Things to do on Staten Island near an express bus stop.

August 2, 2022 11:49 AM

My daughter (3.5) is named Simone and is called Sim. It has come to her attention that there are a bunch of buses that say SIM on them, and she would like to go on one. These are Staten Island/Manhattan express buses, so it looks like we are going to Staten Island. Please help us find something to do there very near one of the express bus stops

Here is a map showing where these SIM buses stop on Staten Island

The activity MUST be near one of the stops--it's going to be a long bus ride and I don't want to get there and have to take another bus or walk very far.

The activity should be outdoors and rather Covid-cautious. We don't do indoor dining and don't want to spend all day wearing a mask to be indoors somewhere. That being said, if something is really very awesome and very close to an express bus stop, yet indoors, we may consider it.

The activity should be appropriate for 3.5 year olds.

The activity need not be especially exciting. It can be a cool playground or something low key like that. It can be a restaurant where we can eat lunch outdoors. It can be a cool thing to look at. We just need SOME destination off a SIM bus, and I know nothing of Staten Island.

And yes I know the ferry is more fun. We've already done that. But I've now agreed to a SIM bus!

posted by millipede to Travel & Transportation around New York, NY (12 answers total)

Response by poster: Quick edit: I should have mentioned that this is going to be a weekend, and it looks like not all of these buses run on weekends. So we're looking at these, in particular:
1C
3C
4C
33C
posted by millipede at 11:53 AM on August 2, 2022

Do you really want to go to Staten Island? It looks like there's many stops in Manhattan for the 1C (for example) - you could ride from Central Park down to Battery Park and wander around.
posted by quadrilaterals at 12:00 PM on August 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

I just today heard [instagram link] that Staten Island's Midland Beach is an attractive and sometimes uncrowded beach that I think is on the SIM 1C, though I don't totally understand the map. I have not been to the beach myself.
posted by moonmilk at 12:03 PM on August 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

Also, it sounds like the express bus ride over the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge is neat in itself.
posted by moonmilk at 12:05 PM on August 2, 2022 [2 favorites]

I can confirm the Midland Beach SIM-1C access, and adding that Great Kills Park is also on that line. Although I think Midland Beach is probably your best bet.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:07 PM on August 2, 2022 [2 favorites]

South Beach Park and Midland Beach are both quite nice with good views of Manhattan. Near the cemeteries on SIM15 (Newvale Ave stop) there's Historic Richmond Town which is interesting to walk around in and there is also ice cream.
posted by threementholsandafuneral at 12:16 PM on August 2, 2022

The zoo might be fun.
posted by pinochiette at 12:29 PM on August 2, 2022 [1 favorite]

You can get the SIM4 from near Bowling Green to the S44 to Snug Harbor, which has several museums including the John Noble (maritime history, free) and the Staten Island Museum (general local history, not free.) If they are doing the Sea Shanty Sing still, that is totally worth it. It's a 20-30 minute walk back to the ferry, some of it right by the water, if you want the ferry experience also. Along this walk is where they keep the road salt all year, in enormous glittering heaps.

The zoo is indeed a good time and it's free 2-5 on Wednesdays (the star of the show, in my opinion, is the enormous and rather personable hog, but they also have an excellent reptile house.)
posted by blnkfrnk at 1:25 PM on August 2, 2022 [3 favorites]

On the SIM1 line, it looks like the SimSim Uzbek Café 2230 Hylan Blvd, at Lincoln Ave, Staten Island, NY 10306 may be closed. Dang!
posted by BobTheScientist at 1:47 PM on August 2, 2022 [3 favorites]

Yes, I think the zoo is the ticket. (Bless you for doing this, it's so sweet.)
posted by praemunire at 1:58 PM on August 2, 2022 [2 favorites]

If you follow blnkfrnk's instructions, you can go to the Staten Island Children's Museum, which is great and perfect for a 3.5 year old. And there is often a place at Snug Harbor that serves burgers, tacos and fries outdoors.

I don't know if there are any express buses that go there, but Denino's pizza is really good and there is outdoor seating there.
posted by luckdragon at 7:28 PM on August 2, 2022

Native Staten Islander here. They recently changed the numbers for the bus lines so not sure which lines you would have to take, but all of the following meet your criteria and are near express bus stops:

- Denino's Pizza (great pizza, outdoor dining!)
- Wild turkeys roaming the streets near Staten Island University Hospital on Seaview Ave (grab a sandwich from Ariemma's on Hylan near the express bus stop and walk to the park/beach if you want to picnic it)
- South Beach Boardwalk (great beach, longer walk from express bus right after it crosses over the bridge from Brooklyn)
- Wolfe's Pond Park (nice beach with hiking trails in the woods close to express bus stop but a much longer ride from Manhattan)
- New Dorp Lane (nice commercial strip with toddler-friendly stores. good boba tea, pizza, dim sum and Chinese pastry shops there too)

Staten Island is great and is more than the stereotypes. Most of the express buses run along the Hylan Boulevard or Richmond Avenue corridors, so I would look there on Google Maps to see what works best for your family. Have fun!
posted by allthethings at 8:12 AM on August 3, 2022 [4 favorites]