Get on a Bus Rental in Staten Island and Experience This NYC Borough

FILED UNDER: General Bus Rentals NYC Tips and Tricks

 

 

 

Staten Island has a population of over 468,000, which is more than the population of some state capitals in the country. Yet, it is the most suburban borough in NYC and is considered to be the least developed in terms of tourist attractions. This does not mean, though, that there is nothing to see and do here. In fact, Staten Island has plenty to offer, and Custom Coach & Limo have listed down several suggestions. So why not get a bus rental in Staten Island to drive you around as you discover this borough?

 

 

Shopping

 

Staten Island offers many amazing shopping opportunities. You can hop on a bus rental in Staten Island and head over the Staten Island Mall, which is NYC's biggest mall. Plus, it is widely regarded as the area's retail center. The mall is anchored by JCPenney, Macy's, and Sears, and it has around 200 brands, retailers and services, including Michael Kors, American Eagle Outfitters, Aeropostale, Bath & Body Works, Apple, Disney Store, Adidas, Armani Exchange, Teavana, Pandora, Love Culture, Gap, Victoria's Secret, and H&M. You can also choose from among the restaurants under its wings if you find yourself hungry in the middle of all your shopping.

 

Then there's Bricktown Center or the Bricktown Mall at Charleston, which is an open-air lifestyle shopping center that has over 400,000 square feet of retail space. You can find stores and retail outlets here like Home Depot, Applebees, Bed Bath and Beyond, Christmas Tree Shoppes, and Target. Oh, and get this: Bricktown Mall has walking and biking paths!

 

Castleton Avenue Commercial Corridor, on the other hand, allows you to experience Staten Island like a local. You can find a collection of diverse local businesses here that offer you everything you want and need. It also has a wide selection of restaurants where you can grab a bite.

 

Dining

 

Staten Island has amazing restaurants offering a world of tastes and flavors.

 

Italian cuisine is the most common here. You have places like Trattoria Romana, which serves real Italian food, including a wide range of hot or cold antipasti. The pasta dishes here are also to-die-for, as well as the risottos and pizzas. Bocelli likewise serves great-tasting traditional Italian fare and nightly specials. The service is excellent, too, and the ambience very unpretentious yet charming.

 

Then there is Filippo's Italian Restaurant, where you can get high-end Italian dining that makes it a favorite not only among the locals but also people from outside Staten Island.

 

Meanwhile, Da Noi Restaurant is highly regarded by the locals as having the best Italian food in the borough. And Pasticceria Bruno is primarily an Italian bakery that also serves great pasta, pizza and other Italian staples. Have some of their delectable desserts and gelato, too.

 

Yet another Italian place, Italianissimo Restaurant serves wonderful steaks, and Denino's Pizzeria Tavern has great pizzas. You can also go to Giuseppe's Pizza, an Italian family pizzeria.

 

Other noteworthy Italian restaurants in Staten Island include Enoteca Maria, Ariemma's Italian Deli, Cucina Fresca, Patrizia's of Staten Island, and Giuliana's Restaurant.

 

And if you want Italian dessert, Ralph's Famous Italian Ices is the place to go. Try their ice cream and water ices, which are truly summertime favorites.

 

There's nothing more welcoming than a bus rental in Staten Island after a filling and satisfying Italian meal with your friends or family. You can rest a little and do away with the walking as you head to your next destination in Staten Island.

 

You should also go to Carol's Cafe on Richmond Road. The cafe has been open for close to 20 years and it serves great Italian and American fare. Or you can chill out at Schaffer's Tavern and get the best German food and drinks, most especially its beers and the sausages.

 

Duffy's Tavern on Forest Avenue is also worth checking out. You could try its specialty burger and find out exactly why the locals absolutely love it. Meanwhile, Joe & Pat's Pizzeria and Restaurant, which has been open since the 1960s, is known for its world-class pizzas.

 

If you love New Orleans food, you can head to Bayou and try out their jambalaya and their ribs. You could also try something exotic, like their alligator meatballs.

 

Inca's Peruvian Cuisine is an awesome restaurant that serves top-notch Peruvian dishes, while Ruddy & Dean is one of Staten Island's favorite steak houses. You can also go to New Asha is you are craving for Indian food, Beso and Real Madrid if you are in the mood for Spanish fare and for some tapas, or Pho Mac if you like a taste of great Vietnamese cooking.

 

There's also Blue for mouth-watering Mediterranean cuisine, Killmeyer's Old Bavaria Inn for German, Austrian or Swiss fare, and Mezcal's Mexican Restaurant for your fill of tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and other traditional Mexican dishes.

