Real Estate Blog - Staten Island OutLOUD

WEEKEND EVENTS ON STATEN ISLAND (3/9 – 3/13/16)

Were you able to check out the New York Public Library in your neighborhood or online this week?  Have you thought about discovering the history of your home and/or neighborhood?  Perhaps you might attend a program presented by The Preservation League of Staten Island or go on a tour of historic homes and districts of Staten Island.  Below you will find a program on Sunday, 3/13.  Visit their site for information, membership and more: http://preservestatenisland.org/index.htm 

If you participated in the Recycle@GrownNYC.org Stop ‘N’ Swap event at Christ Church on Saturday, then you will agree it was a great success. Swarms of people were dropping off bags before 11 a.m.  The organizers had their hands full with weighing, organizing and setting up…

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WEEKEND EVENTS ON STATEN ISLAND (3/2 – 3/6/16)

When I was a teenager working part-time after school at the New York Public Library as a PAGE, I would sometimes get lost in the volumes of books I returned to the shelves.  I was an avid reader as a kid and not a big history buff, but I would just eat up anything about the history of Staten Island and New York City. The books had wonderful pictures of Staten Island as a wilderness.  My Dad would walk us to Sailor’s Snug Harbor in our neighborhood--a home for retired merchant seamen.  There were cows, horses and other livestock grazing on the property along Henderson Ave. and great “old” buildings (which still exist) where the snugs lived.  We would listen to the sailors relate stories of their lives and travels and how they came to retire on Staten…

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WEEKEND EVENTS ON STATEN ISLAND (2/10 – 2/14/16)

Were you able to stop at the NYPD “Crime Prevention” Table at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal this week?  I constantly read about incidents where a person leaves his/her key in their car--running no less, sometimes with a child strapped in the baby seat, to quickly run into a deli to buy a lottery ticket/newspaper/coffee.  When the person returns, the car is gone!  Is this shocking to you?  You bet!  Last week, I noticed an upscale red car parked in front of my house with the front window open on the passenger side.  All day, I checked to see if the car was still there and if the window had been closed.  The driver must have been distracted or maybe a passenger had left it open.  I actually worried because I felt I had some responsibility to find the…

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WEEKEND EVENTS ON STATEN ISLAND (2/3 – 2/7/16)

Are you sad to see the snow melt?  It’s hard to believe that just a week ago I wrote about the major blizzard and trying to find help with shoveling driveways and clearing sidewalks.  My grandson visited commenting that he hadn’t even had a chance to walk in the snow.  Well, his Dad put his boots on and out in the yard they trudged, throwing snowballs and building a snowman.  It was a pleasure watching them have so much fun in just an hour. Alas!  See below the melting snowman a few days later.  Yippee!  Here comes Spring!

How many of you attended the Art shows at the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, Wagner College and/or St. George Theater?  I went to the opening reception for the exhibit "Photographs and Prints by Vincent Verdi and Ann Marie McDonnell" on…

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WEEKEND EVENTS ON STATEN ISLAND (1/21 – 1/24/16)

Did any of my gentle readers attend the Tavern Concerts at Historic Richmond Town?  Stay tuned for the jug band playing this weekend!  How about the Staten Island OutLOUD presentation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s "The Ice Palace" at Fort Wadsworth? Don’t forget to put the Borough President’s Borough Hall OPEN HOUSE “Direct Connect Sunday” on your list of things to do on Sunday, 1/31 from noon to 3.

The LEGO Americana Roadshow, an educational and FREE traveling installation of LEGO replicas, is at the Staten Island Mall.  Throughout the Mall you will see replicas of The White House, Independence Hall, the Capitol Building, the Supreme Court Building, the Washington Monument and much more.  Exhibition hours are Monday through Saturday from 10-9 and Sunday…

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WEEKEND EVENTS ON STATEN ISLAND (1/13 – 1/17/16)

I finally saw the new “Star Wars” movie in 3D.  This 3D technology has become so vivid and life like—all the trailers for the coming attractions, even the animated movies, were also in 3D.  Years ago, when I watched action/adventure movies like “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings”, it was exciting.  Now I feel like I am part of the action. Will the next type movie be “virtual” with vibrating chairs and surround sound as in the theme parks?  

Did you start cleaning out your basement and attic of old electronics for the electronic waste recycling event?  Don’t forget that you can drop off at the Sanitation Department’s site every Saturday and the last Friday of the month at 100 West Service Rd. from 10-5. 

If you have a child who was born in 2011, is…

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WEEKEND EVENTS ON STATEN ISLAND (11/11– 11/15/15)

I met some of my gentle readers and friends I haven’t seen in quite some time at the “Optimism Strikes out Parkinson’s” Bowl-A-Thon on Sunday at Rab’s Country Lanes. The raffles were terrific and the bowlers were fantastic.  I just watched but remember how enjoyable it is to bowl (when you aren’t super competitive and just play to have fun).  Did you participate in the PUMPKIN SMASH last Saturday so the NYC Compost Project can turn them into compost for parks and green spaces?

PLEASE TELL YOUR CHILDREN OR NEIGHBORHOOD YOUTH:  AHRC NYC is offering the Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP).  If you are between the ages of 16-24, out of school, not employed, do not have a college education, call Anna, 718-662-1432 for more information.  You…

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WEEKEND EVENTS ON STATEN ISLAND (10/22– 10/25/15)

How many of you are now Jazz fans after attending the Staten Island Jazz Festival last Saturday?  Have you or your offspring signed up for one of the many classes being offered at the Universal Temple of the Arts?  Visit: UTASI.org for information on classes.  Did you help plant trees at the Greenbelt last week?  

I suppose all thoughts are on Halloween--decorating the house or your yard and making or buying costumes for the kiddies.  My grandson helped me decorate with ceramics ghosts and pumpkins made by my Mom over the years.  He chooses the different paper decorations made or inherited to tape to all the windows and front door.  We both have fun, and he adds his creative touches.  How many of you decorate with your children and then change it to…

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WEEKEND EVENTS ON STATEN ISLAND (10/15–10/18/15)

Attention all of you Jazz aficionados!  The 28th Annual Staten Island Jazz Festival, presented by the Universal Temple of the Arts, takes place on Saturday, 10/17 at the Music Hall at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, 1000 Richmond Terrace.  Beginning at 10:30 a.m., you can participate in diverse jazz-themed workshops:  music, vocals, dance and collage art and a panel discussion titled “The History & Future of Jazz”.  From 2 through 7 p.m. enjoy five hours of live music.  For information on admission and acts, visit:  UTASI.org or e-mail info@utasi.org. Save $5 off advance tickets by calling 718-273-5610.

The co-founder and executive director of UTA is Sajda Musawwir Ladner, a lovely woman whom I have known for many years after sharing a pattern…

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WEEKEND EVENTS ON STATEN ISLAND (10/1– 10/4/15)

My vegetable garden did not do as well as in summers past, but my grandson and I were able to harvest some beans (we ate them immediately after picking), a few small tomatoes, a few green peppers, a bunch of hot peppers, four butternut squashes and lettuce.  Luckily for us, our neighbors have shared their long green Sri Lankan beans which have also attached itself to my Rose of Sharon so we had plenty to keep our bellies filled. Below is the last of the long green beans and tomatoes. 

Even the figs have been slow to ripen.  Now is the time to get your composting sifted and placed on top of your flower and vegetable beds and around your fruit trees.  I was told that next year my apples will be perfect if I prep the soil correctly with compost.  If you…

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