Last Monday, the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement held a panel to discuss the Port Richmond Partnership. Many of us packed into the room and attentively listened to what the panelists and guest speakers had to say in reference to their hopes and dreams for the neighborhood. It was truly inspiring listening to how passionate each panelist was discussing their hopes and dreams for the betterment of the neighborhood. Although I have lived on Staten Island all my life, I did not know about the neighborhood of Port Richmond that well. I found the presentation on the history of the neighborhood to be very interesting. I never realized what a cultural melting pot Port Richmond was due to the influx of immigrants. I would have never thought that Port Richmond was the center for immigration or even commerce. I was a little taken back to see how Port Richmond went from such a thriving, commerce filled area to a poor neighborhood.
I am happy that I attended this panel. It has extended my knowledge of this neighborhood as well as given me a sense of the area that I will soon be spending my time in as I work as a mentor for a student at Port Richmond High School. Having a background on the culture of the area will help me understand the perspective of my student. Background knowledge of the environment the student encounters on the daily basis will hopefully assist me in forming a bond and create a level of mutual understanding.
North Brother Island came in second on the list. That was the place which housed Typhoid Mary for her last years of life. They also named some relevant places concerning oysters and clams such as Robbins Reef and Ruffle Bar. The oyster trade was something crucial to New York’s development and here we have some easy to see locations still being referenced in a modern magazine. Robbins Reef is very easy to see from afar, but not so easy to visit. If you take the Staten Island ferry, you’ll be able to see the small island just after departure, north west of the docks. It’s technically in New Jersey waters, but maybe they chose to ignore it. If you want a closer look, you can go on a virtual tour of the island 
The Staten Island Diner seemed like a nice enough spot to grab a bite to eat. The interior was bright and welcoming, and those inside seemed to be enjoying their meal. Anyone who is a native to the Island and have had the pleasure of dining here before, may have their own opinion on the spot, but for us it was a great and easy place to get some food. Just like many other diners, when we got the menu, we saw that it had pages and pages of options. Not only did they have pancakes and french toast, but they had entire rows of toppings and flavors. This was something that is pretty typical of a diner 
environment so I didn’t thing much of it, and ordered Nutella and peanut butter pancakes because I was feeling particularly indulgent and why not? I’m young. When the food arrived all looked good and we couldn’t wait to dig in. But in my pancakes, I had a tiny symbol starting back at me. Stuck into my flapjacks was a tiny American flag. I thought this was ironic considering the size of the meal (which was much larger than I had assumed it would be). This got me thinking, is this obsession with large portion sizes and the diner mentality of bigger being better a universal thing across the country? 
Has every diner you’ve been to had the same staple in size? Or is it just something that is prevalent on the East Coast? I was wondering if anyone else has had experience with this and could share their thoughts. Here is a picture of my meal. Though delicious, it was definitely too much for me to eat in one sitting, and was unfortunately at the mercy of an unprepared customer. Hopefully some of you who have been across the country can add to this post. It the size of a ‘diner portion’ standard?