Staten Island is the odd one out in New York City, and that is exactly why it makes a good place to end a long ride. It is the least dense of the five boroughs, tied to the rest of the city by the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to Brooklyn, the free Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan, and three bridges west to New Jersey. Riders returning from the Hudson Valley often arrive by the New Jersey side, crossing the Goethals or the Bayonne Bridge, whose arch was raised in the 2010s to let bigger ships pass underneath.
It is a patchwork of residential streets, shopping strips and surprising pockets of green. The Greenbelt, a large network of woodland and wetlands, runs along the island's spine, and the high ground of Todt Hill, the highest natural point on the Atlantic seaboard south of Maine, is nearby. Roads here wind along the ridge with tight bends and old stone walls, and for a few minutes you forget the skyline.
Food is the draw. Staten Island has some of New York's best Italian delis and pizzerias, along with a significant Sri Lankan community around Tompkinsville that has produced some of the most interesting restaurants in the borough. After a day on the road, a hot slice or a plate of lamprais is better than any chain.
Practical matters are easy. Gas stations are on every main avenue, repair shops are plentiful, and parking is far less of a battle than in Manhattan. The expressway tolls are real, however, and the bridges to New Jersey and Brooklyn charge for crossing, so a transponder saves time and money. Traffic through the Staten Island Expressway can be heavy in the evening rush.
If you have time, the ferry terminal at St. George gives a quiet look back at Lower Manhattan, with the Statue of Liberty sliding past on the water. The boat is free for pedestrians, and from the island side the skyline looks surprisingly close.