East Side Panorama

The above panoramas each include Roosevelt Island and are from the blog "New York Panorama". Go to theblog to see full size versions of each. The top half of the above image features the Queensboro Bridge with Roosevelt Island in the background and is the blog's header image and the lower half of the image features Roosevelt Island in the foreground with Manhattan in the background.

Additionally look for the night panorama in a future Main Street WIRE as Dick Lutz, the editor, appears interested from the comment and inquiry he left on the blog.

Roosevelt Island Dominoes

Ritwik over at Deydreamers Weblog took the above picture of the Riverwalk buildings on Roosevelt Island and has been waiting for that exact moment for two years. Ritwick is apparently a resident of the island up at the Octagon based on another shot of the Dayspring Church and the Octagon playground titled "From My Window". Cool shots and we'll be looking for future posts about RI.

Roosevelt Island Real Estate Hot Topic

Apparently Roosevelt Island real estate is a hot topic today. It all started with an article by Leigh Kamping-Carder in The New York Observer which was then picked up by Curbed, Runnin' Scared of the Village Voice and Gothamist. Pretty cool.

Resident Profiles - The Roosevelt Island Faces Project

I happened upon the Misha Cohen Photography project blog quite by accident but was happily surprised to see that the 13 images posted thus far are all of individuals that either live here on Roosevelt Island or who work here. A nice opportunity to sit and meet a few of our island neighbors.

The Main Street WIRE has its own Faces project with many many more photos but without the detail that Misha provides about each of his subjects.

New Orphans International Interns Blog

I had read on line and in the WIRE that Orphans International would be bringing a number of Summer Interns to Roosevelt Island. This evening I found that a new blog has been created, to be written it appears by the interns, and from the first post it promises to give another window into the work of this wonderful organization which is based on our island. Check out the first post HERE !

Walking Off the Little Apple: Roosevelt Isle

Over the last week the blog "Walking off the Big Apple" has been running a series of posts regarding a walking tour the author Teri had of Roosevelt Island. It is always interesting to see your home through another person's eyes and in this case feet. Today's post compared Roosevelt Island to the Île de la Cité in Paris. Each blog post is worth checking out as are the photos Teri has posted on Flickr.

The blog posts in reverse date order from today backwards include:

> A Comparison of New York's Roosevelt Island and Paris' Ile de la Cite: Pourquoi Pas ?

> The East River and Roosevelt Island Walk, Part Three: The Renwick Ruins, or, THe Smallpox Hospital

> The East River and Roosevelt Island Walk, Part Two: The Ride Over to the Island (Vertigo Slideshow)

> The East River and Roosevelt Island Walk: Part One, The East River, Manhattan, From 86th to 59th St.

Teri's Roosevelt Island set of pictures over on Flickr can be found HERE.

Around the Web: New Hires & Old Buildings

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp.: Rosina Abramson, 60, joined as vice president, planning and government affairs. She had been deputy commissioner at the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal.

....Judith Berdy, president of the Roosevelt Island Historical Society, said that while the Octagon has a long reputation as a mystic place, it's steeped in history....

Note: Click on either image to link to the articles excerpted.

Residents in the News: Donna Chenkin

Roosevelt Island resident Donna Chenkin position as director of the Belmont Child Care Association may seem normal enough until you learn this child care facility resides smack in the midst of Belmont Racetrack and exists to provide services to children whose parents work at the track. The overall article in today's Village Voice is quite interesting and goes to show you that an entire world exists beyond the physical track and grandstand.

Roosevelt Island: Known Worldwide For Our.....Garbage

Worldwide Roosevelt Island is known for a number of things. We are the home to many United Nation diplomats, our famous Tramway, the Queensboro Bridge that passes above us, the Verdant East River Hydro-Power project, but consistently the number of international articles written about us refer to our automated vacuum system which collects our garbage. The AVAC. You can learn more out the about AVAC HERE and to see its location go the Roosevelt Island Historical Walk, click on virtual tour and then click # 12..

Today's link comes from Canada where a neighborhood in Toronto is considering such a system. I am not complaining but it is amusing. For the record our garbage is not incenerated as some systems do but is compacted and shipped off island.


Picture Courtesy Bridge and Tunnel Club

Roosevelt Island on the Web: Past 24 Hours

New Romanian Café at Foot of Roosevelt Island Bridge – Grub Street

North Korean Diplomats – Reference to Many on Roosevelt Island – Donga.com

Photos - Roosevelt island Red Buses - Diesels

I posted a handful of Red Bus photos on BusChat this evening. The photos are of the diesels sitting in the bus lot behind MotorGate Garage.

With the addition of the Electric Hybrids on the Island. We have two sets of buses with Bus Numbers 1 through 4.

Geography Defined Typographically

This image of Manhattan (apparently below 96th Street) and Roosevelt Island is from FFFFOUND and was found via today's NYT City Room Blogtalk posting.

I cannot decide yet if our island looks lonely hanging out off to the right like that. I guess we shoudl be thankful we were invited to the party.

Columbia Urban Explorer Visits Roosevelt Island and Finishes with an Insult

Two pieces today about Roosevelt Island on the Columbia Spectator website.

The first is a slideshow of their trip to the Island and the second is an article titled "Hanging Out with the Gangs of New York on Roosevelt Island".

I will admit I did not read the complete article as much of it has been stated before. It was pointed out to me, within the comments here, that the last line in the article reads as follows:

"Roosevelt Island will forever be a place of exile, a state of mind far from New York, a barge sunken beside a city it will never be part of, waiting for the tugboat Charon to carry its castaways downriver to Fresh Kills."

