When New Yorkers think of a beach to visit, they usually think of Brighton Beach. However, a lesser-known, but great, beach in NYC is South Beach (not to be confused with South Beach in Miami, Florida). South Beach is located in the South Shore of Staten Island. However, despite the fact that this is called the South Shore, its location is not actually in the deep south of Staten Island, but rather in the middle right side.

By taking the S51 bus from Bay St/Central Av to Father Capadanno Blvd/Delaware Ave in around 30 minutes, you are greeted to a very breezy and sandy beach with a small park nearby. You can see Brooklyn from this location as well as a small island in the distance known as Hoffman Island. In terms of wildlife on the beach, it is possible that you might find jellyfish. I even once saw a small shark as well. However, the sharks will not cause any harm - though you might get a small sting from a jellyfish.

There is a fountain in front of the beach with many dolphin statues around it. I have noticed that the dolphin seems to be the symbol of Staten Island. It is even the mascot of the C.U.N.Y. College of Staten Island. In fact, when Hurricane Sandy hit New York in 2012, this fountain has gotten damaged: leading to no water running for an entire decade. However, in 2022 the fountain was finally turned on again: good as new.

Just like with how Brooklyn's Brighton Beach has a Russian and Russian-speaking community, the same goes for South Beach: mostly having a Russian and Polish community living and working in the area of South Shore. You will be able to find many delicious Russian and Polish delis that sell various kinds of food. The first thing that you are guaranteed to smell the moment you walk in are various different types of bread from many different countries. You will also be seeing many different types of salami from Poland. As well as a variety of Slavic snacks to American snacks. My favorite would have to be the Ukrainian ice cream you will find in these delis’ freezers. Ukraine is somehow able to make vanilla ice cream taste very delicious and creamy rather than the standard vanilla that Americans are used to. Speaking of flavors, one thing that you will notice about Russian snacks is that most of them are flavored with caramel. So if caramel is your favorite flavor, consider stopping by one of these delis and trying these caramel flavored snacks from Eastern Europe.

Next time you want to visit a nice beach in NYC that isn’t too overcrowded with nice scenery, interesting neighborhoods, and amazing nature, then you should definitely visit South Beach sometime.

• South Beach (Fountain of the Dolphins): 378 Sand Ln, Staten Island, NY 10305