Lappin Begins 2009 Campaign Locally with a Picnic

With no discernable Democratic or Republican challengers making themselves known on Roosevelt Island, City Council Member Jessica Lappin is hosting a BBQ picnic this coming Thursday, August 14th at Lighthouse Park from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.

The suggested donation to the event and to Ms. Lappin’s campaign is $15 and checks should be made payable to “Lappin for Council”.

Ms, Lappin represents District 5 on the City Council which includes Roosevelt Island.

Stonehenge at Lighthouse Park

According to local lore thousands of years before the indigenous tribes named the island Minnnahanonck it is believed that a band of very small determined visitors (alien?) looked upon Roosevelt Island as a holy place and they erected equally small guardians to stand watch over their sacred site. It was at first thought that these stone monoliths were quarried here on the island but the stone appears to be of another world. [Satire.]

Currently these three foot tall sentinels now stand at Lighthouse Park looking like an extremely long row of chess pawns waiting to be summoned into action.

Trivia question (to which I have no idea of the answer): How many of these little guys are there?

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The above photo is by Wendy Olson and was found on Picasa.

Saturday's Goodwill Event & Advertising

The difference between a good event and a truy successful event is advertising. Attendance at the Goodwill event at Roosevelt Island's Lighthouse Park from all reports can only be characterized as light. While posters first appeared easily three weeks ago there was little followup and the organizers may have been unaware of how often the poster kiosks are cleaned.

Organizers and participating organizations were very often left with a multitude of excess flyers and freebies which were available to the public. As differing groups packed up for the day it bordered on amusing as each tried to give away last minute bags to individuals sitting / working at tables who had themselves not yet packed up.

The setting could not have been nicer for the event as the humidity was low and a nice easy breeze crossed the park. I cannot say how successful the day was overall as I only showed up at 2pm to work at the local Historical Society table and we packed up at 3pm as very few individuals stopped by and those that did were hoping we were giving away for free the lanyards, books and bags that we were selling to benefit the Historical Society.p>

Hopefully Roosevelt Island gets the chance to host this event again in the future and all parties learn to keep the advertising in the public's mind and face.

Man Partially Scales Roosevelt Island Lighthouse

First off, I am not endorsing this nor am I trying to spark copy cats. This is not the NY Times building. But apparently this individual had the desire to attempt to scale the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse. He partially succeeded. Perhaps he never intended to go beyond the height he did gain. The problem with this idiocy is it will lead to fencing being put up around the landmark preventing individuals from being able to truly enjoy the lighthouse as we are today.

Direct YouTube link by EastStirlingShire

Recycling This Saturday at Lighthouse Park

This Saturday at the entrance to Roosevelt Island's Lighthouse Park will be a recycling event co-sponsored by Good Will and the Council for the Environment of NYC.

Thank you to Senator Serrano's office for getting the word out!

Roosevelt Island - A Water View - Bottom to Top

I had been wanting to film the island from one end to the other ever since seeing the Edison 1903 video filmed from the East Channel looking West. I have already filmed and posted the Island from that view but from Southpoint to Lighthouse where the Edison video starts at the North end and heads South.

I am now presenting the following video from the West Channel looking East at the Island starting at Southpoint and finishing at Lighthouse Park.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Follow the Green Brick Road....

Follow the Green Brick Road. Follow the Green Brick Road.

Follow Follow Follow Follow Follow the Green Brick Road.

Follow the green-brick, follow the green-brick

Follow the green-brick road

We're off to see the Lighthouse, the Wonderful Lighthouse of RI

We'll find it is the Brightest Lighthouse of all if ever a Lighhouse there was

If ever, oh ever, a Lighthouse there was the Lighthouse of RI is one because

Because, because, because, because, because

Because of the wonderful light it does

We're off the see the Lighthouse, the Wonderful Lighthouse of RI

- - -

OK, I have completely lost it and my wife is disavowing any relation to me.

