milnesk

Great places to eat - among the two best pizza places on Staten Island are across the street from each other - Goodfellas and Joe and Pat's. You will find a lot of independently owned shops on Victory, which (like Forest Avenue) is a major street in Staten Island. While Forest has a lot of corporate stores, Victory is more of a local feel.

Drawbacks - TRAFFIC! I try to avoid driving on Victory to another location, unless I need to make a stop on the street.

Between the supermarkets, the malls and the other chain stores, Richmond Terrace is the place to go for shopping on Staten Island. The mall is pretty decent - it's great for people watching the Staten Islanders too! Near the mall, you'll find a Toys R Us, Bed Bath and Beyond, Stop and Shop, K Mart, and further North on Richmond Ave, you will get a Barnes and Noble, Chilis, Applebees, King Kullen and other shopping and eateries.

The downside to all this exposure is that the traffic gets pretty terrible, especially since there are lights every .2 miles. It's about 30 minutes from the ferry, so the people I know that live around there often will take the express bus ($5 each way) into Manhattan.

I lived near the Sacred Heart School (zip 10310), which was nice because it was near the hospital, a few restaurants and eateries. However, the issue with Castleton is that only a small strip of it is nice. The rest is not very safe - three blocks West of my apartment, there was a shooting in a deli. I did not feel safe in the neighborhood.

However, I loved Castleton for Dick's Deli and Nurnberger Bierhaus - both very delicious. Though I haven't eaten there, I've heard that the Bob's Ribs place is quite delicious as well.

Not only is Snug Harbor Road bordering Snug Harbor Cultural Center, but it is home to the Snug Harbor Little League. Throughout the baseball season, neighbors can hear the sounds of the games being played.

The only drawbacks is that during baseball games, or when Snug Harbor is crowded, parking here becomes a problem.

I have seen a number of flea market/street fairs on Snug Harbor Road, which are generally put on my the neighbors but it gives a nice neighborly feel to the area.

For a few years, there has been construction on Clove Road and is it TERRIBLE! I do my best to avoid driving on this road as much as possible. It is unfortunate that the construction is taking so long because Clove is a road that connects many different areas.

However, Clove Lakes Park, which is located between Victory Blvd and Forest Avenue is great for jogging/hiking/biking/rollerblading trails. It also holds Staten Island's ice skating rink, a few baseball fields, nice playground equipment. Generally, it is just a great park.

Silver Lake Park is beautiful. It is a great place for exercise with good paved trails for running, rollerblades, bikes, etc. There is a reservoir in the middle of the park, which is lined by benches on one side.

Often in the winter, children will go sledding here.

There is a dog park area near the Victory Blvd side.

There are a few places in Staten Island that take you out of the "city feel" and this is one of them. Highly recommended.

I will focus on the bit in the zip code 10310

Forest Avenue is the best main strip on Staten Island.

There are a plethora of options for dining, nightlife, retail and entertainment.

Dining - Cafe Milano, Burrito Bar, Afternoones. There is also Key Food, which is a pretty solid supermarket.

Nightlife - Black Dog, Burrito Bar. Very much for a younger crowd, but very fun.

You can also park for free on one of the side streets and walk up Forest to do a lot of shopping.

Many of the parades that Staten Island holds are down this street.

I lived on Point Breeze Drive for about 20 years. Upper Greenwood Lake is a beautiful area, but the mistake made (early in history) was making it a motorized boat lake. The lake is too small for motorized boats and many people have watercrafts that are inappropriate for the area. UGL would be an infinitely quieter and classier place if motorized watercrafts were forbidden.

Point Breeze Drive is a crap shoot. Many neighbors are "mountain people" with their ATVs driving around at all hours, beer bellies and fireworks all year round. Some neighbors are very pleasant, quiet and peaceful. The lots are generally small, so if you are looking for a big yard, I would search elsewhere.

In the winter, it takes a while for the town to clear the roads "on the island."

If you need anything, you have to go down the mountain to get it - food, dining, entertainment.

Bard Avenue is home to two wonderful things on Staten Island: Richmond University Medical Center and Walker Park.

Living in the neighborhood, it is nice to have the hospital nearby. The location of the hospital resulted in most nice, more safe properties - mostly single family homes.

Walker Park has six tennis courts, two basketball courts and a baseball field, plus a large amount of general play area. Every Saturday, I've noticed cricket matches taking place in the park. It is open to the public and often utilized.

Particularly, I am talking about the Richmond Terrace section between Lafayette Street and Bard Avenue.

The public transit is ok - with the new service cuts the S40 has been affected, but it isn't terrible.

Richmond Terrace is right along the water, so you can see the cargo ships coming into Bayonne, which is pretty cool.

The Farmer's Market has wide selection of fresh produce imported from New Jersey at pretty reasonable prices.

R.H. Tugg's restaurant at Richmond Terrace and Bard Avenue has tasty food, a nice ambiance and pretty views of the water.

Snug Harbor Cultural Center is the gem of Staten Island, between the large gardens, children's museum, Chinese garden, and other events, I think that Snug Harbor is definitely worth a visit.

I grew up in New Jersey, but relocated to Staten Island for work. SI has no business being part of NYC - unless you live very close to the ferry, and make a real effort to go into "the city," then you are isolated. I live less than two miles from the ferry and rarely take advantage of the rest of the city.

By itself, Staten Island is odd. It is separated into neighborhoods, so within a five block radius the architecture, demographics and general "feel" can change dramatically.

Good things you will find in Staten Island:
- The mall is pretty decent.
- There are some great restaurants - Denino's, Duffy's, Adobe Blues and Cafe Milano are among my favorites.
- There are some very nice sections.