I ♥ Roosevelt Island Logo Challenge

The New York Times City Room blog is requesting New Yorkers submit their ideas for using the iconic “I ♥ NY” logo. My idea which I submitted this evening is above. It is not very original or creative but it is already up on the NYT site along with many amazing variations.

The Tram picture is actually that of Dan Dickinson. I am hoping he is ok with its use here.

If you have other ideas involving Roosevelt Island show off your Island pride and submit them to the NY Times and also to me as I will display them on this blog as they are received.

Does Anyone Off Roosevelt Island Care Who Runs RIOC?

I must admit that when I see stories about Roosevelt Island in the mainstream media I always wonder why do they care? When I see the stories I experience a mix at pride for where I live and also a mix of amusement as I know most of the City sees Roosevelt Island as an oddity of state and local government and as that place which used to be known as Welfare Island (where they really have no clue what that meant) as well as that place that has the aerial cable car.

So back to my post title, does anyone off island really care who is President of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation? (It's a rhetorical question, but if you have answer please feel free to answer.) See today's NY Times for their City Room article.

On a serious note, congratulations to Ms. Torres on her new position! I am the island's now minor blogger who occasionally delves into politics but now mostly is here to occasionally note something more of interest to me about this island that 12,000 of us call home. Please be one of the good ones that runs this place. There have not been many.

'09 Subway Ridership Down at RI Subway Station

The NYC Transit Authority has released their annual ridership results for 2009, and according to a graphic above, accompanying today's NYT article,, the ridership at the Roosevelt Island subway station decreased from 2008 by 2.8 percent with average daily riders at 5,138. This statistic alone seems low based on the number of residents that work off island. The station was ranked 235 out of 422 stations based on ridership. The full station by station data is available on the NYCTA website linked HERE.

Do you agree that this stat is low? Or does it seem right based on your experiences this past year?

Local Architect Determines that Kahn Design for FDR Park Included Two Sculptures

Roosevelt Island resident Marc Diamond, an architect himself, in a letter to the RIOC Board of Directors points out that the original Louis Kahn design for the FDR Four Freedoms Park was to include a second sculpture which in the FERI design has been omitted.

Mr. Diamond in his letter passionately points out the design of the sculpture was not the focus for Kahn but that he did include two. He reasons that RIOC has as much vested in the design of the park [presumably as the prospective party charged with the care and upkeep of the park] as does FERI and if FERI chose to ignore an original facet of the Kahn design then RIOC has the ability to request that it be reinstated with the shape of the [2nd] sculpture to be determined.

Mr. Diamond points to a April 25, 1974 NY Times article where it clearly states that the original design left by Kahn included a second sculpture evidenced further by the graphics presented in the article and represented with this blog post.

Interesting stuff.

NYT: Video re Renwick Ruin Stabilization

This morning's NY Times , online, includes an article and video about the restoration of the Renwick Ruin, the former smallpox hospital here on Roosevelt Island.

Passover Provided to Patients on Welfare Island (1935)

Passover - Welfare Island - NYT - 1935 April 17

Resident Profile: Hiromi Asai, Kimono Dresser & Instructor

Yesterday's New York Times included a great article about resident Hiromi Asai who is a certified Kimono dressing instructor and works from her Southtown Roosevelt Island apartment.

Tram Featured as Staycation Destination

A post on the NY Times City Room blog this morning featured the Roosevelt Island Tram as one of several destinations that the author visited on a recent “staycation”.

Get in those staycations now before July 6th or you will miss out until December 2009.

The Periodic Return of the Snapple Cap

It’s amazing how much play one little Snapple cap can get over time. Take “Real Fact” cap #266, supposedly retired, which states that “Manhattan is the only borough in NYC that does have a Main Street”. Any Roosevelt Island resident knows this statement to be absurd but every so often the issue comes up again to perennially make us to be the Rodney Dangerfield of Main Street NYC lore. Today this “fact” was again memorialized in the NY Times Metropolitan Diary. The Diarist, rose to our aid, and corrected amused life long City girl Judi Sinnreich, who obviously has never set foot on our shores.

Happy Birthday Queensboro ( fka Blackwell's Island) Bridge !

Many, certainly not all, Roosevelt Island residents know that the Queensboro Bridge, which turns 100 years old today, was once named for the island's former name "Blackwell's Island".

But few know that the bridge due to opposition to the British sounding name "Queensboro" almost did not get renamed to its curent moniker. The below article from the NY Times archive reports on a City hearing about the name change proposal and that one City Alderman did not believe those in favor of the name change had made their point.

As it is the bridge and the island have gone by many names. And many music fans outside NYC are not aware that the Simon and Garfunfle standard "The 59th Street Bridge" song is the Queensboro Bridge anyway.

To buy the above book about the Queensboro Bridge and to support the Roosevelt Island Historical Society which produced the book in conjunction with the Astoria Historical Society please link HERE.

Introducing: Gabriela, a Multicultural Doll, from Roosevelt Island

Today’s NY Times online speaks about an AIDs event that took place yesterday where the organizers could not find enough black and brown dolls even though 90% of the woman living with H.I.V. in NYC are black and Hispanic. It instantly made me recall that I knew of a doll company that specifically manufactured multi-cultural dolls for children. I first learned of this doll company while attending Roosevelt Island Day where they had set up a table.

The following is from a news release I found about the company:

New York, NY (BlackNews.com) - Vannuzza, LLC recently announced the launch of the Vanange® multicultural and multi-ethnic dolls now available for girls of all ages. The doll line was inspired by the continuing need to raise the self-esteem of young girls across the globe. "Little girls are receiving the wrong messages about their self-image: They are confused and they suffer silently! The result is destruction of the society!" says Toussaint-Cali of Vannuzza LLC.

