Summer In The City: Food and Fun on Staten Island

Summary

All Of It: Summer In The City – Food and Fun on Staten Island

Hosted by Alison Stewart on WNYC, released July 17, 2025

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Introduction to Staten Island

In this vibrant episode of All Of It, host Alison Stewart explores the rich cultural tapestry of Staten Island, one of New York City's most verdant boroughs. Known for its over 170 parks, Staten Island offers a blend of historic landmarks, diverse culinary delights, and abundant outdoor activities. To guide listeners through the best the borough has to offer, Alison is joined by Pamela Silvestri, Staten Island's native and advanced food editor.

Guest Introduction

[00:09] Alison Stewart introduces Pamela Silvestri, highlighting her deep roots in Staten Island and her extensive background in the restaurant industry. Pamela shares how her family's involvement in Manhattan's restaurant scene ignited her passion for food and culinary ventures.

[01:22] Pamela Silvestri explains, "Ever since I was a little girl, I was going to the restaurant, and I just got the bug for food and the restaurant business."

Trends in Staten Island's Culinary Scene

Post-pandemic, Pamela observes a shift towards more casual dining, emphasizing local products and farm-to-table offerings. This trend aligns perfectly with Staten Island's reputation for quality pizza and supports the island's community of local farmers.

[01:40] Pamela Silvestri notes, "Everything is a lot more casual... a lot more attention on local products and things like that, which is wonderful for Staten Island."

Exploring Key Attractions

1. National Lighthouse Museum

Located near the ferry terminal, the National Lighthouse Museum celebrates maritime history and lighthouse technology. Pamela highlights its interactive exhibits and the opportunity to tour the lower New York Harbor, offering breathtaking sunset views and sights of cruise ships departing.

[02:20] Pamela Silvestri remarks, "You could take a tour sunset at the time the cruise ships go out. Oh, that's beautiful."

The museum, celebrating its 10th anniversary, is housed in historic buildings dating back to 1864, once serving as the assembly site for lighthouse components.

2. Borough Hall Murals

Staten Island's Borough Hall features murals from the Great Depression era, showcasing the region's maritime heritage and the lives of the Lenape Indians. These murals provide a visual history of Staten Island before industrial development.

[03:22] Alison Stewart asks about the murals, to which Pamela responds, "It really does give a nice history of New York harbor... what the harbor looked like before it was developed."

3. Local Cuisine Highlights

Pamela introduces listeners to Enoteca Maria, a renowned restaurant inspired by Italian grandmothers, offering regional specialties and an extensive wine selection. Despite its popularity, reservations are scarce, underscoring its status as a culinary hotspot.

[05:23] Pamela Silvestri shares, "Joe actually has a line out the door. But other things in the neighborhood which are nice, there's a little bakery next door called Rispoli Bakery."

Another gem is Rispoli Bakery, famous for its cannoli and artisanal breads, providing a perfect complement to Enoteca Maria's offerings.

4. Fresh Kills Park

Mark, the administrator of Fresh Kills Park, joins the conversation to shed light on this transformative urban renewal project. Once one of the largest landfills, Fresh Kills has been repurposed into an expansive park featuring bird towers, wetlands, and vast green spaces. It serves as a testament to sustainability and offers educational programs for thousands of New York City schoolchildren.

[07:55] Mark emphasizes, "Fresh Kills is more than just a park. It is a platform for doing exceptional things for the people of the city of New York, especially the children."

Pamela reflects on Fresh Kills' evolution, expressing her admiration for its natural beauty and the vibrant wildlife it now supports.

[08:54] Pamela Silvestri shares, "It was a hard sell for me because I grew up where the seagulls were flying over these mountains of garbage for years. But it is an absolutely brilliant project."

5. Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Gardens

Snug Harbor is another cornerstone of Staten Island's cultural landscape. Spanning 28 historic buildings and lush gardens, it offers visitors a serene escape with attractions like the Chinese Scholars Garden and the Noble Maritime Collection. The site also hosts art exhibits, a children's museum, and the esteemed Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art.

[11:56] Pamela Silvestri describes Snug Harbor, "It's extraordinary. It's a beautiful location... every day there's something new blooming there."

6. Conference House

Located at the southern tip of Staten Island, the Conference House is a Revolutionary War landmark where pivotal discussions once took place. Today, it serves as a picturesque site for picnics and historical exploration, offering stunning views and a glimpse into the island's past.

