Staten Island Neighborhood Guide (Pt.1)

I’ve been visiting every NYC neighborhood, trying to explore my own city the way I do when I travel. I’m 210 (!!!) neighborhoods deep now and have documented it all on TikTok.

Now I’m on a mission to write it all out. Next up: Staten Island (Part 1)

It took me exploring over a hundred neighborhoods to finally make it to Staten Island. Even more so, I grew up in NYC, and I have to admit, in almost 30 years of living here, I never really explored Staten Island. So here is part one of how to spend a day in Staten Island!

First of all, the Staten Island Ferry views of the Statue of Liberty are something to experience in and of themselves. Your first real stop will be Everything Goes Books & Cafe. It’s a used bookstore. They also have community events, a back garden, a huge list of teas, and the woman who worked there was just so kind and helpful. They also have a clothing and furniture store like 15 minutes away. But this store is so homey, super local, and very into community activism.

One thing I love is exploring a historic neighborhood, and Stapleton Heights has so much beautiful architecture. It’s a historic district with homes in the Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, and many more design styles. There are 92 beautiful homes in the historic district, and it tells the story of the families that lived here when the homes were built in the 19th and 20th centuries — families who controlled the local waterfront industries. And it definitely helped that the tree-lined streets were starting to bloom with the cherry blossoms of spring.

One fun fact is that Staten Island has the most parkland of any New York City borough. One-third of the island is parks, so you’ll definitely pass through so many on your day.

After all that walking, you’re probably hungry, so head to one of these two amazing options. These two spots would honestly make a list of some of the coolest restaurants I’ve been to in New York City, period.

Number one is Lakruwana Restaurant. It’s a Sri Lankan restaurant, it’s on the New York Times Top 100 list, and every weekend they actually do a $21 all-you-can-eat buffet so you can try a bunch of different dishes. This restaurant will transport you to Sri Lanka. They have so much amazing decor. They also have a museum down the block if you have a chance to visit. They are currently closed, but they’re planning to reopen — I asked the owner. Staten Island has one of, if not the largest, Sri Lankan communities in the United States. I’m eyeing the Sri Lankan festival that they have in September. I would love to learn more about this community.

And then the second option is Enoteca Maria. It’s a restaurant where they have grandmas cooking every single day, and different grandmas cook every day, so you get different cultures, different cuisines. There was even a movie made about it!

Then head to the Alice Austen House. Alice Austen was born in 1866 and lived a very unconventional life for her time. She was very independent, openly queer, and a photographer — one of America’s first female photographers at that. The museum is where she and her family used to live, and there are examples of how she used plates to create her photographs before film photography was a thing. It’s located on the water, it’s beautiful, with views of Manhattan, so it’s a great place to sit out and read after enjoying the museum.

And last but not least is kind of the pioneer of the craft beer scene in Staten Island, Flagship Brewery. I enjoyed a little grapefruit IPA before heading back on the ferry.

And that was part one of my Staten Island series. When I originally wrote this video, I said I have at least two more parts to come. Never did I imagine, there would be 11 parts in total, with only 4 completed. So that being said, let me know your favorite things to do, eat, and see in Staten Island for the next time I visit!