B St, Willowbrook

Staten Island is more of a borough than a neighborhood proper, but unlike, say, Brooklyn or the Bronx, Staten Island tends to be taken together as a single entity. This mostly residential district tends to get a bit of a bad reputation - not as a place of peril, but rather as New York City's slightly less exciting sister - the quintessential depiction of Staten Island remains Melanie Griffith eagerly awaiting her arrival into the Big City in the 1986 film Working Girl. It has a largely Italian-American population, which manifests itself in a close community feel and several pizzerias and ice cream shops scattered around the region. Some of the best include Denino's Pizza Tavern, and its neighborhood across the street Ralph's Ices (tradition dictates a visiting of both in a single evening), along with standout Paolucci's on Forest Avenue. But one of the best, and most underrated, facts about Staten Island is the view. The ferry, which is free, takes passengers across to Manhattan in about thirty minutes, offering striking views of the Statue of Liberty for far less money than would the Circle Line or Ellis Island Tour. The trip is particularly worthwhile at sunset, when the sun sets over the statue, or at night, when Manhattan is aglow with lights.