Staten Island Sojourn

This is turning into quite the nautical summer as F.I.B took another boat trip. This time the trip had a destination to to Island of Staten, where I got lost for about 2 hours, practically doing a complete circle around the island on the S51 bus. Eventually I got to where I needed to go, The Alice Austen House which is a little bit of heaven in what I was calling at the second hour of my journey, Satan Island.
For some reason I don't think the energy on this ship is "golden".

Alice Austen was a photographer in the Victorian era, a real rebel girl for the time, biking around Staten Island and Manhattan with over 50 pounds of photo equipment! This nationally landmarked house is sort of victorian/gothic and hosts revolving photo exhibits. It's a great spot and there is a shaded lawn overlooking the harbor, where on a clear day, which this day at temps in the 90's and humid was not, one can see the Manhattan skyline. The beach is also a nice spot, lots of sea glass from old bottles. Someone told me that sea glass is becoming extinct because there aren't as many glass bottles in the world anymore. Not at THIS beach honey, this place was sea glass mecca!Once again my camera konked out and this is just about the only photo I got of the actual house. Anyway, if you get it right and take the 10 minute rather than the 2 hour bus ride from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal this is a nice little getaway. It's a peaceful spot amongst the Victorian homes of Staten Island. Fortunately for F.I.B every bit of this trip was FREE, ferry (from where, if you crane your neck you can see all four waterfalls at once!) and all. Even the bus was free because the fare box was broken! (making up for all those useless Metrocards I have with 5 cents left on them, does that piss anyone else off as it does me?)

The Alice Austen House
2 Hylan Blvd. Staten Island

Food & Lit Saturday on Staten Island!

One of the few things I know about Staten Island is that it the home of an old kitschy Polynesian/Tiki style Chinese restaurant called Jade Island in an old strip mall on Richmond Avenue. I made it to Jade Island one Sunday when an attempt to make it out to Englishtown, New Jersey was bamboozled by traffic jams of epic proportions, leaving us miles away from the Outer Bridge Crossing with our spirits deflated and our stomachs rumbling. An ideal moment to make the pilgramage to one of the few old school tiki style restaurants left in the tri-state area and just as exciting as going to Englishtown! The bland exterior is deceiving because once you enter the doors of Jade Island the only thing that reminds you that you are in a strip mall that also houses a K-Mart and not in an exotic local, is the fact that there is a very busy NY LOTTO machine in the bar area.

Check out this spot on review from Tiki Central.

In business since 1972, Jade Island is a restaurant and cocktail lounge located in a Staten Island strip mall. The locals all seem to agree that the restaurant has been well maintained over the years, and the Chinese food and tropical drinks are both excellent. The flaming pu pu platter and the jumbo shrimp with garlic sauce are expecially recommended for food, and the headunter is regarded as their best drink (seved in a Tiki mug), although you can’t pass up the recipes served in fresh coconut shells. That said, Manhattan reviewers seem to think that the food is greasy and the drinks are too syrupy and sweet.

You be the judge.

With backlit 3-D waterfall scenes, bamboo booths, a tiny waterfall flowing next to a fake volcano, and the requisite pufferfish lamps, Jade Island makes the grade for Tiki decor. Staten Island has some very groovy 1960’s architecture, take a drive around the neighborhood.

* Please note although F.I.B enjoyed the fab decor and food and drink immensely her dining companion was hospitalized the next day for gallblatter complications, we often wonder if Jade Island induced it!

Another interesting place on Satan I mean Staten Island is the "Every Thing Goes Book Store" where the latest leg of the "New York Calling:From Blackout to Bloomberg" five borough book reading tour is landing Saturday night at 8pm.I think this peacock must of escaped from Jade Island!

The folks over at "New York Calling" say........
"Meet the Shaolin warriors & challenge their Wu Tang sword styles:
Staten-native Steve Maluk, Village Voice food writer Robert Sietsema & WWIB air personality, The Wally Champ of South Brooklyn, Brian Berger, will all be present.

"Every Thing Goes Book Store" is located at 208 Bay Street, Staten Island

Check the Who Walk in Brooklyn for more information.

Peacock photo taken on Staten Island by Brian Berger.