[18:37] Pamela Silvestri elaborates, "The conference house is a Revolutionary War site... it's a great place to watch the leaves change."

7. Alice Austin House

Recognized as an LGBTQ historic site, the Alice Austin House is celebrated for its exquisite views of New York City and its significance in local history. Pamela highlights its connection to Alice Austin, a renowned photographer who found inspiration and solitude on Staten Island.

[24:00] Pamela Silvestri adds, "Alice Austin House is a very special place... you could see why she really loved Staten Island as a result."

Listener Interactions and Recommendations

Throughout the episode, listeners call in to share their favorite spots and personal anecdotes about Staten Island:

• Mark discusses the ecological significance of Fresh Kills Park and its role in promoting sustainability.

• Tom, co-founder of Maker ParkRadio NYC, recommends biking along the Staten Island shoreline to explore art exhibits at Maker Park and enjoy local eateries like Lacruana and Steppe Pizza Bar.

  [10:01] Tom advises, "You could bike down to Stapleton to Maker Park... it's a great little neighborhood in Stapleton."

• Tracy celebrates the Mount Carmel Feast in Rosebank, an annual festival featuring Italian cuisine, games, and both types of beer.

  [21:47] Tracy enthuses, "It's just so Staten Island. And it's one of my favorite places to go."

• Ted highlights the serene beaches on Staten Island’s bay side and the vibrant activities at Snug Harbor Cultural Center.

  [15:23] Ted shares, "The beaches are really bikable... a little sheltered from the heavier surf."

• James, a sixth-generation Staten Islander, praises Grimes Hill for its panoramic harbor views and historic significance.

  [16:43] James states, "It's a view over the harbor from the best perspective I can think of in the harbor."

• Mary Kate introduces the Tibetan Museum on Lighthouse Hill, a serene site designated as holy by the Dalai Lama, featuring ancient Tibetan art.

  [21:56] Mary Kate describes, "It is one of the most beautiful sites on Staten Island and definitely it's peaceful and it's a must see."

Festivals and Events

Pamela wraps up the episode by highlighting upcoming festivals, including the Richmond County Fair and a soul food festival at Snug Harbor, emphasizing the borough's vibrant community spirit.

[24:46] Pamela Silvestri mentions, "There's also a great soul food festival which is the second year... it's on September 13th at Nansen's Lodge."

Conclusion

Alison concludes the episode by encouraging listeners to explore Staten Island's diverse offerings and participate in the borough's dynamic cultural scene. With insights from Pamela Silvestri and enthusiastic endorsements from local residents, this episode serves as a comprehensive guide to enjoying a summer on Staten Island.

[25:13] Alison Stewart wraps up, "My guest has been Staten Island Advanced Food editor Pamela Silvestri, telling us all about the great things we can do on Staten Island. Thank you for your time today."

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For those interested in delving deeper into Staten Island's offerings, a transcript of this episode is available. Whether you're a local or planning a visit, this episode of All Of It provides a rich exploration of Staten Island's culture, cuisine, and community.

Transcript

[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Every day this week, we're giving you the things to do in each borough. Yesterday was Brooklyn. Today we take the ferry to Staten Island. Not only is Staten island one of the greenest boroughs with over 170 parks, but it's also a borough full of good food, historic landmarks, museums, outdoor activities, and a whole lot more. Staten island native and advanced food editor Pamela Silvestri is here to give us her best picks, from lighthouses to local restaurants to hikes through peaceful wetlands. Welcome back, Pamela.

[Pamela Silvestri]

Thank you so much. So good to be back, listeners.

[Alison Stewart]

We want to hear from you. Are you from Staten Island? Do you have a favorite spot, park, restaurant? You want to give it a shout out? What sites have you visited? Tell us your Staten island stories. Call or text us at 2124-339692-21243. Do not call us if you are driving. Pull over and then call us. Don't call us when you are driving. That's our only rule. So you grew up on Staten Island. Your background is in the restaurant industry. What is it about Staten island that made you so invested in food?

[Pamela Silvestri]

Well, my uncle Jim owned a restaurant on the Upper east side of Manhattan called Jim McMullen's, and my mom was the bookkeeper there. And ever since I was a little girl, I was going to the restaurant and I just got the bug for food and the restaurant business.

