NYC & Company highlights beaches in Staten Island as the next neighborhood x neighborhood feature

—Family-Friendly Beaches, Attractions and Restaurants Along the Staten Island Shore Ready to Welcome New Yorkers and Visitors for Summer Fun—

New York City (August 13, 2014) — NYC & Company, New York City’s official marketing, tourism and partnership organization, today announced Staten Island beaches as the next destinations to be featured in Neighborhood x Neighborhood. Located along the borough’s eastern shore, Staten Island’s beaches are a family-friendly destination and provide visitors a way to cool down and enjoy the surf, panoramic views and boardwalk treats. The beaches are accessible by ferry and bus, and they are conveniently located near restaurants and historic points of interest, offering visitors plenty to see and do this summer. For more information on all there is to see and do at Staten Island’s beaches, visit nycgo.com/nxn.  

“Staten Island’s picturesque and charming beaches offer New Yorkers and visitors the opportunity to take advantage of New York City’s exciting summer season,” said Marty Markowitz, vice president of borough promotion and engagement at NYC & Company. “There’s still plenty of time to enjoy the summer, and we encourage everyone to take the ferry to Staten Island and appreciate all that the area has to offer, from the waterfront and amusement park to historic sites and Italian and seafood restaurants.”

“Must-See Staten Island Beaches” Highlights

The following activities, places, venues and more are featured on nycgo.com/nxn.

• Fort Wadsworth, which dates back to the Revolutionary War, guarded New York Harbor for more than 200 years. Visitors can now explore Fort Wadsworth’s network of tunnels, fortresses, passageways, and fortifications with the help of National Park Service rangers.
• Starting at Fort Wadsworth and continuing 2.5 miles along Staten Island’s coast, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Boardwalk provides an easy and scenic way to travel between Fort Wadsworth and the beaches.
• Located just south of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and Fort Wadsworth, South Beach is popular among families and seniors for its family-friendly amenities and activities. Visitors will find chess tables, benches and bocce courts in addition to a boardwalk with refreshments and a fishing pier.
• Just off South Beach’s boardwalk, South Fin Grill is open for brunch, lunch and dinner and serves fresh seafood, such as raw oysters, steamed little neck clams and sea scallops. At night South Fin Grill’s indoor and outdoor lounges are converted into Blu, an oceanside lounge with cocktails, music and live entertainment. 
• Sharing a boardwalk with South Beach, Midland Beach is the less-crowded of the two beaches, and is home to a playground, tennis courts, shuffleball courts and a sea turtle fountain for children. Midland Beach is also home to the largest steel-and-concrete recreation pier on the Atlantic Ocean, the Midland Beach Fishing Pier, a perfect spot for fishing. For visitors looking to fish there, Midland Bait & Tackle sells fishing rods, bait and gear.
• Every weekend through Labor Day, New Yorkers and visitors can enjoy events at Midland Beach as part of Staten Island Beach Fest, an New York City Economic Development Corporation initiative. The series of family-friendly events include concerts and live entertainment, fitness sessions, a farmers market and more. For more information, visit statenislandbeachfest.com.    
• Located at Midland Beach, Fantasy Shore Amusement Park is a mini-amusement park with family-friendly rides including Staten Island’s only roller coaster, spinning teacups and a children’s railroad.
• A family-owned restaurant near Midland Beach, Joe & John Toto’s Restaurant & Bar has recently reopened after renovations. Their menu features traditional Italian cuisine and seafood.
• Just south of Midland Beach and accessible by a bike-friendly boardwalk, Miller Field is a former military airfield that now serves as a 167-acre park with baseball, cricket, softball and soccer fields, and a bocce court.
• A national historic landmark located nearby South and Midland Beaches, the Alice Austen House Museum was built in the 1690s and provides a look inside its namesake photographer’s life as a turn-of-the-20th-century female photographer.
• Set in a 19th-century carriage house and conveniently located near the beaches, Basilio Inn is the oldest operating restaurant in Staten Island. Its menu includes authentic Italian dishes that change seasonally and include vegetables grown in the restaurant’s garden.    

Locals and visitors can explore more of what New York City has to offer this summer with an overnight stay. Many hotels throughout the City offer increased rate savings available now through September 1 when staying three or more nights. For more information and to book a perfect summer stay, visit nycgo.com/hotels.

Neighborhood x Neighborhood: The Essential Guide to NYC

New York City is made up of five distinct boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. The Neighborhood x Neighborhood initiative spotlights the affordability and accessibility of these diverse communities, including areas that have seen new hotel development in recent years. Neighborhoods and featured highlights are chosen in collaboration with community leaders and with consideration of NYC & Company’s members.

In order to continue to grow New York City’s tourism industry, Neighborhood x Neighborhood targets repeat visitors, intrepid first-time visitors and New Yorkers seeking new adventures here in their home city. The campaign was designed to highlight the diversity of offerings in New York City’s five boroughs, encourage exploration in areas outside traditional tourist locations and generate economic activity in the featured neighborhoods.

Neighborhood x Neighborhood is produced by NYC & Company and its Presenting Sponsor, Santander Bank, N.A. The sponsorship includes production of taxi videos each month, bus stop shelters and street-pole banners highlighting the selected neighborhoods.

For more information about Staten Island beaches and other things to see and do across New York City, visit nycgo.com/nxn. To read the monthly Neighborhood x Neighborhood press releases and to view B-roll and photos of neighborhood highlights, visit nycgo.com/press. Follow @nycgo_press on Twitter for the latest information about New York City travel and tourism.

For PR, media and communication in Scandinavia/Finland contact:

Elin Norlin, elin@comvision.se, 070 279 86 40  

About NYC & Company:

NYC & Company is the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization for the City of New York, dedicated to maximizing travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs, building economic prosperity and spreading the positive image of New York City worldwide. For more information, visit nycgo.com

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