Roosevelt Island

For the last few weeks, I've been riding my bicycle around Astoria to explore new territory I would never make it to on foot. I've been living here for almost two years and there is still so much I haven't seen.

On June 6th, and again this past Friday, the 17th, I traveled on two wheels to Roosevelt Island. The tiny island sits on the East River underneath the 59th St. Bridge that connects Queens and Manhattan. I'd come across the bridge to the island off Vernon Boulevard some months ago but hadn't the urge to explore until now. The island feels like a tiny European town: it is shockingly well maintained and clean, and has its own inclusive community with schools, churches, and a hospital. Most of the buildings are residential, and I recently learned that Cornell houses many of its doctors and scientists there as well. I was most surprised by the number of green spaces the island maintains; little parks and gardens are dotted all along on both the East and West sides.

The most impressive space, however, is the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park at the south tip of the island. The architecture is completely constructed with white granite, and there was a palpable sense of calm in the area.

After my first trip, I'd heard about the ruins of the Smallpox Hospital, also on the South tip, and I knew I needed to see it this time. The Gothic Revival structure was designed by architect James Renwick, Jr. in the 1850's and opened to the public in 1956. Renwick also designed Grace Church and St. Patrick's Cathedral in NY and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. After spending so much time around ruined structures in Greece, the shell of the tiny hospital somehow felt familiar to me.

While it seems I've covered all the ground on the island, I'm sure I will be traveling there again soon to experience that sense of calm this quirky little strip of land brings me.