmond Avenue to the Staten Island Mall, and the S93 runs rush hours only to the College of Staten Island. From Bayonne, the S89 Limited runs during rush hours from the 34th Street Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station down Richmond Avenue.
Getting around
Staten Island has no subway connection, so getting around means combining the Staten Island Railway, buses, and your own two feet. The railway is a hybrid of a railroad and a subway line, running 24 hours from the St. George Ferry Terminal to Tottenville, with intervals from about 15 minutes during weekday rush hours to hourly overnight, synchronized to the ferry schedule. Fares match the subway fare and are collected only at St. George Ferry Terminal and Tompkinsville, and your ride includes a free transfer to or from the buses or subway in Manhattan. During rush hours, express service runs and the locals terminate at Great Kills.
Buses cover the island thoroughly. Local routes carry an S before the number (S55, S78), while express buses to Manhattan are marked with an X (X1, X17) and have more comfortable cloth seats. During rush hours, some locals run Limited, stopping only at major cross streets and transfer points; limited numbers fall in the 80s and 90s and usually correspond to a local route (S62/S92, S46/S96). Most routes meet at the St. George Ferry Terminal, with other major transfer points at Port Richmond, the Staten Island Mall, and the Eltingville Transit Center. Pay fares with OMNY. Service is sparse outside rush hours — even at peak, the most frequent headway is about 10 minutes — so pick up a schedule, check the Guide-A-Ride boxes at stops, or use the MTA's BusTime system. Buses are usually reasonably reliable on weekdays, but don't count on posted schedules on Sundays. Because the island is suburban and spread out, walking works best in the denser North Shore neighborhoods — St. George, Tompkinsville, Clifton, and Stapleton — combined with buses or the railway for longer hops.
Where to stay
Staten Island is the closest borough to Newark International Airport, which makes it worth considering as a base if you're flying in or out of the New York area: taxi fares and travel times are lower than they would be to Manhattan. The island's three regions each offer a different feel to build a stay around. The North Shore holds the oldest neighborhoods, with St. George serving as the political, transportation and cultural hub, and Stapleton known for its waterfront. Mid-Island, largely built up after the Verrazano Bridge opened, includes the peaceful residential stretches of Dongan Hills and Todt Hill, while the South Shore remains comparatively undeveloped, with largely residential Great Kills and Eltingville, the latter home to a major transit center. For accommodation itself, options are limited. A Hilton Garden Inn on South Avenue is the property named in the source, reachable by the S46 or S96 bus to South Ave & Lois Ln.Food & drink
Staten Island's dining scene is dominated by Italian kitchens, but the stretch of Victory Boulevard running through St. George and Tompkinsville—much of it within walking distance of the ferry terminal—holds a cluster of inexpensive, authentic South Asian restaurants. For pizza, you can seek out a tavern-style pies-and-more spot on Port Richmond Avenue, an extraordinarily thin, light slice on Victory Boulevard where the eggplant fries are worth ordering, or a small wood-fired pizzeria in New Dorp. Ralph's Italian Ices, the original store of a chain with several other locations across the island, serves light, refreshing ices. For Mexican food, a taqueria on Victory Boulevard turns out cemitas—sandwiches with your choice of meat, avocado, chipotle peppers, quesillo, and beans—while a Tex-Mex spot on Forest Avenue offers generous portions and a bar downstairs. Spanish cooking shows up at a Schuyler Street restaurant near the ferry, where tapas, sangria, and occasional live music lend the neighborhood some polish, and at a Forest Avenue restaurant serving authentic Spanish dishes. Sri Lankan options include an elegant Bay Street eatery with a Sunday buffet and a Victory Boulevard restaurant known for its mutton rolls, with several Sri Lankan groceries dotting the street a short walk from the ferry. For drinking, St. George has a few bars south of the ferry terminal, including a cozy spot on Bay Street where you can try a jalapeño margarita, and the island's first brewery in decades, with a rotating tap list in its tap room.What to see and do
Staten Island is the "Borough of Parks," and its green spaces range from small playgrounds to vast stretches of raw nature. The Greenbelt covers much of the Mid-Island with woodlands and trails, and the Greenbelt Nature Center is a good starting point for hikers. On the South Shore, Blue Heron Park is known for its wildlife, including the blue herons that give it its name, while Lemon Creek Park shelters one of the region's few purple martin colonies. Mount Loretto Unique Area offers hiking trails, shoreline access, and fishing along its beach or freshwater pond. Great Kills Park combines woodland with beaches, and South Beach & Boardwalk, one of the longest boardwalks in the country, is a pleasant place to run, bike, or relax by the water. Freshkills Park is still in its first stages of development, with Schmul Park in Travis offering a colorful playground, basketball and handball courts, and an open grass field. The Staten Island Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area includes Fort Wadsworth, a fort dating to 1663 with tours available, Miller Field, a former Army airfield turned grassy park, and Great Kills Park. Closer to the ferry, Von Briesen Park is a small, hilly former estate, and Willowbrook Park has a carousel.
For culture, Snug Harbor Cultural Center holds the largest collection of Greek Revival, temple-style buildings in America, along with the Staten Island Botanic Garden, a Chinese Scholar's garden, and the John A. Noble Collection art museum. The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art displays a collection of Tibetan art praised for its authenticity. The Conference House dates to 1680 and hosted a peace conference during the Revolutionary War, and Historic Richmond Town preserves the area's past. The Alice Austen House, the Staten Island Museum, the Staten Island Children's Museum, and the National Lighthouse Museum round out the museum offerings. Near the St. George Ferry Terminal, the Postcards memorial honors residents lost on September 11, 2001. For live entertainment, take in a Staten Island FerryHawks baseball game at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark, a relaxed alternative to the major leagues. The Staten Island Zoo in West New Brighton is a fun stop for children and animal enthusiasts, with a substantial reptile wing. You can also visit a branch of the New York Public Library, where every Staten Island location keeps a file cabinet of local history documents.
Three days in Staten Island
Day one: Start on the North Shore, arriving by ferry at St. George Terminal, where you can look back across New York Harbor to Lower Manhattan and out toward Liberty Island. From there, follow the waterfront along the Kill Van Kull and Arthur Kill, the narrow channels that separate Staten Island from New Jersey. Bicycles are a good way to cover this stretch, and the views across the water toward Bayonne and the working docks give you a sense of the island's maritime character.
Day two: Head inland and south, using the Staten Island Expressway or the Korean War Veterans Parkway to reach the Greenbelt and the island's wooded interior. Continue toward the South Shore, where the character shifts to quieter residential streets and shoreline. In April and May the weather turns mild and the parks and gardens are at their best. End the day in Tottenville, at the island's southern tip, near the Outerbridge Crossing.
Day three: Cross to the west side, following the West Shore Expressway past Eltingville and the West Shore, with the Goethals Bridge and the Bayonne Bridge linking the island to New Jersey. Loop back toward the Narrows Bridge and the Verrazano, watching the ships move through the Narrows into New York Bay. If time allows, return to St. George Terminal for the ferry back to Manhattan, with one last look at the harbor.