What most visitors do (and miss)
The majority of people who take the Staten Island Ferry ride it back to Manhattan without disembarking — which is, as we note in our Staten Island guide, a completely legitimate way to spend 50 minutes. But St. George, the neighbourhood directly off the ferry terminal, has become genuinely more interesting in the last decade and is worth the walk if you have an hour to spare.
The St. George Theatre
A beautifully restored 1929 movie palace that now operates as a live performance venue — Baroque-Spanish interior, ornate ceiling, and a capacity of about 2,800. One of the best-preserved historic theatres in New York, and a much cheaper ticket than equivalent Manhattan venues.
Snug Harbor Cultural Center
A short bus or bike ride from St. George, Snug Harbor is a 83-acre cultural centre built around a former sailors' home campus — Greek Revival and Italianate buildings set in botanical gardens, housing several museums, a Chinese Scholar's Garden, and performance spaces. It's the kind of place Manhattan-focused New York guides consistently overlook and locals appreciate precisely for that reason.
The Richmond County Bank Ballpark
A minor-league baseball stadium with one of the most dramatic stadium views in the US — right on the waterfront, facing the Manhattan skyline across the harbour. The Staten Island FerryHawks play here; tickets are inexpensive and the view is the point.
Getting here
The Staten Island Ferry from Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan, free, 25 minutes. Once there: everything is walkable from the terminal or a short bus ride away.