I have always
said that I have the best customers, but I here’s photographic proof that I
also have the best DRESSED customers!
Took another group to see Wicked in NYC yesterday and—no surprise—everyone
had a great time. Having seen the show a
few times already, Paul and I headed off to explore Roosevelt Island.
Took the
subway to the tram station
for the three-minute aerial ride (I learned last year that it’s super easy to
navigate the subways using the MTA
trip planner). Unfortunately, it had
rained a bit and the skies were gray and gloomy, so the video that I took was
pretty poor.
Just missed
seeing a tram rescue drill which included hoisting a poor German shepherd up
into the tram and back down again.
Hopefully he got plenty of dog treats after that experience.
Your first
stop at Roosevelt Island should be the Visitors’ Center kiosk which is not far from where the tram lets you off. The Visitor
Guide & Map is very helpful (they ask for a reasonable $1 donation) and there
are some swell souvenir items for sale (bring cash—they don’t take
plastic).
Our main
purpose for visiting the island was to go to Four Freedoms Park which was
open to the public for the first time on that day. Sadly, there weren’t many other visitors at
this beautiful site. Not sure if that
was because of the weather or the fact that it was a Wednesday.
After visiting the park, we walked around the island, mostly via the river promenade.
There are several interesting landmark
buildings, including the Smallpox
Hospital, Strecker
Laboratory, and the Blackwell House.
Stopped for drinks and munchies at the Riverwalk Bar &
Grill on Main Street. Great place to
relax and a nice variety of items on the menu.
Chatted with the owner for a few minutes and learned that Cornell
University will be opening a tech
campus in the next few years...much to the dismay of some of the older
island residents.
While everything that I've read indicates that the university is doing its best to ensure that they are viewed as a welcome addition, I’m glad that I had
the opportunity to visit the island before this major change took place. Will have to visit again in a few years to see
how things are going.
Trellis
Restaurant is a small older establishment and appears to be the place where the locals go to dine on huge plates of comfort food served up by very friendly staff. Grandpa Munster (Al Lewis) lived on
Roosevelt Island before his death and I’ll bet he had a few meals there.
Best bargain around is the Red Bus Service. It’s 25 cents per ride or 10 cents for
seniors and free for students 18 and under.
But you do need to have your quarter (or dime) because they don’t make change.
There’s
really not much else to do on the island, but if you're looking for
something different to do for a few hours or you want to get away from the tourists in Manhattan for a while, it’s an excellent choice for an inexpensive side
trip.
