Yeah, I live on Staten Island...What's it to you?

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield's opening shtick was, " I don't get no respect!", and as a resident of the least populous borough of one of the most high powered cities in the world, I can also exclaim with wild abandon, " Hey, WE don't get no Respect, now leave us alone!".


I have lived on Staten Island since 1973 after being born in the Bronx, growing up in Brooklyn, attending high school in Queens and college in Manhattan.  It was a conscious decision on my part to be here.  I like it here, otherwise I would not have remained. But I am really tired of insensitive colleagues and commentators repeating hurtful, incorrect and absolutely untrue comments about the island I have chosen to live upon.


First of all: No, I do not need a passport to get to Manhattan.  I get on the ferry and am there in 25 minutes...not a bad commute for anyone working in downtown Manhattan.  I do however have a passport and use it frequently for travel away from NYC.  To my friends in Chelsea...no it does not take me two hours to get home from there.  If I have my car, I am home in about thirty minutes. Mass transit takes longer, but the express bus is less than an hour, and I get to read on the way home.  No, I do not know Big Ang from "Mob Wives", but I do know some folks who do know her, mostly for business reasons; they do NOT socialize with her...well, maybe one does.  To tourists who ride the ferry: yes, we are politically part of New York City, and NO, that is the Bayonne Bridge, not the Brooklyn Bridge.

Bayonne Bridge

And as to those uninformed and ignorant Manhattan-centric tour guides: the SI Ferry does NOT stop at the Statue of Liberty, and there is lots to do out here.  Stop telling people that "we dump our garbage there." The bulk of NYC solid refuse goes to landfills in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  The "landfill" on Staten Island will be turned into park land in a few years; there is a paper recycling plant on Staten Island, as there is in Brooklyn.


Oh, and there are things to do once you get off the ferry.  Here are some suggestions:




Postcards 9-11 monument

1. Postcards: 9/11 Monument.  This is located next to the ferry terminal near the esplanade.  It is in front of the baseball stadium and positioned in such a way as to see the site of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan through it.  There is a profile and name of each Staten Islander who died on that fateful day.  You can also get great shots of Manhattan and Jersey City from the esplanade.

http://www.statenislandusa.com/pages/memorial.html 

Scholars' Garden @ Snug Harbor

2. Snug Harbor Cultural Center: Both the S-40 and the S-44 bus from the ferry will take you to this gem of a place.  Strolling around the Grounds is free, but there are admission fees for the Chinese Scholars' Garden and any of the Art Galleries, and there is a combo ticket at a reduced rate, but there is enough to see for free, including beautiful gardens and greenhouses.  In addition, the Staten Island Children's Museum is on the grounds and is worth the price of admission if you have anyone with you from the age of three to nine.

http://www.snug-harbor.org/

Garibaldi-Meucci Museum

3. The Garibaldi-Meucci Museum:  This modest mid 19th century house was home to two of Italy's most famous sons,  inventor Antonio Meucci and legendary hero Giuseppe Garibaldi.  The Musuem is located in the Rosebank section of Staten Island, which is traditionally home to many Italian immigrants, and that flavor remains.  Take either the S-52 or the S-78 to get there.  It is opened Wednesdays to Saturdays from 1 to 5pm.  There is an admission fee of $5.  The Sons of Italy own this home.

http://pub1.andyswebtools.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-home.cgi?d=garibaldi-meucci-museum


Ft Wadsworth Overlook

4. Overlook at Von Briesen Park: one of the hidden gems of the NYC Parks Department, this lovely 10 acre park has walking paths and a lovely overlook of the NY Harbor. There is also a great overlook in Fort Wadsworth located on the military base next to Von Briesen, as part of the National Parks Department complex located there.  Either of these overlooks can be accessed from the S-51 from the ferry; and there is no charge. http://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/R059/history

http://www.statenislandusa.com/pages/ft_wadsworth.html

5. A bit more far afield, but really worth the trip, is the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art located in the Richmondtown section of Staten Island.  It is a forty minute ride from the ferry on the S-74 to Lighthouse Hill, and you have to walk up the hill to the museum.  You can also take a taxi if you want to spend about $20 each way...do the bus and take the hike.  This museum is a bit of Tibet transported to NYC.  It is both peaceful and imaginative with fish ponds and meditation cells and a great collection of all things Tibetan. http://www.tibetanmuseum.org/who_we_are/locations.html 

If you have made it to the Tibetan Museum, you might as well stop at  Historic Richmondtown Restoration, the only preserved early 19th century village in NYC.



Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art

So, if you do come to NYC and happen to ride on the Staten Island Ferry, think about visiting us for  a bit...you'll be glad you did.