Stapleton, Staten Island

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Stapleton, Staten Island http://ow.ly/5VHQt

This is the neighborhood where I currently live & I’m happy of being in Staten Island! We’re closer to the St. George Ferry Terminal, which allows us 45 minutes commuting time to downtown Manhattan. This neighborhood has lots of businesses that are run by the owners themselves; most of the owners live in the same neighborhood. It’s got fascinating character, history, lots of people of different races, and a cool mix of the suburb and the city found in its old streets.

Travel time spent on commuting can be a challenge for some; you can take the train, the bus or take a walk to the ferry terminal. Or you can take the express buses to Manhattan, which is costlier. Or you can drive your car and pay extra for having such. But no matter what your choice in doing your daily travels, the time you spent on coming back home after a day’s work can be worth it; the community is progressive and a pleasant place to live in (depending on your personal requirements).

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Stapleton in Staten Island, among Daily News’ Best Places to Live in NY

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Stapleton in Staten Island, among Daily News‘ Best Places to Live in NY http://ow.ly/4VOlH

Notes on the link above:

Stapleton is an old neighborhood in Staten Island, which happened to be in a borough most NYC people would rather not consider visiting for one reason or another. But I know they’re missing a lot – I used to have the same attitude until I got the opportunity to live here. I would have chosen to live in St. George, which is the closest neighborhood to the ferry terminal that’s a 30-minute ride away from Downtown Manhattan, but Stapleton beckoned. This neighborhood’s the second stop of the Staten Island Railway (our subway here, which is still a solitary line until perhaps NYC government decides to open the line along the north shore that faces New Jersey).

I’ve since then learned a lot about this neighborhood that even has a book written on it {Images of America: Stapleton}, which I bought even it’s over $20 as I felt so proud of living in this neighborhood. It’s fascinating to check and discover a lot of the houses pictured in the book that are still standing. As the Daily News has reported on it, Stapleton is where prospective real estate buyers may get to purchase their next properties if they know what they’re doing.

It’s an interesting neighborhood that deserves a look-see trip from all curious and adventurous visitors of NYC. Part of it is called ‘Stapleton Heights‘, which I think is a way to differentiate it from the housing projects that have been built in the same neighborhood in the 60s and which some residents have been giving it a bad name. They don’t know that they ought to be proud to have well-maintained, nice looking really old houses here that are lived in by single or dual families. But should I even be bothered by all these pettiness? I know a lot of NYC’s neighborhoods, even in Manhattan’s highly desirable neighborhoods (e.g. East Village, Upper East Side), that have lots of housing projects, too (and I’m talking from experience as I personally know people who live in these so-called housing projects). For now, I’m happy I’m here and able to lead an interesting life of a creative person who owns and runs his small business here; I live in a century old house where my bedroom’s at least 4 times bigger than the last room I had in Chinatown‘s East Broadway. Of course, amenities are not comparable with those found in most NYC’s neighborhood but just the same, the quality of my life here is better. I’ve been here for 2 winters now and I plan to stay as long as I am able to do so.

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Moving-on 365 days in NYC’s subway trains & Staten Island’s ferry, too!

Image by Jose P Isern Comas via Flickr

Moving-on 365 days in NYC’s subway trains & Staten Island‘s ferry, too! You will seldom meet someone who lives in NYC who has not taken the subway at all. But you may probably meet some who have not taken the Staten Island ferry boat.  This ferry boat’s the alternative to getting a grand view of Lady Liberty on her island.

