We are thinking of renting an apartment that is described as a being in a Victorian home in the "historic St. George Village" area of Staten Island, NYC. Is this generally considered a safe area?

We realize Manhattan is a ferry ride away and Fodor's posters recommend staying in the city, but we've been there many times, it's expensive and we don't plan to do a lot of running around that week, the first week of October. Plus, we've never explored Staten Island.

Can anyone recommend activities (we enjoy walking, parks, architecture, scenery, museums, photography and restaurants (like Italian, American and seafood)? Thank you for your help.

No offense to anyone that lives in Staten Island but I believe I'd stay in Brooklyn before Staten Island.

I lived on Staten Island when I first moved to the city and actually have friends that just moved there. If you are coming to the city, I would NOT recommend staying on Staten Island, there is not much to see and do there, other than the Staten Island Mall, and the Historic Richmondtown. There's a City Zoo, and a riding stable and a large Park, but you have to have a car to see anything.

The other problem is taking the ferry later at night, the ferries run only once and hour and I would not say the St. George area is safe late at night.

I would suggest finding an apartment in Manhattan or a less expensive hotel through Priceline or Hotels.com.

Hope this helps.

I really don't know Staten Island well, AT ALL, but what I do know is there's not much public transportation on the island apart from the ferry to Manhattan. So unless you're coming with a car, I think you may have some trouble getting around. It does appear that area is near the ferry. Not sure that isn't a double edged sword. Here's a website I found on STaten Island.

http://www.statenislandarts.org/cultural/cultural.html

When looking for inexpensive options to visiting Manhattan, many people chose New Jersey. The Hyatt Regency in Jersey City gets very good reviews on tripadvisor.com and sits next to a PATH train (subway) into Manhattan. People who bid on Priceline for a 3* hotel in Jersey City have "won" this or the Doubletree Club, also well reviewed for under $100/night.
I beleive there's also a ferry service from there.

The Sheraton on the Hudson in Weehawken, NJ is another option and has both ferry service and bus options into Manhattan. The ferry from Weehawken puts you in midtown (with a free bus shuttle on the Manhattan side that stops almost wherever you want) vs. from Staten Island, where you're downtown in the financial district.

Now, are you asking for activities in Manhattan or Staten Island?

The St. George area is very convenient to the Ferry, which is a lovely way to travel to Manhattan -- and the Ferry is free. However, as wantsomesun notes, it does not run often during overnight hours. There are some wonderful restaurants and terrific sights to see, like Historic Richmondtown, the Conference House, Sailor's Snug Harbor, the Chinese Scholar's Garden, the Zoo, etc., but a car is really the best way to get around as there is little public transportation. Check out the website of the Arts and Humanities groups on SI -- I think it's "COAHSI", or the Borough President's Office at statenislandusa.com, for an overview on what's happening in the Borough

The 1-BR apartment includes free parking (we'll have our car), a full kitchen, DVD player with surround sound, wi-fi, a fireplace and use of a BBQ grill for under $700 for the week.
The reasonably priced rentals in Manhattan that I've looked at are not available during our stay. For a week-long stay, we don't want to be cramped in a hotel-sized room and eat out all the time - even if it is our anniversary!

Staten Island is primarily a residential suburb - there are a few things to see - but not many.

But as long as you have your own car with you - and don;t want to focus on Manhattan (you could take the ferry in for one or two days) from Staten Island you can easily get to other areas - like Brooklyn or even the Bronx - that may have more in the way of museums and sights/activities.

There is also a minor league baseball team "The Staten Island Yankees" that plays in a new stadium near the ferry terminal.

I appreciate the feedback, everyone.

In case this is not a "done deal" I have also seen vacation rentals in Weehawken, NJ and East New York, NJ that might also include parking and views of Manhattan. You might want to make some comparisons. I think there are also some vacation rentals in Jersey City.

Keep in mind that if you are planning trips Staten Island into NYC on weekdays you might want to avoid travelling in "rush hour" (which in NYC can actually last longer than an hour). The ferry from Staten Island drops you off at the very southern tip of Manhattan so you'll have to make your way to the various places you want to visit.

I grew up in Staten Island and my parents/siblings still live. That said - THERE IS NO REASON TO STAY ON STATEN ISLAND.

There are few things for a tourist to do. Richmondtown, The Conference House, the Tibetan Center at best. Maybe you could walk the "Greenbelt", the boardwalk at South Beach and Wolves Pond Park.

Traffic is awful.

St. George is also not the best place to stay. There are two high schools in the immediate area and trouble isn't an infrequent event. St. George is also very close to one of the few housing projects on Staten Island. Relative to the rest of NY, there is little crime. However, I'd venture a guess that more than 1/2 the crime on Staten Island occurs within a few miles of St. George.

Don't know what options you have besides Staten Island, but honestly most places would be a better option. Have you considered places in the Finger Lakes area or areas north of NYC. That time of year the leaves should be nice.

Based on your feedback -- especially Ryan's -- and remembering that we sometimes like to take a break mid-day when visiting NYC (and that would be harder staying outside Manhattan), we've changed our plans. We decided to spend more and finally found a nice apartment in Manhattan. Thank you all for your replies.

Congratulations on finding a place in Manhattan.

It's a sad commentary on the state of obcenely-priced un-affordable temporary quarters in NYC when travellers resort to using Staten Island as a base when visiting and touring NYC.