 

You will surely appreciate having a bus rental in Staten Island waiting for you after a full meal at any of these amazing restaurants. You get to relax and digest your food as your group heads to another destination or venue.

 

Arts & culture venues you could go to with a bus rental in Staten Island

 

Staten Island's proximity to Manhattan makes it a great place for artists, musicians, filmmakers, artisans, and other arts and culture enthusiasts to thrive and flourish. This is because Staten Island is near Manhattan yet living spaces and studios here are available at inexpensive lease rates or rents. This, in turn, has given rise to a number of significant arts and culture attractions here.

 

You can go to the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art and find masterpieces by contemporary artists from all over the world, but with special emphasis on Staten Island as well as on under-recognized artists. Then you can head over to the Alice Austen House and take a look at the best works and the best photographs by Austen and by other contemporary photographers.

 

There's also the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art on Lighthouse Hill, where you can find the most comprehensive collection of Tibetan artifacts in the United States. This museum looks just like a real monastery in the Himalayas and comes complete with a fish pond, a lotus pond, and terraced gardens. What's interesting about the Marchais Museum is that it does not have any parking space for visitors. This makes it more practical and convenient for you to get a bus rental in Staten Island. You can just get off the bus and arrange for your driver to pick you up once you are done touring the place.

 

A bus rental in Staten Island is just the best way to get around the borough. And this is especially true if you are not familiar with the place.

 

Herd everyone young and old into a bus rental in Staten Island and head to the Staten Island Children's Museum at the Sailors' Snug Harbor. You can see several hands-on exhibits in these different exhibit areas: House About It (which is about how to build a home), Bugs and Insects, Great Explorations, Ladder 11, Garden Terrace, Sea of Boats, Big Games, and Portia's Playhouse. You should also see the "Francis the Praying Mantis" sculpture in front of the museum, and remember to take selfies with him.

 

Afterwards, get on your bus rental in Staten Island and make a stop at the Staten Island Museum. Officially called the Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences, this museum is the borough's oldest cultural attraction and is the only one left of the general interest museums that used to exist in New York City.

 

Founded in the 1880s, the Staten Island Museum now houses several specimens and artifacts from the ancient times to the modern periods. It also has significant holdings in natural sciences, in the arts, and in local history.

 

Then you can visit the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and marvel at its architecture. The cultural center has an amazing collection of Greek revival buildings and temple-like structures. The cultural center also houses the Staten Island Botanic Garden and the John A. Noble Art Museum.

 

Meanwhile, music and theater enthusiasts should check out Staten Island's many music and theater groups that stage performances in various venues across the borough.

 

You can also visit other arts and culture venues in Staten Island like Art at Bay, Cape House Gallery, and Gallery 60 on Bay.

 

The Outdoors

 

Do you feel stifled by the towering buildings and skyscrapers that dot Manhattan? If so, then you would surely welcome the change in scenery and the inviting outdoors that Staten Island has to offer.

 

Get on a bus rental in Staten Island and see Greenbelt Nature Center. The place covers 2,800 acres of rugged natural beauty, found right in the heart of the borough. You can find acres of forests, wetlands, meadows, ponds, hiking trails, and wildlife here. It is basically a world apart from the concrete jungle that is Manhattan.

 

There's also South Beach-Franklin Delano Roosevelt Boardwalk, which was built in the 1930s and is a public park with baseball fields, a shuffleboard, handball courts, and playgrounds. You can also play bocce and checkers, find a lovely spot to fish, or go skating or skateboarding. You should also check out the Fountain of the Dolphins, as well as the Kid's Kingdom Playground.

 

The kids will really enjoy the Staten Island Zoo, which has eight acres of space that serves as home to more than 1,300 animals representing about 350 species. Look for Staten Island Chuck, which is a groundhog, and Grandpa, which is a spider monkey.

 

The whole family would also love Willowbrook Park, which covers 164 acres of space and features baseball fields, a pond, a playground, and a carousel. Wolfes Pond Park, on the other hand, has two playgrounds, tennis courts, biking and hiking paths, a pond, wide open spaces, and a beach.

 

Other parks and outdoor venues worth visiting here include Swinburne Island, South/Midland Beach, Great Kills Park, Miller Field, Fort Wadsworth, Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve, and Hoffman Island.

 

A bus rental in Staten Island is a great way for you to explore the borough comfortably, conveniently and luxuriously.