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Staten Island

The land of Shaolin (according to the Wu Tang Clan, whose borough this is), velour sweatsuits, pasta with gravy (red meat sauce), homes of clapboard and aluminum siding, three cast members of MTV's Jersey Shore, and the starting point of the NYC marathon, Staten Island feels light years away from Manhattan. If not for its namesake ferry, which docks in downtown St George, it might even be mostly forgotten. Unfashionably suburban, it's not without historical and cultural drawcards, and can make a pleasant mini-break within a high-energy tour of New York.

Explore Staten Island

  • H
    Historic Richmond Town

    In the center of Staten Island, this settlement of more than 30 buildings is frozen in amber, part of a 100-acre preservation project maintained by the…

  • A
    Alice Austen House

    The former home of maverick photographer Alice Austen (1866–1952) stands in a serene, shore-side spot, a 2.4-mile bus ride south from the ferry pier. The…

  • L
    Lenny's Creations

    A one-off among Staten Island's many scrap-metal yards, visionary metalsmith Lenny Prince shapes old car parts into sculptures of Transformers, Chinese…

  • S
    Staten Island Museum

    An all-rounder of a museum, catering to dinosaur-hungry school groups as much as tourists looking for historical details on Staten Island. Set inside an…

  • S
    Sri Lankan Arts & Cultural Museum

    Art and artefacts from Sri Lanka are assembled inside the first Sri Lankan museum outside of the country. It was founded by Julia Wijesinghe, daughter of…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Staten Island.

  • See

    Historic Richmond Town

    In the center of Staten Island, this settlement of more than 30 buildings is frozen in amber, part of a 100-acre preservation project maintained by the…

  • See

    Alice Austen House

    The former home of maverick photographer Alice Austen (1866–1952) stands in a serene, shore-side spot, a 2.4-mile bus ride south from the ferry pier. The…

  • See

    Lenny's Creations

    A one-off among Staten Island's many scrap-metal yards, visionary metalsmith Lenny Prince shapes old car parts into sculptures of Transformers, Chinese…

  • See

    Staten Island Museum

    An all-rounder of a museum, catering to dinosaur-hungry school groups as much as tourists looking for historical details on Staten Island. Set inside an…

  • See

    Sri Lankan Arts & Cultural Museum

    Art and artefacts from Sri Lanka are assembled inside the first Sri Lankan museum outside of the country. It was founded by Julia Wijesinghe, daughter of…

Guidebooks

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