We went on a short walking tour of Roosevelt Island (Emphasis on “short”), the small piece of land wedged in between Manhattan’s Upper East Side and Queens. After getting off the subway, we proceeded to walk down the Main Street, and we noticed we had many questions. As New Yorkers born and raised, we had thought you couldn’t get to the Island by car, but then why were there many vehicles on the Island? And why were there two hospitals located on each end of the Island?
As we continued our walk, we noticed that only two small historical landmarks, an uninhabited colonial style house, and a late 19th century Church. The Island was otherwise populated by relatively modern buildings, such as different styled apartments and small little shops. The Main St itself did not have many shops, only places such as a Starbucks, Gristedes, Public Library, and few others. The Island did, though, have a few schools, including an International Nursery Center for infants and toddlers. All the playgrounds, which there were many, were clean and seemed relatively new. We finally saw an answer to our first question, which was a large parking lot that bridged a connection by car to the Island and Queens. New buildings and public areas, such as a large park, are in the process of being constructed, showing how there is an expected growth in the Island’s small population.
On our way back, we stopped on the famous Tramway, which cost us the same as a one way subway ride. Only few minutes, it felt completely new and different than riding on the crowded, dirty subways. We made a video of us riding the Tramway, but it needs editing so we will not include it in this post.
We plan on visiting the Island again to inquire more about the hospitals, including the past Insane Asylum. We also plan on interviewing residents to hear their different perspectives on the racial diversity on the Island. Roosevelt Island is New York City’s most racially and economically diverse neighborhood, which was it’s original goal when being planned. We are proud to have chosen such a unique neighborhood and look forward to unearthing the lives between residents.
(The bottom right puts emphasis on the bridge used by cars connected the Island to Queens)
These are a sampling of the many photos we took.
Nicole-Amanda Merchan and Nicolette Belitsis
