Numismatic Musings on the Staten Island Ferry
The half-hour that I spend every workday morning and evening on the ferry traversing the five miles of the
Upper Bay of
Staten Island to
Manhattan and back again affords plenty of time to enjoy the views, catch up on reading, or simply ponder the history of the city and its port. The
Staten Island Ferry remains the best public transportation option around: free to all passengers and plenty of space to socially distance on the 300-foot-long, multi-decked vessels.
Long before the consolidation of Greater New York City in 1898,
Richmond County, as Staten Island is officially named, was home to farmers, oystermen, and wealthy Manhattanites who built hill-top estates as getaways.
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A difficult year for many, 2020 was also hard on the arts, with closures and cancellations affecting artists, galleries and institutions alike. With the arrival of vaccines, this year may be a little more hopeful, and those on the local art scene seem determined to forge ahead. Over the
past few months, art exhibitions and cultural events have returned – from gallery openings to musical performances.
Art Dubai will be back with a physical fair in March after being forced to go virtual last year, while Sharjah Art Foundation’s March Meeting will also take place after being postponed.
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Tapping maple trees and hunting for skunk cabbages on Staten Island | Pamela’s Food Service Diary
Updated Jan 17, 2021;
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Dining indoors is still illegal in New York City. So if staying on Staten Island to patronize a restaurant, we’re looking at dining in an igloo for up to four guests or in a heated, two-sided tent. At this point in winter with the bare trees and frozen earth, I turn to nature and wonder, “What would the Lenape do right now in January on this hilly, marshy Island?”
When the first Europeans visited Staten Island 350 years ago, they encountered the Lenni-Lenape, a diverse group of Raritan, Hackensack and Canarsie tribes with contacts throughout the region. (Staten Island Museum)staten island advance
David Mercaldo, deeply involved in Staten Island arts scene, dies at 74. A local Renaissance man, he was teacher, writer and actor.
Updated Jan 13, 2021;
David Mercaldo, 74, a former Oakwood resident who combined teaching, writing, acting and even a little politics into a rich and rewarding career and whose kindness and generosity were admired by friends and family, died Jan. 9 in Harrisburg (Pa.) Hospital of complications from pancreatic cancer.
Born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, Dr. Mercaldo graduated from Martin Van Buren High School, where he was elected president of the senior class. He followed in his older brother’s footsteps by earning a bachelor’s degree from Central Bible College in Springfield, Mo., and later completed a master’s degree at the former Richmond College, now the College of Staten Island, and a doctoral degree from the former Columbia Pacific University.