[Alison Stewart]

What have you noticed in recent years, maybe since the pandemic, the trends in food?

[Pamela Silvestri]

Interesting. I think that everything is a lot more casual. Good thing because Staten island is known for its pizza, so it makes it certainly a very palatable thing for us to have and showcase. But definitely more casual dining, a lot more attention on local products and things like that, which is wonderful for Staten island since there's a lot of people that grow their own food and things like that. So.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, let's dive right into your list. Located right near the ferry terminal is the National Lighthouse Museum, a museum that explores maritime history and lighthouse technology. What are some of the popular exhibits there?

[Pamela Silvestri]

They have, like, little representations of lighthouses from around the region. But what's really exciting about them is that they offer tours around the lower New York harbor so you can see the different lighthouses, some of which were built right there at the National Lighthouse Museum, where it is today. And, you know, you could take a tour sunset at the time the cruise ships go out. Oh, that's beautiful. It's very nice to see the fireboats. You know, pumping water in the water, you know, right outside the Statue of Liberty as the cruise ships are going out to sea. It's very nice.

[Alison Stewart]

I understand the museum is celebrating its 10th anniversary, although the buildings have been around since 1864. Ish.

[Pamela Silvestri]

That's about right.

[Alison Stewart]

What was the museum originally used for, the land it was used for?

[Pamela Silvestri]

Well, the lighthouses actually were constructed on their side in pieces and then assembled, you know, out at sea. So it was, you know, they were actually constructed in the lights, the lenses, and things like that. Right there where the museum is today.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, wow.

[Pamela Silvestri]

Yeah, it's pretty fascinating. And there's a little pier where people go fishing and things like that. So it's very maritime focused.

[Alison Stewart]

What are some upcoming exhibits at the museum?

[Pamela Silvestri]

Well, of course, the cruises, the yacht cruises, and things like that. And also what they do have is like chowderfest and different festivals and things like that. But it's right off the Staten island ferry, which is very nice because it's just a quick walk there. But also right near the lighthouse museum is St. George, which is sort of the capital of Staten island, so to speak. And you can just literally step off the boat and you can see borough hall, which is an historic building.

[Alison Stewart]

That was gonna be my next question. The borough Hall. These. The murals at the borough hall, what are about.

[Pamela Silvestri]

It was a, you know, public works project during the great Depression. They had beautiful murals painted. I can. It really does give a nice history of New York harbor, which Staten island was very much part of. And you can see the Lenny Lenape Indians, the native people there. They're also very, very charming pictures of what the harbor looked like before it was developed, the marshland and things like that. But it also sets the precedent for what was to come, which were breweries and other things that were reliant on the waterways and the fresh water. So at one time, there were like, dozens and dozens of breweries too, so.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, that's really interesting.

[Pamela Silvestri]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, so that's the Bureau hall murals as well as the national lighthoused lighthouse museum. Let's take a couple of calls. Mark is calling in. Hey, Mark, thanks for making the time to call all of it today. No Mark. No Mark. All right, maybe Mark will call us back. Anyway, I'm speaking to Staten island food editor Pamela Silvestri about the things to do on Staten island, and we are taking your calls. Our Phone number is 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. Oh, I have a little in big letters, no Calls right now. Problem with the board. They'll tell me when it's cleared up. I'll continue talking to you. How about that?

[Pamela Silvestri]

Well, one of our most famous restaurants is a place that people have been calling Nonna's Enoteca. Enoteca Maria.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, explain this to me.

[Pamela Silvestri]

So Enoteca Maria started about, you know, 2014 or so. It was a restaurant that was started on the principle of a bunch of nonnas who basically, Italian grandma. Exactly. And they took their specialties from regions of Italy, and they replicated them for people who were coming into the restaurant at 27 Hyatt street, you know, Teca, meaning wine bar. And there was a wine focus, and the owner, Jodi Scaravella, who's probably our most famous restaurant owner on Staten island right now, was the subject of this Netflix movie called Nona's. So this really brought a lot of attention to the neighborhood, and there is no way you can get a reservation, so don't even ask. I don't even have an in there. But Joe actually has a line out the do. But other things in the neighborhood which are nice, There's a little bakery next door called Rispoli Bakery. There's a lovely restaurant called Bakery.

