35 Reasons Why Staten Island Deserves Respect!

<em>(<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/idletype/3376682671/in/photostream/">Idle Type</a>'s flickr).</em><br/><br/>Taking pride in your borough is a longstanding New York tradition. But not all boroughs are created equal, and oftentimes it seems like poor Staten Island is the Rodney Dangerfield of the pack. Granted, it isn't permanently associated with the phrase "is burning," but when was the last time you heard someone joke about giving The Bronx to New Jersey? It doesn't have to be this way!<br/><br/>First, one needs to accept that Staten Island is different from its sisters: the third largest physical borough boasts the smallest population (468,730) of the five, and customs distinct from the rest of the city...and so what? This is the great melting pot—the greatest city in the world—and we should embrace the southernmost part of New York State, not push it aside like some inbred mutant cousin chained in the city's basement. But of course, old habits die hard. So, in honor of the borough's <a href="http://gothamist.com/2011/08/22/flashback_a_look_back_at_staten_isl.php">350th anniversary</a> this week, we offer you 35 reasons why Staten Island stands on its own (not that it's not worthy of 100, like <a href="http://gothamist.com/2011/06/28/100_reasons_why_brooklyn_lives_up_t.php#photo-1">we gave Brooklyn</a>).<br/><br/><strong>But First:</strong> Please note that this <em>is by no means</em> all she wrote when it comes to Status Island. We left out lots and there are still plenty more secret treasures hiding there, surely. Feel free to add your own reasons in the comments! <br/><br/>