ROOSEVELT ISLAND

Visited SET 2019

ROOSEVELT ISLAND is a narrow 3.2km (2 miles) long strip of land in the middle of the EAST RIVER adjacent the midtown high-rise area.

I stole this image from WIKIPEDIA - here you are looking south down the EAST RIVER. 
Mid-town MANHATTAN is to the right - QUEENS on the left. The bridge passing over the island is the QUEENSBORO (ED KOCH) BRIDGE. Those high-rise buildings left of the bridge are part of the LONG ISLAND CITY CBD - a sort of secondary business zone in an attempt to avoid MANHATTAN's murderous rents and land values.



ROOSEVELT ISLAND has a bunch of attractions - arts and performance areas, a university campus (CORNELL TECH), low income housing (also some high income riverside condos), old areas (hospitals, insane asylums yada) in ruins - some open to inspection, most barred to visitors, lotsa park areas and some good riverside walking paths. BUT.... 
....the main reason tourists will visit ROOSEVELT ISLAND are:
- TO RIDE THE ROOSEVELT ISLAND TRAM
- TO OBSERVE MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, QUEENS, THE EAST RIVER and the QUEENSBORO BRIDGE from a new perspective.



* THE TRAM

"TRAM" is misleading. I'm thinking CABLE CAR. Starts at a MANHATTAN station just left of the western QUEENSBORO approaches, runs parallel to the bridge for some distance and then drops to an island terminal about 200m south of the subway station. In this way it is possible to do a kinda loop - I came in on the TRAM, exited via the SUBWAY. Note it is also possible to use the Q 102 BUS from QUEENS via a road bridge (you could walk this if you are keen - I preferred to walk the QUEENSBORO from LONG ISLAND CITY to the MANHATTAN TRAM TERMINAL). You can also access the island via FERRIES from both sides of the river.

TRAM traversing the first half of the trip before dropping to the island.
TIDAL CURRENT NERDS should check the whitecaps in the channel - the narrowing of the EAST RIVER sure gets the water rushing thru here mid-tide.

Soon after takeoff - note BRIDGE pylons in background.

Running parallel to the bridge deck.

A famous guide book says some of the best MANHATTAN HIGHRISE views are from the tram. I disagree - bridge superstructure gets in the way of ICONS like the CHRYSLER (white) and the more distant EMPIRE STATE (yellow). Riverside icons like the UN BUILDING are similarly blocked. Thing is a lot of these are much better from the island itself.

However it is still a pretty scenic trip - this is the MANHATTAN shore north of the bridge. No iconic buildings along here - but I wouldn't mind some of those condos.

INFRASTRUCTURE and TRAFFIC WONKS will enjoy the outlook over the bridge. Note the QUEENSBORO is twin-deck.

The view up the west channel of the EAST RIVER aint shabby either.

Dropping towards the island. The trip only takes 4 minutes with a service every 7.5 minutes (so 15 minutes between rides each end). Cost is minimal - $2.25 and you can use your SUBWAY CARD - since I had an UNLIMITED RIDE card my trip was effectively free. There are also concessions - see online for details.


* GREAT VIEWS OF MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, QUEENS, THE EAST RIVER and the QUEENSBORO BRIDGE from a new perspective.

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN

Once down on the island those iconic riverside buildings south of the QUEENSBORO like the UN are in view. 

So too are mid-town classics further inland, although other buildings hide a lot - check the EMPIRE STATE far left and the art deco classic, THE CHRYSLER BUILDING at right.

QUEENS

The opposite QUEENS SHORE shows some impressive riverside condo developments - these are behind LONG ISLAND CITY's waterside GANTRY PLAZA STATE PARK.

Some of the high-rises at LONG ISLAND CITY's CBD are impressive too.


THE EAST RIVER

If watching passing river traffic is your thing, this is a good place. This is the western channel of the EAST RIVER between the island and MANHATTAN - it seemed to get the majority of river traffic.

This shot of the east channel of the EAST RIVER between the island and QUEENS is kinda confusing. The nearest bridge is the ROOSEVELT ISLAND BRIDGE bringing road traffic (including the afore-mentioned Q102 bus) from QUEENS onto the island. Behind it can be seen some of the spans of the QUEENSBORO (you may have to click-expand image). The GANTRY PLAZA riverside condos shown up-page can be seen middle-background. The power station at left belongs to TLC CON EDISON.

THE QUEENSBORO (ED KOCH) BRIDGE.

This is one of NYC'S busiest bridges giving a straight shot from mid-town MANHATTAN onto LONG ISLAND which not only has the crowded boroughs of QUEENS and BROOKLYN, the 2  main airports (JFK and LA GUARDIA), but a whole rash of commuter towns further up island.
You can get good views of the bridge from the TRAM, walking across it, from the LONG ISLAND side and of course from passing river cruises and water taxis, but the island itself gives a new perspective. The above is across the western channel of the EAST RIVER (so you are seeing abt. 40% of the bridge) from near the southern tip of the island.

From near underneath

From the RED BUS



GETTING AROUND


THE RED BUS

The RED BUS is FREE and runs a loop from near one end of the island to the other, via of course the SUBWAY STATION and TRAM TERMINAL.

RED BUS is kinda popular. Most passengers seemed (low income) seniors. Noted lack of students, but I think term had not started.

WALKING

With only 3.5km from one end to the other, keen visitors will take advantage of the RIVERSIDE PATHS both sides of the island to check the place on foot.





OTHER


LIGHTHOUSE PARK

The northern end of the island has a 3.5 acre park the outstanding feature of which is this lighthouse built to warn shipping back in the day. 
Good views to the north up the river are assured, but to tell the truth this happy camper's arthritic knees were hurting such from the 300m walk from the RED BUS's northern turn-around point to where I snapped this pic, that I was not prepared to walk the last 150m to get the money shot.
I was not too upset, having seen the EAST RIVER both north and south of the island on the AROUND MANHATTAN CRUISE the day before.

The southern end is similarly marked by a park - the FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT FOUR FREEDOMS STATE PARK.This is the section right off the bus - once up those stairs....

....we have this rather nice section to the far end. Once again my knees cried NO despite it being only 150 extra meters.


SMALLPOX MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

History and old building nerds may find this southern island ruin flats their boat. Maybe not - it was closed to visitors (I'm not sure of plans post restoration).

This is the island's subway station entrance a little south of mid-island, reasonably close to both the BRIDGE and TRAM. On the F line, frequent trains can have you in MANHATTAN in 2 minutes, LONG ISLAND CITY a little longer.

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