[Alison Stewart]

Stop at bakery.

[Pamela Silvestri]

Yep. I gotta ask.

[Alison Stewart]

It's an Italian pastry shop.

[Pamela Silvestri]

It has beautiful cannoli and.

[Alison Stewart]

Been around forever.

[Pamela Silvestri]

It's been around forever. It makes beautiful breads, but their pastries are lovely.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, cannoli, pastries. What else? You got me?

[Pamela Silvestri]

A bakery. I'm stuck here, and the owner's very lovely. So it's just a charming place if you can't get into Enoteca Maria.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, here we go. The phone lines, they're back. Let's talk to Mark. Hey, Mark.

[Mark]

How are you, Allison? Great. Great to be on and say hello. Just heard Pam Silvestri talking about Staten Island. I am the administrator of the Fresh Kills park out here in Staten island, and. And I just had Pam come out and go kayaking with us. She came out and saw our bird tower and our. Our 50,000 violets that we're planting. It really is one of the most exceptional large landscape to be built in New York City. Probably the last large landscape park to be built that will ever be built because there's simply no more land out there. But I just wanted to talk about Fresh Kills. We don't have any restaurants at Fresh Kills, and I know you guys are talking about Enoteca and Nonna's and all that fun stuff, but we love watching the birds and the foxes and all the other wildlife out there dying on whatever they can find in the tall grassland.

[Alison Stewart]

I wanted to ask you, Mark, what lessons does Fresh Kills offer us about sustainability and about urban renewal, especially for our younger visitors?

[Mark]

Well, I think there's a couple of things. First, Fresh Kills is more than just a park. It is a platform for doing exceptional things for the people of the city of New York, especially the children. We brought 7,000 kids, New York City school kids, many Title 1 school kids, from historically discriminated against communities, out to Fresh Kills to learn and play and just enjoy the great outdoors. So we've. We look at Fresh Kills as really the great second chance, and so many of us need that. I think Staten island is the poster child for second chances, and Fresh Kills is too. But it just goes to show how the land is resilient. And if you start collecting your garbage correctly, it won't be going into landfills. If you start composting, it'll be going back into our gardens and not going into a waste flow. And we teach that to the kids every day.

[Alison Stewart]

Thanks a lot for calling.

[Pamela Silvestri]

We really appreciate it.

[Alison Stewart]

Fresh Kills was once one of the largest landfills for people who didn't know the history of it. What do you like about Fresh Kills?

[Pamela Silvestri]

I love that place. It was a hard sell for me because I grew up where the seagulls were flying over these mountains of garbage for years. But it is an absolutely brilliant project, and it's a miracle that the water is so clean there. For mother's Day, my husband took me kayaking there. I do love it. It's extraordinary. And, yes, the birds are beautiful, Sandpipers running along the shoreline. There's a bald eagle that is in the neighborhood there. Also the restaurants around it. There's the West Shore Inn, which is actually an historic restaurant because it has been focused on steaks since the 1960s. And it's got little pieces of history of Staten island around it. There's also a very nice playground not too far from there called Shmuel Playground. And it's got, like, you know, water coming up from the ground. It's beautiful. It's a really lovely park to take children to, but. And there's another place called sandwich and Pickle, which is like an eastern European place, which is not too far from there. So if you do something, biking, kayaking, whatever, at Fresh Kills, you can always stop by one of those places.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Tom, who is calling in from Staten Island. Hi, Tom.

[Pamela Silvestri]

Thank you so much for making the.

[Alison Stewart]

Time to Call us today.

[Tom]

Hey, thanks for taking my call. I'm Tom from, I'm the co founder of Maker ParkRadio NYC, Staten Islands Community nonprofit streaming radio station. And big hi to Pam. She's great. She does great things on Staten island in the advance. And a big hi to Mark who just called in from Fresh Kills because he does a great job at Fresh Kills. I want to recommend taking your bike across on the ferry. The shoreline is really bikable. You could bike down to Stapleton to Maker park, which is across from our little radio station. Maker park has a new art exhibit that's been put in for an annual residency program. So you can see the art that's in Maker Park. Sometimes we have events in Maker park so you can see a concert or some art, art exhibits or anything like that. And there's some great restaurants as Pam can point out, right nearby. We've got a great Sri Lankan restaurant around the corner called Lacruana and we've got Steppe Pizza Bar right down the street. So it's a great little neighborhood in Stapleton. It's about a 10 minute bike ride to the south of the ferry.

