Most out-of-towners might not realize that Staten Island is actually part of New York City, despite being separated by water. It’s one of the five boroughs, just like Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Staten Island is the only borough that’s not connected to the rest of New York City by the subway system. However, it’s still not too difficult to get to the other boroughs as there are several roads and a ferry that will get you to the mainland.
One of the largest tourist attractions in New York City, the Staten Island Ferry between Staten Island and Manhattan gives rides free of charge. Over 60,000 people use this boat every day to get from one borough to the other, as the ferry makes over 100 trips on its busiest days.
While the ferry will no longer bring your car across the water, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge connects to Brooklyn. It’s known for being super busy and having horrible traffic at times, but if you really need your car in the rest of the city, it’s one of the only ways to get it there.
Don’t expect the roads to be plowed quickly if there’s a storm. The nickname “the Forgotten Borough” is said to stem from residents often feeling as if they are ignored when it comes to city services.
This boogeyman-like character said to stalk and kidnap children on Staten Island. Most of the Cropsey rumors were pinned on Andre Rand who is now locked up, but that doesn’t seem to stop the spooky rumors.
Thanks to Wu-Tang Clan, a rap group that got its start on Staten Island, “Shoalin” has become a popular nickname for this borough. Not only does this word pop up quite a bit, there’s a good chance an out-of-towner will come across the Wu-Tang symbol while on Staten Island.
While Fresh Kills Landfill used to be an infamous feature of Staten Island, known for its horrible odor and the stigma that came with it, what used to be the world’s largest dump stopped collecting trash in 2001. It has since been transformed to FreshKills Park, adding even more greenspace to Staten Island.
It can get a bit confusing for out-of-towners as they’re sure to encounter tons of signs featuring the name “Richmond”; Richmond Avenue, Richmond court, Richmond Place, Richmond Road, Richmond Terrace, and even Richmond County. The name comes from a prominent historical figure in the area, Charles Lennox, who was the 1st Duke of Richmond.
Some of the best pies on the island are found at Denino’s. However, out-of-towners should be warned that they’ll need a wad of cash if they want to eat. In an era of plastic, it might be a little inconvenient, but it’s totally worth a stop at an ATM.
Like many places with a heavy Italian influence, the term “gravy” doesn’t refer to a popular breakfast condiment. On Staten Island, it means the red meat sauce that often tops pasta.
A ricotta filled Italian pastry, sfoglitelle is pronounced kinda like “shfool-ya-dell.” It’s hard to explain to an out-of-towner until they actually give it a try. Rispoli’s serves up some of the best.
Known for their crazy on screen antics in the popular MTV series “The Jersey Shore”, Vinny, Angelina, and The Situation all hail from Staten Island, not the Garden State.
After the construction of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, tons of Brooklyn residents started moving to Staten Island thanks to the lower cost of living. This tends to makes original Staten Islanders a little mad because it has resulted in blurring the lines between the two cultures.
When an out-of-towner thinks of New York City, they’ll probably be thinking of huge skyscrapers and tons of crowded streets. While Staten Island can get a bit crowded at times, it feels more like a suburb than part of the largest city in America. There are actually over 60 neighborhoods that make up this borough and locals will usually refer to a subsection of Staten Island when they state where they’re from.
On Staten Island, 34.7% of the residents are of Italian descent. The next closest demographic is Irish at 14.2%, and then German at only 5.7%. The huge Italian population definitely has an impact on the local culture, meaning tons of awesome Italian food.
If you do, have no fear, it’s probably only the Staten Island clown. This clown stalked the streets of Staten Island earlier in 2014, put out as a publicity stunt by a film company called Fuzz on the Lens. He’s rumored to be gone for good, but who knows if he’ll pop up again sometime soon.
The Staten Island Mall is the only indoor mall on the island. With over 200 stores, tons of Staten Islanders take trips there even if they aren’t planning on making a purchase. It’s one of the best places to people-watch in New York City.
On Staten Island, sweet 16 birthday bashes tend to be a bit on the extravagant side. Some cost even more than weddings, with the parents of a lucky child pulling out all the stops when it comes to making sure everyone has a good time.
Staten Island Yankees are a minor league team that plays their games at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark on Staten Island. While their name might be similar to a nearby major league giant, their logos are a bit different.
While people live “in” Manhattan or “in” New Jersey, they live “on” Staten Island. It’s easy to spot an out-of-towner when they get this backwards.
There are tons of spooky and abandoned spots on Staten Island, many of which are thought to be haunted by their former inhabitants. A few of the most popular are the Kreischer Mansion, the Old Bermuda Inn and the Conference House, each with their own tales of paranormal occurrences.
If an out-of-towner is on Staten Island for long, there’s a good chance they’ll see someone rocking this popular material. Can you blame them? It sure is comfy.
Most Staten Island residents suffer from extreme road rage thanks to the often horrible traffic. This shows the most when it comes to parking. If an out-of-towner accidently steals a parking spot from someone on a busy road, make sure they know that they’ll probably get yelled at a bit.
Staten Island roads aren’t the best. Even just a short trip can completely destroy your shocks if you’re careful when it comes to potholes.
Staten Island is home to some of the best diner food in the country, often served all hours of the day. Two neighborhoods especially known for their 24/7 service are Annadale and Woodrow.
Around these parts, “lemon ice” is a blanket term for all flavors of Italian ice, something that this island specializes in. There are tons of flavors, including cherry lemon ice, rainbow lemon ice, and plain lemon ice (which is just lemon-flavored). Ralph’s is the best place to find it, with its original Staten Island location having been open since 1949, typically during the months of March-October.
On Staten Island, popular slams come from Italian phrases adapted slightly including “doozy pots” meaning “you’re nuts!”, “chooch” meaning “idiot”, and “skeevioso” meaning “gross.”
If someone on Staten Island says “the City”, they’re referring to Manhattan. If they’re talking about another borough of New York City, they’ll just use its name instead.
While Staten Islanders tend to make fun of their own borough, they take offense if an out-of-towner does the same. If you’re an out-of-towner that’s visiting, keep your rude thoughts to yourself…the other boroughs pick on them enough already.
Living on Staten Island definitely has it’s pros over the other boroughs. It’s a lot cheaper, there’s a lot of space that’s actually green, and the people there don’t live the same rushed, stressful life as the people in Manhattan. It might be known around New York City as the “forgotten borough”, but most locals wouldn’t change a thing about the place they live.
What do you have to explain to out-of-towners about Staten Island? Tell us in the comments below!
