As you may know I contribute to the Tisch Special Programs blog. I wrote this post for my fellow students and now I am sharing it with you!
Now that nice weather is becoming more common so should your adventures though the city!
This past weekend I traveled to Roosevelt Island. It is located between Manhattan and Queens. Roosevelt Island is part of Manhattan but it wasn't always that way. It was first called Blackwell Island after a wealthy Queens family that owned it. They grew an orchard on the island and would spend their summers there. Having money trouble, the Blackwells sold the island to New York. It was then named Welfare Island and was home to insane asylums and prisons. In the 1970s, it was turned in to an alternative place for New Yorkers to live.
I recommend taking the tram to and from the island. The tram was originally only built temporarily because there was no subway to the island. All it takes is a MetroCard to board the tram. Or if you decide to take the subway, take the uptown F train and get off right before the Roosevelt Island stop. Getting on the tram will count as a transfer (so there is no additional fee).
This past weekend I traveled to Roosevelt Island. It is located between Manhattan and Queens. Roosevelt Island is part of Manhattan but it wasn't always that way. It was first called Blackwell Island after a wealthy Queens family that owned it. They grew an orchard on the island and would spend their summers there. Having money trouble, the Blackwells sold the island to New York. It was then named Welfare Island and was home to insane asylums and prisons. In the 1970s, it was turned in to an alternative place for New Yorkers to live.
I recommend taking the tram to and from the island. The tram was originally only built temporarily because there was no subway to the island. All it takes is a MetroCard to board the tram. Or if you decide to take the subway, take the uptown F train and get off right before the Roosevelt Island stop. Getting on the tram will count as a transfer (so there is no additional fee).
Once you get to the island you can grab a bite, go for a run or just relax on the grass of the FDR Four Freedoms Park
at the south end of the island (about a 10 minute walk from the tram).
There is also the possibility to see a film set because a lot of
different movies and television shows shoot on Roosevelt island. Law and Order: SVU was shooting an episode there when I visited.
The island is about 35 city blocks long and to walk to the north end would take about 20 minutes. If you don't feel like walking then you can take the island bus system which is free! Once you make you way up to the north end, you will reach a Gothic-revival light house that was built in 1872. Also located at the north end is a mid 19th-century Octagon that was first built as an island retreat. A visiting Charles Dickens enjoyed the building calling it "remarkable" its flying spiral staircase "spacious and elegant" as it came up from an illuminated glass brick floor. The octagon was then converted into a hospital and now has been renovated and can be visited by the islands guests.
The island is about 35 city blocks long and to walk to the north end would take about 20 minutes. If you don't feel like walking then you can take the island bus system which is free! Once you make you way up to the north end, you will reach a Gothic-revival light house that was built in 1872. Also located at the north end is a mid 19th-century Octagon that was first built as an island retreat. A visiting Charles Dickens enjoyed the building calling it "remarkable" its flying spiral staircase "spacious and elegant" as it came up from an illuminated glass brick floor. The octagon was then converted into a hospital and now has been renovated and can be visited by the islands guests.
Are there any New York spots you would recommend for the weekend? Please comment below!
P.S. The island is also home to an abandoned smallpox hospital.
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