Station/Boat Location~
Sector/VTS (Vessel Traffic Services) New York
Date there~
2010-????
Military facilities~
On base (Ft. Wadsworth) a gym, small exchange, MWR. Ft. Hamilton has a lot more amenities- Commissary, larger exchange, Entertainment...
Medical~
Ft. Wadsworth has a small medical facility (primary care) for USFHP, and a pharmacy. Prescriptions are $3 generic, $9 name brand, and $22 "3rd tier" at the pharmacy. The doctors at USFHP will gladly give referrals for any specialists you may want/need to see. Very friendly staff, very thorough.
Housing~
Ft. Wadsworth has apartment-style housing. Spacious, and clean. Since it's located on a national park, there is a beach, and some great views. You can take your leashed dogs on the beach one the housing side (beach continues into public beach, where they don't allow dogs, just look for signs).
There are picnic areas, a baseball field, quite a few small playgrounds and a couple of basketball courts for kids. There are many many families here with children, very family friendly.
Some people live on Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn (very nice), but commuting (if stationed on Staten Island) can be a pain during heavier traffic times.
Shopping~
There is plenty of shopping here! No Walmarts, but we do have a Target, and Kmart (not very nice). There are a lot of drugstores, and grocery stores (I prefer the Stop and Shop on Hylan).
Jersey Gardens, a nice outlet mall, and Ikea in Elizabeth NJ aren't far, and the sales tax is much lower there. Many people also gas up when traveling there for their shopping, since gas prices are lower.
Brooklyn has a lot of shopping, but make sure you go at an "off" traffic time.
Child Care/Schools~
Many public schools, and religious schools on the island.
Adult Schools~
College of Staten Island (CSI)
Fun Activities~
SO much to do here! The spouses' club is great here, filled with some wonderful people, and very active.
On SI there is a zoo, museums, the Alice Austen house...but Manhattan is the place to be when it comes to getting out and about.
The Staten Island ferry runs all day and night, and is free to Manhattan! The subway is pretty easy to figure out, and for those of you that have smartphones, there are many free applications that you can download that will tell exactly which train(s) to take.
Additional Info~
Some people don't care for Staten Island (traffic, cost of living, urban living), and if you aren't used to it, the area might seem a bit overwhelming at first...but- it's all what you make out of it! There's no place like NYC in the whole entire world, and for me the good far outweighs the bad.
I really really suggest joining the spouses' club, it's a group of people who have been there, and done that, and can help you immensely! Plus, there are opportunities presented to you when you are a member that you may not experience otherwise (ex- going to Manhattan for a broadway show for cheap, attending the Rachel Ray show, learning a craft or skill....etc.). Beyond that, it's just a great way to be involved and make friends!
Homeport NY
Sector/VTS (Vessel Traffic Services) New York
Date there~
2010-????
Military facilities~
On base (Ft. Wadsworth) a gym, small exchange, MWR. Ft. Hamilton has a lot more amenities- Commissary, larger exchange, Entertainment...
Medical~
Ft. Wadsworth has a small medical facility (primary care) for USFHP, and a pharmacy. Prescriptions are $3 generic, $9 name brand, and $22 "3rd tier" at the pharmacy. The doctors at USFHP will gladly give referrals for any specialists you may want/need to see. Very friendly staff, very thorough.
Housing~
Ft. Wadsworth has apartment-style housing. Spacious, and clean. Since it's located on a national park, there is a beach, and some great views. You can take your leashed dogs on the beach one the housing side (beach continues into public beach, where they don't allow dogs, just look for signs).
There are picnic areas, a baseball field, quite a few small playgrounds and a couple of basketball courts for kids. There are many many families here with children, very family friendly.
Some people live on Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn (very nice), but commuting (if stationed on Staten Island) can be a pain during heavier traffic times.
Shopping~
There is plenty of shopping here! No Walmarts, but we do have a Target, and Kmart (not very nice). There are a lot of drugstores, and grocery stores (I prefer the Stop and Shop on Hylan).
Jersey Gardens, a nice outlet mall, and Ikea in Elizabeth NJ aren't far, and the sales tax is much lower there. Many people also gas up when traveling there for their shopping, since gas prices are lower.
Brooklyn has a lot of shopping, but make sure you go at an "off" traffic time.
Child Care/Schools~
Many public schools, and religious schools on the island.
Adult Schools~
College of Staten Island (CSI)
Fun Activities~
SO much to do here! The spouses' club is great here, filled with some wonderful people, and very active.
On SI there is a zoo, museums, the Alice Austen house...but Manhattan is the place to be when it comes to getting out and about.
The Staten Island ferry runs all day and night, and is free to Manhattan! The subway is pretty easy to figure out, and for those of you that have smartphones, there are many free applications that you can download that will tell exactly which train(s) to take.
Additional Info~
Some people don't care for Staten Island (traffic, cost of living, urban living), and if you aren't used to it, the area might seem a bit overwhelming at first...but- it's all what you make out of it! There's no place like NYC in the whole entire world, and for me the good far outweighs the bad.
I really really suggest joining the spouses' club, it's a group of people who have been there, and done that, and can help you immensely! Plus, there are opportunities presented to you when you are a member that you may not experience otherwise (ex- going to Manhattan for a broadway show for cheap, attending the Rachel Ray show, learning a craft or skill....etc.). Beyond that, it's just a great way to be involved and make friends!
Homeport NY
