Because of the Cornavirus, my family has been on a quest to find relatively safe activities to supplement our hum-drum days of sheltering in place. We have been to several drive-in movies lately, including Four Brothers in Amenia and Skyline in Brooklyn. To continue this theme, I bring you the tale of our COVID Cautious Staten Island Adventure.
What is the setting?
Juicy Lucy BBQ is the hot place to go on Staten Island for “a flick and a feast”. It is yet another example of NYC ingenuity: creating lemonade out of the lemons that the COVID era has given us. As soon as we got there, I felt like I was transported and on vacation. Juicy Lucy is across the street from the beach (who knew there was a beach in Staten Island?!). The salty air and the sea breeze pleased all of my senses and made me feel alive again.
How was the restaurant?
I loved the rock and roll music and lively vibe of this place. There was a ton of socially distanced, outside dining space and all of the staff wore face coverings. The food, which featured brisket in EVERYTHING, was just “meh” for us. It was really just glorified greasy bar vittles (mozzarella sticks and nachos)…but that didn’t matter because the ambiance made up for any shortcomings.
What was the drive-in like?
I think the “theater” must be new since COVID. There was no atmosphere really; it seems that it is just a converted gravel parking lot. Juicy Lucy BBQ is located in a residential area (I wonder how much the neighbors complain about having a screen to light up their nights?!). Its super cool to bring kids here because there is an early movie available (which seems to be a rarity for drive-ins). We went for a 5:00 showing of “Grease”.
The screen is amazing. We think it may be a giant, high definition TV because the picture was so clear. There are no outside speakers on the premises, so you need to tune in on your car radio. Car-hop service is available during the movie. We indulged in some delicious (and messy!) dessert treats from Juicy Lucy’s.
Anything else?
Well of course, we had to visit the beach.
Despite the clouds, wind and slight drizzle, we ventured across the street. It turns out that there was no entrance to get onto the sand, but we found a fishing pier with amazing views.
We walked to the end and spoke with some of the fisher-people. Sadly, most of them had not had a successful fishing day. One man showed us his crab catch though.
I really enjoyed this little side trip. It was the highlight of my day because it nourished my soul with summer. I highly recommend a visit to this place!
If you enjoyed reading about our COVID Cautious Staten Island Adventure, here are some other posts you might like:
- Social distancing with kids at The Storm King Arts Center
- Six Flags Animal Safari Drive-Through
- The Emotional Onslaught of COVID
- The Early Days of COVID With Kids
- A Visit to Little Italy
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