[Alison Stewart]

Thanks for calling in. Tracy again from Staten Island. We're happy to have you on the air.

[Tracy]

Hello and hi, Pam, it's Tracy. I am just calling to give a shout out to the Mount Carmel feast in Rosebank. It's an Italian grotto that was built by artisans over 100 years ago. And for two weekends every summer, this is the last weekend they have a festival with food and games and beer, both kinds, regular and light beer. And it is just so Staten Island. And it's one of my favorite places to go. Thank you.

[Pamela Silvestri]

Great suggestion.

[Alison Stewart]

Okay, one, do you know everybody on Staten Island?

[Pamela Silvestri]

It's a small town. It's a very small, big town. Half a million people. But you know, once you move there, once you're walking around there, everybody gets to know you.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, let's talk about this. Snug Harbor Cultural center and Botanical gardens. It's got 28 buildings. What will I see in those 28 buildings?

[Pamela Silvestri]

It's extraordinary. It's a beautiful location. Not too far, by the way, just to plug the food there. New Kilsborough Brewing Company, which has beautiful food there within a few, you know, few footsteps away. But anyway, the flowers, the gardens themselves, the greenhouses, really spectacular. And there's a bunch of other things that you can see there. There's the Chinese Scholars Garden which is very peaceful. It does bring a lot of people on the weekends. But there are So, I mean, every day there's something new blooming there. But not only the gardens, the things that are there, the buildings that are there are old housing for the sailors that were there at Snug Harbor. Robert Richard Randall was a sea captain who took care of the elderly, you know, merchant marines, and he put housing on Staten island for them when they were, you know, old and decrepit and, you know, didn't have families. That's where they. That's where they ended up. And so as a result, you could see a lot of what was there when the sailors were there. You could see the old fruit trees and again, things blooming all the time. Cherry blossoms are extraordinary. It brings people from around the world. There's also an incredible children's museum there. There's the Noble maritime Collection, which is in one of the buildings, which is one of my favorite places to go. It has old artwork from different parts of New York City. You could see what the landscape looked like from years ago. And it's got a history of maritime in New York City. And then also there's the Staten Island Museum, which has various exhibits of local artists. And also in the background at night, if you go at night, you can actually see some of the wildlife on Staten Island. We're known for our turkeys, but also you can see a lot of red foxes at sunset. And you could hear the sounds of the sun, Snug Harbor, Little League in the background. It's really a charming place.

[Alison Stewart]

We are talking to Staten island expert Pamela Silvestri about things that you can do on Staten island this summer. Listeners, we want to hear from you. Are you from Staten Island? Do you have a favorite spot that you want to shout out to everyone? Our number is 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNYC. We'll take more of your calls and we'll have more with Pamela after a quick break. This is all of it. You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. This is our Summer in the city series. We are concentrating today on Staten Island. I'm speaking to Staten island advanced food editor Pamela Silvestri about all the great things you can do on Staten island. And we are taking your calls and your texts. Here's a bunch of texts we got coming in. Silver Lake Cemetery on Victory Boulevard is now a historic landmark. This says Alice in the Wu Tang Clan mural is great for anyone who is a fan of the band. They are also on their final tour and just performed At MSG last night, we got a shout out that says shout out to Phillips. Candy used to be in Coney Island. Moved to Staten island when the MTA was renovating the Stilwell Avenue station. It's amazing. Let's talk to Ted, who is from Staten Island. Hi, Ted, thanks for calling in.

[Ted]

Hi. Can you hear me okay?

[Alison Stewart]

Hear you. Great. You are on the air.

[Ted]

Okay. Well, I would just give a shout out to the. To the beaches as my favorite thing to do in Staten island that people might not know about. I mean, maybe because it's on the bay, it's a little bit sheltered, you know, from the heavier surf that you might encounter if you went to, say, Rockaway. So that's my first one. My second one, Pam, has already kind of covered the Snug Harbor Cultural center, but it's really a must see place and there's just a wide variety of activities going on. For instance, next month there's a big dance festival going on, workshops and performances. If you have any interest in dance at all, make the trek across the pond and come see us.