The AIDs event is obviously over but if you are interested in a beautifully crafted dolls I would recommend your considering these dolls as I saw them up close and they looked great. Maybe Gabriela from Roosevelt Island will find a home with your child.

Touring Roosevelt Island - 75 Years Ago Today

An article published 75 years ago today by the New York Times offers an interesting time capsule view of then Welfare Island. I have only posted here a few measly snippets, which truthfully don't even start the tour, but if you subscribe to the NYT you should have full access to the article. Sorry not trying to be an advertisement.

Submetering at Roosevelt Landings (FKA Eastwood)

The New York Times ran a story yesterday about the submetering situation at Roosevelt Island's Eastwood complex, now known as Roosevelt Landings, and referred to the emergency meeting held on Saturday as well as the efforts of State Assembly Member Micha Kellner on behalf of the tenants affected.

The comments posted on this blog and others about this situation are amazingly scary. The article in this past weekends Main Street WIRE is a must read.

The issue of whether the heating systems and buildings are energy efficient on Roosevelt Island applies to each of the original WIRE buildings and the possibility of insane sub meter bills could be a possibility in each building. I live in Rivercross and I fully expect that if the building goes private, coming out of Mitchell Lama protections, that my apartment which has old and inefficient electric heaters will also be bound for direct electric bills.

The issues and resolution of the Roosevelt Landings electric bills are of interest to everyone in the original buildings and shoudl be followed closely. It is simply insane to expect many of the seniors in Eastwood to simply turnm down their heat during the daytime when many cannot leave their apartments.

Letter to Editor re FDR Memorial

Matt Kats, our former Roosevelt islasnd Residents Association President, submitted a letter to the New York Times and the below image is the letter printed from this weekend's City Section (double click to enlarge):

Resident Profiles: Sharon Stern, Poet, Tutor

There is a great story in today's New York Times, January 26, 2009, regarding Roosevelt Island resident Sharon Stern who closes the article by stating "I’m a poet, a tutor, a client of the home care agency and an employer of my staff.” The article highlights a life representative of so many on this island that are success stories even if those who are living those lives want to simply be seen for themselves and not the challenges they face daily.

NYT: Focus on Dr. Resnick and Home Health Care

Today's New York Times blog "The New Old Age" profiled Dr. Jack Resnick's efforts to bring health care back into the home with a focus on the Community Health Forum he organizaed and moderated on December 29th at the Good Shepherd Church. Kudo to the doctor and please link through to the blog post on the NYT as for anyone who did not attend the forum it is well worth your time.

NYT: "You Talkin' to Me?" is Not My Style

Today's New York Times City Section includes an article titled "You Talkin' to Me?"about NYC bloggers by Gabriel Cohen. While I was happy to be recognized as a neighborhood blogger I had reservations seeing my blog listed. Other than transportation issues I have tried to limit my posts to my own views without being too controversial.

I will admit I see myself as the lighter of the two main blogs we have here on the island. The Roosevelt Islander, an excellent blog in my opinion, covers much more deeply many of the political and social issues affecting the island. I am just trying to have fun and only occasionally find myself getting deeper into the weighty issues. Perhaps this is a death knell to state this publicly but I did just start this blog for my own fun. I have come to hope you have kept coming back for that fun and occasionally to learn something more about our island.

It is apparent that our residents need increased access to public forums where they can express themselves freely and perhaps anonymously on issues they feel strongly about. Take in point the ongoing discussion / argument taking place on my post regarding the name change to Roosevelt Landings from Eastwood. As stated in the NYT article New Yorkers will when given the opportunity (granted sometimes not when it is applicable) find themselves arguing class wars, gentrification vs. affordable housing. The comments being left on my blog on this post almost daily reflects these feelings. Currently 40 comments have been left since the Octiber 14 publication of that post. I did nothing to inflame or encourage these posts. Although I admit they deserve further investigation and reporting. I would love to see an Eastwood based blog be created where these issues are examined from a residents point of view.

What was more amusing to me about being included in the article is that during the last several weeks I have not been able to devote as much time to this blog, due to work and other matters, and I admit I have felt some guilt about this. But then again it is only a blog right?

1975 - The First Roosevelt Island Thanksgiving

Roosevelt Island residents call them “pioneers” but this 1975 New York Times article refers to these first residents of the newly renamed Roosevelt Island as “pilgrims” on their first Thanksgiving on the Island. To view on the entire article double click the “partial” text provided below.

Future NY Times July 4, 2009 Edition Published: IRAQ WAR ENDS

Anyone know who printed this obviously fake but prospective New York Times paper dated Jluy 4, 2009? The headline reads "IRAQ WAR ENDS". The slogan is printed as "All the News We Hope to Print".

I was handed a copy at 23rd Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan. There is nothing inside to indicate that this is a satire or what the group is that published this edition. In place of the masthead on the opinion page is a listing of abot 20 reporters and researchers. I have not googled any of those listed to see if their names are real persons.

The issue includes an opinion pieces attributed to Thomas Friedman with his pic. Very cool. If anyone knows where this came from let me know. My colleagues at work want their own issues.

NYT City Room Blog Post re FDR Memorial

Sewell Chan of the New York Times City Room blog has posted an article today regarding the recent movement of the Louis Kahn designed FDR Memorial.

The article makes no mention as to how the design (30 years old +) is regarded by the local community. It makes no mention of what the space has become to the local community and what will be lost.

If you like or dislike the design here is a very public forum to leave your comments. Please do so.