Elevate your Staten Island Day Stay

• Take in a View - Not just for commuters, the Staten Island Ferry offers visitors a fun boat ride with a side of epic views! Keep your eyes peeled for Governor’s Island to the east, and the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the receding Manhattan Skyline to the west. Also, did we mention the ferry is 24 hours and free?
• Fill your Plate - Staten Island is known for Italian cuisine, and who makes better Italian food than grandma? Restaurant Enoteca Maria puts this theory to the test with their ‘Nonna’s of the World’ program. In addition to their delicious, traditional Italian fare Enoteca invites Nonna’s (or grandmas) from around the world to cook in their kitchen and create a second, constantly changing menu. So far the restaurant has featured Nonnas from Japan, Syria, Bangladesh, and Venezuela, to name a few!
• Shine a Light - Get ready to let your inner maritime nerd out with a visit to the National Lighthouse Museum. The museum features 180 lighthouse models from 29 states, lanterns, and other memorabilia including installations that recount the personal stories and daily routines of lighthouse keepers from past to present! (Pro tip: buy a ticket to one of the many boat tours that explore nearby lighthouses, ship graveyards and other attractions on NY Harbor and the East and Hudson Rivers).
• Meditate & Contemplate - A well-kept local secret is a beautiful, sprawling, 83-acre center filled with botanical gardens, cobblestone streets, and historic Greek revival buildings. Once a home for former sailors, today this center is bustling with museums, theaters, and seasonal festivals. Take a minute to meditate on your spiritual growth and ability to rise above obstacles in the Lotus Seed of the center, the Chinese Scholar’s Garden. This beautiful oasis complete with a bamboo forest path and Koi-filled pond was inspired by Buddhist monks.

1. "Shaolin" is a popular nickname for Staten Island thanks to Wu-Tang Clan.
2. On Staten Island, “gravy” means red meat sauce!
3. Staten Island has their own ‘Yankees’ — a minor league team that plays their games at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark.
4. Staten Island is the wealthiest borough of NYC, narrowly edging out Manhattan with a median household income of $73,197.
5. Author George R.R. Martin modeled the map of Westeros in Game of Thrones after Staten Island.