[Alison Stewart]

Thanks, Ted. Let's talk to James. Hi, James. You are on all of it.

[James]

Hi, how are you doing?

[Alison Stewart]

Great.

[James]

Hi, how are you? Privileged to be on. Thank you so much. I'm a sixth generation Staten Islander, although no longer living there. In fact, it was really funny that when Ms. Silvestri mentioned Captain Randall about the founder of Snow Carver, because he was my great, great, great great grandfather's landlord on his dairy farm, which is now part of Silver Lake. And I grew up in Arikar, which the Dutch called old Dorp or outer dorp. There's a new dorp and there's an outer dorp.

[Ted]

But.

[James]

But the real thing, I. I'm still an evangelist for Staten island even though I'm not living there. I really like to point out the view from the top of Grimes Hill, which is a little bit hard to get to by public transportation, but really worth the effort to find your way up there. It's a view over the harbor from the best perspective I can think of in the harbor. It is extraordinary. It makes you love not only Staten island, but all of New York.

[Alison Stewart]

James, love your call. Thank you so much for calling in. You're nodding your head, Pam.

[Pamela Silvestri]

Oh, James, you just struck a chord there. It is such a beautiful view from up on Grimes Hill. And one of the places up there that you can catch a really nice view is up at Wagner College, which also has a very good basketball team. But it really is a nice view there also The Battery. There's a Fort Wadsworth is off of Bay street, and that is where there is a Coast Guard base nearby. That is a really extraordinary view. Sweeping views of the harbor. It's almost. You feel like you could throw a stone at the bridge, the Verrazano Bridge. It's really lovely. So those are very, very good points.

[Alison Stewart]

You have on your list. The Newhouse center for Contemporary Art. It's a really large contemporary art gallery.

[Pamela Silvestri]

It's lovely. And the building itself, too, is extraordinary. You know, just to pack a lunch, go there. It's on the property of Snug Harbor. There's also, by the way, there's also a couple of restaurants I have to point out there. There's Harbor Eats, where you can grab a, like a hot dog and some casual food and some pulled pork. And there's also Eggers ice cream, which is an historic ice cream parlor on Staten Island. It was established in the 1930s on Staten island, and it's one of the dairy places that are very, very nice on Staten Island.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk about some historical sites. The conference house that represents Staten Island's revolutionary history. Tell us more about the conference house.

[Pamela Silvestri]

The conference house is at the very tip of Staten island, and it takes a while to get to it. Years ago, there was a trolley that ran along Highland Boulevard. It went all the way from actually what is now Rosebanked down to the end of Staten Island. And the conference house is a Revolutionary War site. When you go there and you walk through the halls of the place, you can really get the feeling of what it was like to be out on that part of Staten island so close to New Jersey. It's a wonder why Staten island is not a part of New Jersey, since it's so close. But they do have some lovely activities there, especially around in fall. It's a great place to watch the leaves change. Yeah, it's gorgeous and very, very nice. Very great place to have a picnic. Not too far away is the town of Tottenville itself, and there's some very nice little restaurants there. There's a place called Manga, which, believe it, this pizza is absolutely excellent. The owner there is very charming as well. And there's also Rocky's Pizza there, of course, lots of pizza, but. And there's a nice little coffee shop out there, too. So there's just a lot to do. And it's a very nice walking town not too far from the conference house.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, let's take a couple more calls. Charles is calling from the Upper west side. Hi, Charles.

[Pamela Silvestri]

Thanks for calling, all of it.

[Ted]

Thank you, Alison. You have a gorgeous guest. Years ago, when I was a young puppy, my. One of my sister's godmothers lived in the senior housing off Lexington, and there was an old town hall of New Brighton, and the biggest oak tree was on its property. And across the street was a restaurant that had changed a few owners. Last time I saw it was Mexican, but that was maybe 10 or 15 years ago. Does she know that structure I'm talking about? Is it still standing?

[Pamela Silvestri]

Yeah, good question. Adobe Blues is the restaurant you might be referring to. Is that right? Adobe Blues?

[Ted]

Well, I can't remember the name, but I know it's changed hands since I was young. And then later it became like, I think a Mexican restaurant, but I'm not sure what it is now, if it's even a restaurant anymore. But do you remember the old town hall of New Brighton?

