Filed under: Art, island, neighborhood, top-feature
Roosevelt Island: Peace and Quiet in NYC
New York City – Manhattan – is a place of lights and loudness. It’s sometimes brash, as so many different types of people all fill a tiny island space. It’s one of my favorite cities in the world, but a little goes a long way. One thing I try to do when I visit New York is to look for the open spaces where locals go. If I lived here, where could I go and hang out to relax that isn’t a cocktail bar or a restaurant-with-a-view? Central Park is the obvious choice for many, but this summer I found a new place to get away from it all: Roosevelt Island (map).
A Bit of History
First Hog Island, then Manning’s Island, then Blackwell Island, then Welfare Island, and now Roosevelt Island, this little strip of land – like most in New York City – has plenty of history to go around.
It was an island purchased by Dutch explorers from Indians living there; the Indians called it “Minnehanak,” which they say means “a great place to live.”
When the City of New York took ownership of the island, they decided it was a good place to put a jail. Then came the lunatic asylum, which had room for almost two thousand residents. Topping the list then came the smallpox hospital. It seems that islands are the perfect places for such things; while not much of anything is going on here now, both the hospital patients and the prison inmates were transferred to other island facilities, such as Ward’s Island and Riker’s Island.
The island was named after President Roosevelt in 1973, and in 1976 the iconic Tramway opened – it was intended to be temporary, but tourists have ensured it has stayed. It was only in 1989 that the subway station opened, making it a more viable option to live here and work in Manhattan.
Walking Tour
They say that Roosevelt Island is a weird place, and that strange things happen there. I’d mentioned this to my friend Shannon who joined me to go exploring on the island, and we didn’t think much of it, but slowly it did seem like things here run at a different pace, shall we say. First were the strange acting birds, who seemed like they were dancing in a daze. And then there was the street musician we spotted while on our walk, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere – a curious act indeed, considering there was nobody else within eyeshot.
Anyway, despite these odd occurrences, our walk around the island was mostly uneventful. Here are a few of the sights you’ll spot during the round trip:
- Tom Otterness’s public art: On the west side of the island (facing Manhattan) are a series of random public art sculptures, called “The Marriage of Art and Real Estate.” This includes a viewing “deck” that juts out into the river, which is shaped like the bow of a ship. (map)
- Lighthouse Park: At the north of the island is a small park called Lighthouse Park because of the small granite lighthouse found here, built in1872. (map)
- Churches: There are two fairly old churches on the island; Chapel of the Good Shepard (map) is the oldest, built in 1889. Redeemed Christian Church of God and Dayspring Church (map) is the other, built in 1924.
- The Octagon: This tiny bit of architecture (map) is all that is left of what was a massive insane asylum, back when this was called Blackwell’s Island.
- Smallpox Hospital & Strecker Labs: Down in Southpoint Park (map) you’ll find the remnants of both a medical lab and a smallpox hospital. The labs were the best in the business at the time, but the beautiful architecture of this building has been left to ruin. They say the hospital is haunted; both sites are off limits to visitors except special tours.
The southern tip of the island has spectacular views of Manhattan, with the United Nations just across the water; at the moment there is ongoing construction which means access is limited.
The walk is longer than it looks – I would give yourself at least an hour and a half to get around, but two hours if you want to stop and linger at some of the views along the way.
Getting There
Even though there’s a massive highway bridge that runs right across the tip of Roosevelt Island, you can’t get there by car or by walking that bridge. Driving is possible via the 36th Avenue Bridge, but for tourists, there are two far easier options to get in and out of Roosevelt Island:
- Gondola: They call it the Roosevelt Island ‘tram’, though it looks a heck of a lot like a ski gondola to me. Anyhow, this is the best choice as you get some scenic views and it’s super easy to access. Plus, how fun is it to be riding on a mid-air tram in New York City? It’s overlooked by so many. The station in Manhattan is at 59th and 2nd (map), and the ride is just 5 minutes long. Roosevelt Island Operating Corp has details on tram times/hours, but unless you are planning on spending the night, there’s nothing to worry about.
- Subway: The metro system has a station deep, deep underground at Roosevelt Island, so this might be an easier option for you if you’re already going to be on the subway. The F line is the only line that makes a stop at Roosevelt.
The subway and the gondola all converge on a fairly central point near the center of the island. Once you’re here, getting around is easy – as I noted above, walking is really the best option, but if the weather is inclement or if you’re in a rush, you can be on the lookout for the little red bus, which makes a regular loop around the island and runs in tandem with the tram schedule.
Photo Credit: NYC Urbanscape
