Stapleton - Staten Island, NY

The Stapleton area was originally the location of the farm where Cornellius Vanderbilt was raised, right at the spot of the present-day Paramount Theater on Bay Street. In 1832, William J. Staples and Minthorne Tomkins acquired the land from the Vanderbilts and laid out the streets for their neighborhood plan. They started a ferry service from the neighborhood waterfront to Manhattan and began using it to promote their new village.

Within a mile of Stapleton, the Staten Island Museum can be visited by adults for only $5. The museum has many exhibitions in the realms of art, natural sciences and local history, and has often been referred to as the “mini-Smithsonian.” The area also hosts the annual Richmond County fair at the end of August, which features a rock wall, zip-line, beer garden and many other attractions.

Most of the restaurants in Stapleton are along Bay Street, with several more on Van Duzer Street. Vida on Van Duzer has the most popular Spanish food in Stapleton. Its famous Vida bites feature slow-roasted pulled pork with pico de gallo and a made-from-scratch avocado sauce. Other signature dishes include spicy gumbo with dirty rice, smoked kielbasa, and mussels cooked with white wine, shallots and Korean chili paste.

For some rare cuisine not found in many other places, Lakruwana is one of Staten Island's few Sri Lankan restaurants. It serves authentic Sri Lankan cuisine, with the most popular dish being the lamprai. The lamprai can be made with your choice of meat or fish, and it comes served on a fresh banana leaf. Lakruwana also has a buffet available every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and it even lets visitors bring their own alcohol into the restaurant to go with their dinners.

A popular date spot, Gatsby's on the Bay has upscale food with a great location on the water that provides beautiful views of the bay. It serves high-end American cuisine, with locals often going for either the duck breast served with a fig, cherry, and apricot demi-glaze or Gatsby's enormous 18-ounce rib-eye steak, covered in buttermilk fried onions.

If you're looking for nightlife, Adobe Blue's Restaurant has over 185 beers from 30 different countries. It features live blues and jam music every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Many people still use the ferry system originally planned by Staples and Tomkins, and the Staten Island Ferry sits less than a mile from Stapleton. The neighborhood can be walked, as many sidewalks line the streets, and biking can be done on Bay Street. Unfortunately, not many other area roads have bike lanes, and the streets can get very busy and unsafe for cyclists.

The Staten Island Railway has a station nearby, and buses also serve the area. A cab can sometimes be hailed, but cabs can be tough to find, as only one green cab system exists on Staten Island. Uber and Lyft can be used to get around anywhere in New York City. Stapleton has street parking available almost everywhere that must be paid for through meters, and parking at the Staten Island Ferry costs $8.00 per day.

Two free parks sit within the neighborhood: Tappen Park and Hero park. Tappen park was named after World War I hero James Tappen. The park hosts several historical sites and walking trails, and an open field for playing or picnicking. Hero Park also serves as a memorial for World War I soldiers, with evergreen trees that were planted for every Staten Island soldier who died in the war. Evergreen trees and other beautiful landscaping line the walking trails of the park, and the park also has a spacious open field and several war memorials and statues. Both parks allow dogs, but they must be kept on a leash. Each also takes part in New York’s bi-annual It’s My Park Day, which encourages residents to go out and volunteer to help with park landscaping and tree planting.

The average one-bedroom rent in Stapleton costs $1,495 per month, also below the New York City average, which sits at $2,400.

The cost of living will be fairly high compared to the national average due to being in New York City. The area’s gas prices typically is around 14% above the U.S. average and 1.5% above the New York State average.

Everyday item costs are also comparable to anywhere in the New York City area, where the sales tax sits at 8.875%. Grabbing a beer from a pub anywhere in the city limits will usually cost between $7 to $9, fairly typical pricing for New York City.

For shopping options, the Staten Island Mall can be reached in less than 10 minutes, and the Bay Street area also has several shops and boutiques. The Staten Island Mall has close to 200 stores with high-end favorites Bebe, Guess, Coach and Michael Kors.

On Bay Street, So Angeline has a specialty boutique with unique vintage clothing items. Less than a mile away, Boutique 840 has lots of local, hand-made jewelry, dresses and handbags — and even offers art and jewelry-making classes every weekend. For grocery shopping in the area, several nearby options have gourmet and organic options, including the Stapleton Country Store. Stapleton Country Store specializes as a world market store, carrying several different types of foreign meats, organic foods and many other household items. Promise Farm Market also serves the area with fresh meat and produce.