[Pamela Silvestri]

I do. I do. I remember it very well. It's actually off of Cassidy Place, which is now a senior center.

[Mark]

And.

[Pamela Silvestri]

And the restaurant that you're talking about is actually an historic restaurant. It's one of the oldest restaurants in New York City that is still, unfortunately, not open. It was called Adobe Blues in its last iteration, and it was prior to that, it was called the Cottage Inn. And it was also a place where there were singing Irish waiters at one point in the 1930s, 1940s. It was also a very good bar for the Snuggies, as. As they were, you know, referred to sometimes. But the old sailors from Snug harbor would walk over there and use that as one of their watering holes, as well as Leedy's, which was one of the oldest taverns in New York City until it closed about a year and a half ago. But you bring up a good point. Adobe Blues was actually a landmark with beer until it closed. Its owner has passed away, and it's under new ownership. And hopefully the guy, Artie, will get that place up and running again soon.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Mary Kate. Hey, Mary Kate, thank you so much for calling all of it.

[Tracy]

Am I. Am I on?

[Alison Stewart]

You're on the air.

[Tracy]

Okay. Hi. I'm still here talking.

[Alison Stewart]

Turn your radio down, dear. Turn your radio down. And now you can talk.

[Tracy]

Oh, great. Thank you. Yes, I would like to say hi to Pamela and also mention our absolutely stunning Tibetan museum, which is located on Lighthouse Hill. This is an amazing site that has been designated a holy site by the Dalai Lama himself. It has a huge collection of ancient Tibetan art. And also it was built by A woman in the 1940s, when women really didn't do that and she carried stones up Lighthouse Hill to build her site. And it is one of the most beautiful sites on Staten island and definitely it's peaceful and it's a must see.

[Alison Stewart]

Did you want to add anything to that?

[Pamela Silvestri]

I think Mary Kate did an exquisite job explaining exactly how wonderful it is. It's a very serene sight in a, you know, charming little building. You would never know that there was so much behind a stone wall as you drive by. It's certainly worth a trip to go on weekends in particular. And not too far from there is historic Richmond Town, which is a place that, you know, it's the. The Tibetan Museum is a little bit of a hike from the ferry, but if anybody does stop there, there's some nice little worthwhile places to stop in and eat again. Historic Richmond has a little Main Street Cafe and a little live historic village in there. It also, not too far from there is a place called Cafe Verde, which is like an Italian Mediterranean place. And also I just, at some point, I'd also like to point out that not far from the Tibetan Museum are all these beautiful little park spaces, including historic Richmond Town places like where you can have Richmond County Fair, which is in the fall and that's coming up in Labor Day weekend, and lots of places for festivals around the island. And that's also very nice to see in the borough.

[Alison Stewart]

And we have to mention Alice Austin House. Yes, we've talked about it on the show quite a bit. The site is recognized as an LGBTQ historic site. She was well known photographer. What would you want people to know about the Alice Austin House?

[Pamela Silvestri]

That is another beautiful place to view New York City. It's right on the water, not too far from there is actually a bed and breakfast and also Rosebank, which is a little town that has a lot of little restaurants in it. But Alice Austin House is a very special place. You could see again where Alice Austin photographed the fellow Staten Islanders and found a great place for solitude. You could see why she really loved that and loved her Staten island as a result.

[Alison Stewart]

In our last minute. Anything you want to mention, Any kind of festivals that are happening that we should think about on Staten Island?

[Pamela Silvestri]

There are a few. I mentioned the Richmond County Fair. There's also a great soul food festival which is the second year. It is definitely a great thing to go to. It is on August 31st. It's at Snug harbor and Shawn A. Dixon is the owner of a restaurant there.

[Alison Stewart]

She's the best.

[Pamela Silvestri]

She is the best. She's awesome. Her soul food is carried over at that festival. So definitely something to see as well as which is on September 13th and that's at Nansen's Lodge, which is in Travis, historic Travis of Staten Island.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, listeners, just so you know, there will be a transcript available of this conversation. So if you didn't get everything down, it will be all there, all our listeners calls, all of Pam's suggestions. My guest has been Staten Island Advanced Food editor Pamela Silvestri, telling us all about the great things we can do on Staten Island. Thank you for your time today.

[Pamela Silvestri]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Tracy]

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