Roosevelt Island on East River, below Queensborough Bridge
Floating on the East River of New York City is a tiny island between Manhattan and Queens, called Roosevelt Island. Driving across the Queens-borough bridge via 59th street of Manhattan, passengers notice this other-worldly place below and find it simply indescribable. What is this place? Who actually lives here? And Why?
The island use to be an asylum of society’s outcasts: the prisoners, the insane, and the ill (smallpox).
Nowadays, it’s home to several luxury apartments and condos, as well as some subsidized and rent-stabilized apartments, though those are rare to find as owners occupy them for years and never leave.
from right to left: luxury condos, subsidized apts, luxury apts
It’s hard to define Roosevelt Island, let alone its relation to Manhattan or Queens. Rather, let’s look at the facts:
1. Commuting: F train stops on island, one can also take the tram (cable cart over East River) to Manhattan, dropping you off at 59th and 2nd ave.
59th/2nd stop of tram in Manhattan
2. Island Transportation: A red bus circles the island at 25 cents per ride, not often during off-peak.
3. Driving to Island: Only one bridge connects Roosevelt Island to Queens; if you’re cabbing from Manhattan, prepare to go to Queens first.
4. Commute Time: Commute time is dependent on your house’s distance to subway. [1] if you live in condos (next to subway), commute to Manhattan is 10-15 minutes. [2] if you live in subsidized apartments (3-8 blocks from subway), add 5-10 minutes of commuting to subway time. [3] if you live in luxury apartments (8-11 blocks from subway), add 10-15 minutes of commuting to subway time.
5. Shops: One Duane Reade, a Japanese restaurant (decent but not great), a Chinese restaurant (sucks), a Italian restaurant (basic pizza, etc), a grocery store (worst and most over-priced Gristedes ever), as well as a post office, dry cleaners, thrift shop, public library branch, diner, salons, etc. And of-course, the ever present Starbucks.
6. Residents: [1] The UN workers – perhaps for the island’s quiet and family oriented atmosphere. [2] Students and faculties of Cornell Medical Center, Rockefeller University, and other schools in Manhattan. Sections of the luxury apartments have recently been converted to dormitories, but mostly for graduate students. [3] People who are either on welfare or live below a certain wage, so that they are assigned a subsidized housing here. [4] Young professionals paying just about the same as and maybe cheaper than Upper East Side, but prefers living here in larger spaces with cleaner/nicer amenities, the trade-off is of-course convenience. [5] Wealthy Manhattan residents who all of a sudden realize they can buy a brand new, luxurious 1-bedroom with an incredible view for half a million dollars that is only minutes away from 60th and 2nd, where the same apartment costs a million. Good investment? I think so.
River Walk Court: newest (and most luxurious) Luxury Condo - right next to subway and tram, amazing roof-top patios. Only if I can afford.
Conclusion:
There is no particular reason to move to or to avoid Roosevelt Island if you are thinking about a neighborhood to consider in New York City. Overall, I would not want to rent here unless I get a rent-stabilized apartment, but would consider investing in a Condo. It is not a place for everyone, and people that move here on impulse (most of the them do) either end up loving it or hating it. It does, however, have the most breathetaking skyline view of Manhattan and is packed with sports amenities, from soccor fields, tennis courts, swimming pools, basketball courts, to cycling and running tracks. Many come to the island to exercise, if you live here – your back door is the safest outdoor playground.
Tennis by the river, at the Luxury Condo - the Octagon
For more information on Roosevelt Island, visit these two blogs:
One of the many things I find strange about Roosevelt Island is how the different communities co-exist in such a narrow space. I walked past the rehab center once during the summer and found myself surrounded by amputees and the infirm, some strapped to gurneys and others in wheelchairs, all of them out in the open to get some well-needed sunlight. It was good to see these patients — who had likely been trapped indoors for weeks on end — getting some sunshine. But if you are not a rehab patient I would think it a little jarring to go for a stroll outside your luxury apartment and find yourself in the middle of that.
Another oddity of sorts is the Tram. I’ve known many people who say they would never, ever go up in that thing, and I guess I can see where their anxiety comes from. I was in the Tram once when it just stopped moving forward. It turned out it was high winds that caused the stoppage but the Tram conductor didn’t say anything, and people on the Tram were freaking out like they were gonna die.
The island used to be called Blackwell’s Island, and it was a prison. If you wander up Astoria you’ll find a cool little cemetery near the St. George Church. Some of the Blackwells are buried there, and it’s cool to see their names on those old graves.
Yea the co-existence thing is definitely weird but cool. I see random men cat calling outside of the dirtiest Chinese restaurant (closed down twice by the Department of Health) and black cars carrying UN diplomats to work a block away.