Stinky Staten Island? - Why The Forgotten Borough Is Not In A New York State Of Mind

Last night , I went to the NYC Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex in SoHo to see the John Lennon exhibit. If you're avid fan of John Lennon, The Beatles, or Music as a whole then I strongly recommend going.The Lennon Exhibit itself makes the visit worth it. I went with my brother and my father in the evening after work and since it was a beautiful night, we didn't want to rush the evening. So we decided to walk around the SoHO district and ate dinner at a nice place called "Umbertos Clam House." However, what stood out the most to me last night was watching the different types of people venture through SoHo and Little Italy. I don't always go into the city a lot and last night I realized that New York City is still a melting pot today. From the European tourists looking at their guide books to find places to see to the immigrants wheeling carts through the cobblestone pavement of Mercer Street to the night life New Yorkers, who attitudes range from generous to arrogant. If you just take it all in, you find that it's amazing to see everyone doing their own thing and not butting in on anyone else's business. If people do jump into your conversation, it's just to be helpful. It's something that I don't often come across in Staten Island and I'm afraid Staten Island as a whole can never be as free-spirited as the people walking those streets in Manhattan. I saw two couples, who were visiting the city from different parts of the world and they were talking and hitting it off just like that. Although, you do have a possibly of encountering that on Staten Island the chances are less likely. City life is completely different and I don't need to tell you that because it you care enough, you can see it for yourself. Even though I live a ferry ride away from Manhattan, I get just as ecstatic as a tourist every time I take a trip into the city. It's the same feeling I get when I go to Brooklyn and Queens, which i place into the category of city life. (I've rarely gone to the Bronx.)The point I'm trying to make is that as a Staten Islander going to the other boroughs is something that I and many other residents look forward to. Living on Staten Island is like sitting in school, it has it's fun moments, for many it's boring and it's routine. When you go to the other boroughs it's like recess and every kid looks forward to going out at recess. I guess it's the feeling of wanting that lifestyle to be a part our own on Staten Island that causes many people to exclaim "Staten Island Sucks." If you ever walked on the Staten Island boardwalk, you might think it's pleasant. That is until you look across the water and see the Ferris Wheel and the Parachute Drop of Coney Island lit up brightly. A few weeks ago, I went to Roll 'N Roaster and it's unfortunate that there are no places like this on Staten Island. As much as some Staten Islanders would like to be a part of the rest of New York City, I think the other four boroughs sadly view us as the Black Sheep of the family.

So how can we add that desired New Yorker lifestyle to Staten Island without actually leaving it? Well, one way is to expand more on the island's music scene. Most of the best clubs and hangouts are all along Bay St and Ocean terrace. We need to bring more of a New Yorker style of living to the center of the island. I would love to see a lot more lounges and rock venues near the CSI area. Number 2, that boardwalk needs something else. Some Staten islanders may have remember the kiddie park on Sand Lane and it would be cool if they had some rides along the boardwalk. I would love to see them put a carousel or a tilt a whirl on that fishing pier. Number three, have more fairs or events that promote Staten island's growing cultural diversity. The Staten island Mall is a great place to have a smaller version of San Gennaro festival. The Greek Festival would do better in this location and Russian and Latinos are due for some festivals for their heritages as well. Number four, we should fight to lower the tolls of the Verrazano Bridge. You would think that Brooklyn didn't want to know from us, and while we're at that reconstruct the R line as it was as originally planned into Staten Island. There are many other ways that we could bring Staten Island closer to our other boroughs, but if we don't do something soon maybe they'll sell us to New Jersey and nobody wants that. P.S. It's been more than ten years, we can give roll 'n roaster another shot.

This has been Ian Feldman speaking words of wisdom.