Editor\u2019s Note: Welcome to Social Media Influencer of the Week, a weekly feature from the Advance\/SILive.com highlighting local content creators who are building communities, inspiring followers and making an impact across social media platforms. If you\u2019re a social media influencer who would like to be considered for a story, send an email to tips@siadvance.com and put \u201cinfluencer\u201d in the subject line.<\/p>\n
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 After traveling to 50 countries across five continents, Dasha Kofman<\/a> decided it was time to explore closer to home.<\/p>\n The lifelong New Yorker began a social media series in April 2024 with a goal of traveling around New York City the way she would explore an international destination. What started with visits to some of the city\u2019s more recognizable neighborhoods eventually expanded into a mission to see them all.<\/p>\n Now, the Manhattan native has explored nearly 250 neighborhoods and estimates she has about 100 left.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to get to know the city that I grew up in,\u201d said Kofman. \u201cI always like making guides for my friends and for myself abroad, so I kind of liked the idea of making guides for people to explore more and get to know New York from a different perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n Kofman, who is turning 29 in a few weeks and works in advertising, grew up on the Upper East Side. She said she explored New York as a child but had little experience with some parts of the city, including Staten Island and the Bronx.<\/p>\n In contrast, her international trips have taken her to places including South Africa, Vietnam, Argentina, Armenia, Japan and Korea.<\/p>\n Her neighborhood series gives viewers full-day guides featuring food, architecture, businesses, museums, parks, landmarks and cultural communities. Her TikTok videos have featured several Staten Island itineraries, including trips through Dongan Hills, Mid Beach, New Dorp Beach, Richmond Town, Lighthouse Hill, Bloomfield, Travis-Chelsea and several South Shore communities. <\/p>\n \u201cI feel like a lot of social media content about New York can have a lot of sameness,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted to give people a way to see that there\u2019s so much in New York. You can never run out of things to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Building guides people can recreate<\/p>\n Before visiting a neighborhood, Kofman begins by researching what it is best known for. That could include a cultural community, a longstanding business, a highly rated restaurant or an architectural landmark.<\/p>\n She then tries to include something from each major category, including food, culture, shops, parks, outdoor spaces and architecture.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether that\u2019s a museum or a landmark, I try to look for shops, whether that\u2019s clothing, specialty food shops or collectible shops,\u201d she said. \u201cI kind of try to do something from every category as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n Her first Staten Island visit<\/p>\n Kofman\u2019s Staten Island exploration started on the North Shore, with communities within reach of the Staten Island Ferry.<\/p>\n She visited areas, including St. George, Rosebank and Stapleton, At the time, she had not yet decided to visit every New York City neighborhood.<\/p>\n \u201cBack then, I was like, \u2018What\u2019s well known in Staten Island?\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n One initial area of interest was Staten Island\u2019s Sri Lankan community. Following that first visit, viewers filled her comment section with more recommendations, from Historic Richmond Town to the Conference House.<\/p>\n \u201cThat really broadened my scope of Staten Island,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Once she committed to the larger neighborhood project, Kofman began mapping each Staten Island community and planning more visits. Viewer recommendations helped, but so did her growing interest in the borough.<\/p>\n \u201cI really enjoyed my visit to Staten Island,\u201d she said. \u201cAs with a lot of New Yorkers, there are a lot of misconceptions and jokes that people make, and I felt like it was completely incorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n She has since made five trips to Staten Island and has a sixth planned.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s so much to see, so much culture,\u201d she said. \u201cIt made me excited about wanting to visit more.\u201d<\/p>\n A borough of many cultures<\/p>\n One of Kofman\u2019s biggest discoveries was the breadth of Staten Island\u2019s cultural diversity.<\/p>\n Before planning a guide, she looks for the culture and history represented within each neighborhood. On Staten Island, that research has led her to explore its Sri Lankan and Italian communities, as well as Russian and Asian influences in different parts of the borough.<\/p>\n Her Staten Island videos have featured Italian food and architecture in Dongan Hills, including longtime establishments such as Royal Crown Bakery and Lee\u2019s Tavern. <\/p>\n In Mid Beach, she noted the area\u2019s Russian presence, while her visit to New Dorp included the Asian businesses along its commercial corridor, including HL Supermarket.<\/p>\n \u201cI think a lot of people see Staten Island as Italian,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t think people understand just how many cultures are represented. And not in a small way, but with these cultural enclaves that people find so interesting in other boroughs.\u201d<\/p>\n Green spaces, museums and residents<\/p>\n Kofman said Staten Island\u2019s residents, parks and cultural spaces were among the biggest surprises of her visits.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like the people are so nice,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve been able to interact with so many people.\u201d<\/p>\n She was also struck by the borough\u2019s amount of green space, something she believes is well known among Staten Islanders but less familiar to outsiders.<\/p>\n \u201cHow green it is, and all the beautiful parks,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Her travels have included Historic Richmond Town, the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art and the Staten Island Greenbelt. One itinerary also took viewers through Dongan Hills, Mid Beach, New Dorp Beach, Richmond Town and Lighthouse Hill, combining food, beaches, museums, history and architecture.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t expect there to be so much to do,\u201d she said. \u201cI think I\u2019m like a third of the way through, and there are still so many things on my list.\u201d<\/p>\n One neighborhood left a particularly strong impression: Castleton Corners.<\/p>\n Kofman included it among her five favorite neighborhoods she visited in 2025. She was drawn to its architecture, businesses and main commercial strip.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like it was very cool,\u201d she said. \u201cIt had really unique architecture, lots of cool businesses on the main strip.\u201d<\/p>\n She said Castleton Corners reminded her of neighborhoods elsewhere in the world and could potentially become a destination for visitors, comparing that possibility to how people plan trips to Red Hook, Brooklyn.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like it has the potential to be that type of neighborhood,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Pizza, Sri Lankan food and local coffee<\/p>\n Food plays a significant role in Kofman\u2019s neighborhood itineraries, and Staten Island has provided no shortage of options.<\/p>\n Kofman named Joe & Pat\u2019s among her favorite local stops.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that\u2019s a basic answer, but I feel like that\u2019s one of my favorite pizzas in New York,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n An unexpected rooftop garden<\/p>\n Kofman also visited the rooftop garden at Corporate Commons, where she learned about the work connected to the Nicotra Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n She was impressed by the farm, its views and the artwork throughout the property.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next?<\/p>\n Kofman still has plenty of Staten Island to explore, including Eltingville\u2019s historic homes, Shaw-na\u00e9\u2019s House and she is eager to explore the borough\u2019s large Albanian community. She also plans to try more pizza and Italian sandwiches as residents continue recommending places in their neighborhoods.<\/p>\n \u201cYou get to know New York the best when you get to know the people,\u201d Kofman said. \u201cAnd you can\u2019t get to know the people without seeing every corner of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n