Taking the subway is part of New Yorker’s daily life, practically. it’s the most convenient, though not exactly always reliable transportation method in NYC. The MTA (the agency that runs the system) always does its repair and construction works during weekends and evenings so keep in mind that the schedule can be spotty at most on these periods. The train rides offer you a different view of how other people live in NYC. Each rider has a story to tell whenever [s]he takes a ride in the system.  Taking and riding the system is a very egalitarian experience, which is a concept that’s so strange in societies where you will see subtle and loud ways that attempt to always separate social classes due to economic reasons.  All you need is enough cash to get into the system and you can reach your destinations (most times!) in due time. Just look at it as an adventure – you’ll see faces of humanity that you never thought are there for you to explore. You’ll meet workers, students, religious people, professionals, homeless, the poor, smelly persons, the stylish and snotty ones, the politicians, artists, musicians, foreigners, dancers, tourists, writers, businesspeople, among so many others (including a few animals – the pets – of the passengers). Just by observing them , you’ll see commonalities from among them that you probably possess. And you’ll be surprised by a lot of scenes that take place while being in the subway. Just open you eyes and ears.

http://ow.ly/4oRIP

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A visitor’s guide to Staten Island

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A visitor’s guide to Staten Island – http://ow.ly/47GwV

After reading the article found in the link above, you may get to become more curious on what else can you do if you decide to visit Staten Island here in New York City. Don’t head off just yet to the ferry back to Manhattan. For starters, you can decide to take a walk from St. George Ferry Terminal for the next 20 minutes in whatever direction you feel like following. Check the 9/11 Memorial that’s set-up on the Esplanade somewhere outside the eastside of the Ferry Terminal. You will also be led to what the St. George neighborhood has in store for its residents as well as its curious visitors. This is the same neighborhood that has hosted the early creative lives of celebrities including Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward and Martin Sheen.

1) If you judge it to be nice day for you to walk, head off to the Borough Hall of Staten Island as well as the Museum of Staten Island (‘SI Museum’ as it is written on the building somewhere on the right side if you’re fronting the Borough Hall.

2) Check Snug Harbor, which is a must-see destination for all non NYC residents who are fond of old buildings that have been re-used for more modern purposes. It used to be a residential community for retired sailors decades ago, and has since been offering surprises to those who are curious enough to know more about Staten Island’s offerings.

3) Take the Staten Island train up to Tottenville, which is at least 30 minutes.  From this station, you’ll get a view of the Outerbridge Crossing, which has been featured in a number of movies. Earlier, there’s also the Verrazano Bridge that you can view from the train, which may probably make you think of exploring on another occasion. You’ll be seeing how sub-urban looking Staten Island can be, which will probably remind you of your own place back home.  On certain parts of SI, you’ll also see that the island’s closer to New Jersey than NYC. Residents often wonder why this fact is not being harnessed more aggressively to bring in more business and development to Staten Island.

4) There are beach walks in Staten Island that you can visit and spend your time in for the next 2 or 4 hours.  They include South Beach and Midland Beach, both of which can be reached by the S51 bus that usually waits for passengers of the ferry before completing its route at the other parts of SI.  The shore actually forms part of the very long shore that passes by the Jersey Shore and in turn goes south all the way to Florida and beyond.

Visit Staten Island in the morning when you have all the time that you can probably spare to discover what the island offers. Depending on the season, your SI trip may turn out to be more pleasant than what you were expecting.

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My Landlord’s Stuffed Pepper

I’ve been staying in this household in Stapleton, Staten Island, for nearly 3 months now, and my landlord, Mike, has prepared at least twice his favorite, stuffed pepper [click on the link for a typical recipe found online]. He used to own and run a restaurant offering American cuisine for many years. His version of stuffed pepper is prepared rather quick, and ending to be very yummy. He would asked me to cook the rice that would be included in the stuffing (as I bragged about “cooking rice without a rice cooker is no problem, being Asian myself”). He’d include ground beef, egg, flour, plus some special ingredients. The prep work is done fast, in less than 10 minutes, I noticed. He’d add some kind of a pasta sauce in the baking dish, add some cut pieces of potatoes around the stuffed pepper, cover the dish with foil, and then prepare the sides (usually vegetables, and mashed potatoes). The dish is baked in at least 45 minutes. I observed we can actually spend time on our other activities, while the peppers get done. It turns out to be a delightful, filling meal each time….really no frills, no worries for someone like me who’d usually avoid from cooking for others (than for myself alone ha ha ha).

Musician Playing Drum in Train on Staten Island

Musician Playing Drum on Train in Staten Island 2

Musician Playing Drum on Train in Staten Island 3