The Island has been insulted too many times to count but this writer is trying a bit too hard that the insult just comes out sounding stupid and as the anonymous commenter states the writer is probably writing the piece for a grade. I did try to leave a comment but the Columbia Spectator website is conveniently not accepting comments at this time. Please try to let the writer know your feelings at a later point if you can. I intend to.

Quick Updates: The Fourth Floor & Roosevelt Island

I still don’t have the answer as to why the opening sequence of “The Fourth Floor” includes video filmed from within the Tram looking out as it docks at Manhattan’s Tramway Plaza but I can say that Andy the main character has traveled to Roosevelt Island.

I’ll let you see yourself how Andy got to Roosevelt Island by inviting you to view Episode 4 below. Unfortunately the method used was a one way experience and Andy had to walk back to Manhattan as he did not have a Metrocard or money for one. I am also not sure why neither he nor his traveling companion thought of taking the Tram back. I will say that if I had the power to travel to Roosevelt Island in this manner at night I’d take it. Beats taking the subway that's for sure.

Direct YouTube Link

After you view the episode take a look at the header for each of the Fourth Floor web pages and you'll note a subtitle that relates to the transportation method used in this episode. Kind of makes you wonder if someone in this group lives here on Roosevelt Island.

Island Resident Paul Katz - ReServist Photographer

You see Paul Katz at every Roosevelt Island event clicking away. But did you know that when he is off island he is still using his skills as a photographer. Read Paul's profile over at the ReServe blog.

"ReServe connects New York City’s experienced older adults with stipend-paying jobs that challenge them to use their lifetime skills for the public good."

Greater Access to the RIOC Board Nominee Candidates? At RIOC Offices Perhaps?

PressHD.com presented today, 1/28/2008, three videos which go far to allow voters learn a bit more about the thre candidates profiled: Erin Feely-Nahem, Jonathan Kalkin , and Lynn Strong-Shinozaki. In addition to Mr. Kalkin’s website “VoteKalkin”, Frank Farance’s own website is due to launch today.

So far as noted in an earlier post Mr. Kalkin is the only candidate to visibly advertise on Main Street with his "WHY" posters. So for the average resident they will know nothing more of the candidate’s other than their Main Street WIRE published statements.

This is a shame as I thought the three PressHD videos did a lot for each candidate. Greater visibility would do all of the candidates a lot of good. Where Ms. Strong-Shinozaki tried to find a public venue to sit and perhaps meet with voters but perhaps this attempt did not go far enough.

Granted residents, who are interested, can show up on Saturday night, February 2nd for the second candidate’s night, but perhaps RIOC should make available space each evening in their offices, through Feb. 5th, where Candidates could sit and be available for those residents who want a one on one experience?

EveryBlock News Aggregator - Currently Linking Lenox Hill to Roosevelt Island

There is a new news aggregator on the block. It’s EveryBlock. Until this service debuted the big kid on the block was Outside.in. There is also BlogNetNews but they have not yet debuted a New York City page and only present a New York state-wide page.

What a news aggregator does is pull together content from various sources and present it in one location which can be manipulated based on the parameters set by the tags set up by the original content providers and any additional tags assigned by the aggregator.

Both Outside.in and EveryBlock provide links by zip code to 10044 (OI, EB) for Roosevelt Island. So far the Roosevelt Island neighborhood name is good only on Outside.In but EveryBlock is working on it (EB, OI).

The amusing grouping so far on EveryBlock is their linking Roosevelt Island to Lenox Hill. I have already emailed them to indicate that this grouping will only confuse readers and mix up content that does not go together. Daniel at EveryBlock agreed this needs to be corrected and is working on it.

What is interesting and new about EveryBlock is that they seem to focus, right now, on the news types noted in the above image including building violations, police reports, permits, licenses etc. Check it out as they add content about our Island and the City around us.

"Rep the Rock"

Apparently our friend over at the Roosevelt Island "My Space" page and "Adventures of a GoodMan" has gotten himself into the retail business opening up a new website and CafePress store. Now why did I not think about this idea? D'oh!

Watch out I hear Judy Berdy over at the Historical Society has some enforcers if sales of RIHS stuff at the Visitor's Kiosk drop one penny in sales.

Roosevelt Island to "The Fourth Floor"

I discovered a quirky web based comedy, "The Fourth Floor", where the protagonist, Andy, has some connection to Roosevelt Island but I have yet to figure it out. On his first day even before his interview for a job a chip is implanted in his brain binding him to this mystery company. Pretty amusing first few episodes.

Other than the opening sequence where a few of the shots were obviously taken from a Tram about to dock in Manhattan. I have not yet seen the connection. Then again I started watching the series at 2am in the morning and the connection was probably stated in scene one and I missed it.

Direct YouTube Link

Wanted: Alfred Hitchcock’s Birds to Nest on Roosevelt Island?

I came upon a blog, RaeFried Beans, today which includes in a January 17th post artwork envisioning greater green spaces on Roosevelt Island with the hope of inducing migratory birds to make the island a pit stop on their journey to their Winter digs.

I had not heard of any such project and it appears to be an idea of the artist / Blogger based on her participation in an Audobon Society program that dealt with birds migrating that did not quite make it through glass encased cities.

I am not sure Roosevelt island residents are looking for the Island to be a rest stop for flocks of migratory geese. The ones that land on the Island already leave their marks all over the various ball fields.

Where the Trust for Public Land’s Wild Gardens will establish and create usable park land for humans out of Southpoint I am not sure interested many humans will want to fight migratory birds for their picnic spots. The concept is nice but adding green space is not so much our concern on the Island as it is to keep what green space we have from future developers of overpriced apartments.