Original picture posted on Flickr by shaun.nyc

Bike Ride: Lighthouse to Tram Plaza

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

OK, this bike ride still has some bumpy spots as I ride from Lighthouse Park down to the Roosevelt Island Tram station, along the East River, but how many 20 year bikes have shocks that can make a video camera look good.

Later in the week I'll post some other island shots and figure out the smoothest path to ride around the island.

Two Parks - Two Great Destinations This Memorial Day Weekend

This morning, on Flickr, I found each of these great images of Roosevelt Island. Each highlights the differences between the two parks, Lighthouse Park and Southpoint Park. So far the past two days have been picture perfect and today more of the same is expected.

Pictures on Flickr (top, bottom) by Alexandy Augustin

Speed Racer Photographed on Roosevelt Island ?

OK, so the below photo is not of the famed #5 car from Speed Racer but the thought of this 1968 Bizzarrini P358 being on Roosevelt Island is enough to get any car enthusiast’s engine running. Yes, that is the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse and the familiar Z Bricks that any island resident knows by site anywhere.

The Bizzarrini was photographed about a week or so by David Traver Adolphus for an upcoming spread planned for this July in Sports and Exotic Cars. You can link to additional photos from the photo shoot now on the Hemmings Auto Blogs. I can't wait to see the full article and photo spread.

Annual PS 217 Alumni Reunion at Lighthouse Park - Yahoo Group

You may have seen the below YouTube video shot at the 2007 reunion for original PS 217 alums but did you know there is a Yahoo group set up for the 2008 reunion and that if you are an alum you can join? Well you can. The above picture is from the Yahoo group’s home page and taken at the 2007 reunion.

Direct YouTube link by onedamani

Image: Kayaking by Roosevelt Island

Simply great image of a social kayaker in the East Channel of the East River facing North with the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse in the distance and the island to the left. Thank you for this shot. You can read more of the photographers experience over at the Normal Blog.

The Little Red (Roosevelt Island) Lighthouse It Is Not

The Roosevelt Island Lighthouse does not have a children’s book about it, as does the Little Red Lighthouse, nor an annual festival in its honor hosted by the NYC Parks Department (the 15th Annual Festival was held yesterday 9/15/07), bringing it eternal love from children worldwide but it does have a real kooky story about asylum patients and inmates who built a fort at its location prior to its commission. Sounds like a really cool movie just waiting to be made starring a much younger Robin Williams.

You can read the whole story at the Lighthouse web page of the Roosevelt Island Historical Walk. The story related by the RI Walk has been picked up by other sources only adding to the mystery.

The picture above is the stone referred to in each of the histories as giving credit for the lighthouse construction to John McCarthy.

NYC TV - $9.99 Show on NYC Other Islands

This episode of NYC TV's $9.99 really only shows some recent video of the lighthouse and the Renwick Ruin and a little historical video. Other than a quick shot of the tram it shows nothing else of the island.

Per the $9.99 website the episode included:

"The Other Island of New York: When you talk to people around the country, Manhattan & Long Island pretty much sum up what most people think are the “islands” of New York City. In this fun and exciting episode, "$9.99" will take you to the Big Apple's other islands: Roosevelt Island, City Island, Hart Island, even Governor's Island - which is undergoing a dramatic transformation. Not all of these are open to the public, but we can cruise by and take them in by water."

Click on the above image for the video link. If that link does not work head over to the Next Stop NYC website via HERE and look on the right hand column for the $9.99 Roosevelt Island video download link.

Ligthhouse Park - 360 Degree View

You Tube Direct Video Link for video posted by StrahlemannBE

Video starts looking towards Queens and pans across to Manhattan and up to the Lighthouse itself.

Lighthouse Park - Roosevelt Island

Direct YouTube Link for video posted by baystar23

Contrary to what the videographer stated on camera that was Queens to the East of Roosevelt Island.