Old Town
WHAT’S IN A NAME: “Old Town” came from the name Oude Dorp, given by Dutch settlers.
Southeast of the Railway Station, just one block off busy, commercial, Hylan Boulevard is a low beige brick building. It’s Sunday. Under an American flag, multicolored triangles flutter over a courtyard. In the enclosed patio a sign asks, “Please take off shoes.”
Through the doorway is another world, a Sikh Temple. You are greeted by men in turbans and women in brightly colored saris and veils. They invite you to stay for the ceremony, hear musicians play beautiful ragas, and share a meal.
MTA Staten Island Railway Station 6 of 22
The bumper sticker under the sign reads:
“An American and a Sikh”
Southwest
The Temple from the tracks
The emblem embedded in the terrazzo floor reveals this building
had been an American Legion Hall.
Music
The Temple Gate
Males cover their heads.
A delicious meal for members and guests: hot flower tea, pistachio topped pudding, sweet rice noodles, lentils, and a western bagel and cream cheese.
Shopping along Hylan Boulevard, one block east of the Station.