Yesterday I went to Staten Island. On purpose. It has a bad rap I think, but there are indeed some pretty amazing places that are certainly worth your attention. I started at Snug Harbor, once a community for retired Seamen, but is now a Cultural Center and Botanical Garden. Its quite charming and reminds me much of Governor's Island. Sadly the outdoor maze was closed, but the rest of the grounds were open and provided a lovely few hours of meandering.
The next stop was less organized than the last. The entrance way into the Arthur Kill Ship Graveyard (if you could call it an entrance) is through a ramshackle old cemetery on the side of the road and down into what is clearly a toxic waste filled swamp.
Next up on the south shore of the island, the Conference House. Some pretty cool history, so you should certainly click the link and read about it. There is a small road that leads down to a pavillion overlooking the water. The view, New Jersey.
