CRABBS Lane is about as far out in New York City as you can get, as it sits on an orphaned portion of Victory Boulevard near the West Shore Expressway in Travis, the far west end of Staten Island and an area I visit about once per decade. Part of the reason for it is I do not drive (it would be easy to reach via the Verrazzano Bridge, Staten Island and West Shore Expressways) but the pitied carless need to ferry it to St. George and then board the S62 bus to one stop before its end at Wild Avenue. On my ride, there were three crazies (well, two, as the same crazy somehow boarded the S62 on the return trip to St. George). Anyway, I do this so you don’t have to, and I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy writing about NYC’s far flung outposts.
Crabbs Lane meets Victory Boulevard at the erstwhile Da Noi Italian restaurant. I say “erstwhile” because this particular branch had closed, while its Fingerboard Road location in Grasmere remains in business. Why anyone would open a restaurant on this stretch is debatable, as across the street is a vast Con Ed plant, a uniforms wholesaler, and shipping offices, with a couple private homes thrown in.
I wandered down the asphalted path, passing #2 Crabbs Lane, and edged further toward #3. No one else was in sight and there were very few pedestrians encountered during the rest of my Travis wanderings over the next 3 hours. I was stopped short by a fellow who eyed me suspiciously, one of the employees of a local business. Instead of stating my intentions in the area, I decided to turn around; based on his manner, I suspect he would have thought me daft (I was given a much friendlier reception by a Howard Beach homeowner, who showed me his vegetable garden, earlier in the week).
I believe during my Forgotten NY wanderings I have been in Travis just twice before, in 2006 and in 2015. I got about 120 photos on this occasion; in 2006, I was restricted by using a limited number of 35MM exposures, and in November 2015 I was largely stymied by shadows. Soon, I’ll get a piece ready describing my 2026 visit. It’s an old company town, like Steinway Village and Kreischerville.
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7/13/26