A Continued Fascination with our Garbage

After a period of years most residents no longer have as a great a fascination with the AVAC trash removal system that is maintained here on Roosevelt Island. But it continues to amuse and interest folks off-island. Today's blog post comes from the Gadget Lab page of WIRED.com.

Interesting slide show. Did not see the photo WIRED refers to of the Swedish technicians in the AVAC tubes. My kids still talk of the AVAC exhibition they held at RIVAA as they loved watching the pneumatic tube representation of the system.

What's more amusing is that news outlets hungry for stories love to pick up this stuff and post it everywhere:

Rendering of Riverwalk Complex - Southtown

Earlier this evening I had been replying to a number of posts on Wired New York where I posted the above image of the Southtown Riverwalk Complex. I thought I might as well share it here as well. I was responding to a request as to what are the names / addresses of the buildings closest to the Tram. Double click the image to enlarge it.

You have to admit the complex as itis shaping up is quite impressive and the plaza behind the subway station is becomming the new center of the Island from a retail / culinary perpective.

What is Fast Becoming a Typical Line for the Tram

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My fellow blogger, the Roosevelt Islander, ran a post yesterday, Feb. 26th, discussing various reader responses and web commentary about living here on Roosevelt Island. Many of the comments are about issues regarding the lack of retail establishments and local entertainment venues, the quality of the existing businesses, and transportation issues.

In the past weeks I responded to a few web based inquiries, on Wired New York, where I focused again on transportation issues as well as to really get a feeling for a particular building here you need to speak to as many people that you can meet from that building.

I have often repeated my concerns regarding not so much the on-island transportation Red Bus issue but more in regard to getting to and from the island. With five new buildings either under construction or planned I periodically worry about whether the current subway / tram infrastructure we have can handle the growing traffic.

The above video is of what is becoming a pretty typical line to board the Tram during rush hour. Very often you can end up missing one tram and needing to wait for the next one. At only 4 to 6 minutes between arrivals and departures it moves pretty quick but where this video was shot in the Summer waiting in the cold gets old quite fast when the Winter winds are blowing in your face.