Roosevelt Island and Queens are on the cards today. Weather improvements were forecast, the gondola to Roosevelt Island looks very interesting and Queens is the last of the 5 boroughs that we haven't been to yet.
So, after breakfast we were on our local F-train again, in peak hour (8.30am) and was therefore crowded. For once the train's conductor decided to make all the announcements personally (not pre-recorded) and reminded everyone at each station to move well inside the carriages, allow other customers to get off before getting on etc. He was very enthusiastic and we appreciated his effort. We got off at Lexington Avenue / 63rd Street, a station which is deep deep deep underground in Manhattan. A combination of about 5 escalators and sets of stairs are needed to get to street level.
From there we walked pass the Bloomingdales department store, which doesn't open until 10am, to the Roosevelt Island Tram Station on 2nd Avenue between 59th and 60th Street.
Entry to the gondola is covered with our unlimited metro passes as the gondola forms part of New York City's public transport system. There is a subway station on Roosevelt Island, but it must have been warranted to have this additional means of public transport as well. Suits us perfectly...
Di is keen as mustard to get going...
The gondola travels in parallel to Ed Koch's Queensboro Bridge (that name is a handful, isn't it? It is also known as the 59th Street Bridge) over East River and while the bridge continues across to Queens, the gondola finishes at Roosevelt Island.
East River north - Manhattan to the left, Roosevelt Island to the right, Bronx or Randall Island straight ahead in the far distance. Hard to tell what.
The trip across takes only 4-5 minutes and before long we came down for landing. No seat-belts required...
From the Roosevelt Island tram station we wandered south on the island's west side. It is mostly a very nice walkway, and of course, some not too foul views of Manhattan were to be had.
Chrysler Building in the centre and the UN building at the far left.
On Roosevelt Island's southern tip is the Southpoint Park followed further south by the newly completed Franklin D Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park (Oct 2012), all of it gated with high fences.
There was the remnants of this old church (we couldn't find a name).
Franklin D Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park was more a monument or memorial than a park. No eating anywhere, not a single bench to sit on although you could sit on granite in some places and perhaps the lawn when weather permits, a very long rule list of what you could not do there. It seemed odd to us to spend all that money on something that would be of questionable value to residents and to tourists. Particularly when so much of New York City's infrastructure is crumbling, before and after Hurricane Sandy.
In summary, Franklin D Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park was all glammed up, for looking at and be impressed by.
A few pics to follow...
Explanation of the four freedoms...
We wandered north out of Franklin D Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park, now on the island's eastern side. Below is Ed Koch's Queensboro Bridge from the south.
And yes, we could not help ourselves. When we got back to the Roosevelt Island Tram Station in the centre of the island, we took the gondola back to Manhattan and then back to Roosevelt Island again. Heck, the first trip finished far too early.
After a cuppa at Starbucks, we wandered north on the island's west side. Here is looking back south with Ed Koch's Queensboro Bridge and Manhattan to the right.
Some art in the water. Northeast Manhattan in the background.
"It was only this big..."
The lighthouse is on the northern tip of Roosevelt Island, but access was closed off as parts of the ground had sunk (more Sandy?). And yes, the sun had started to warm us up at this time and the freebie New York Yankees caps came out from our backpacks.
And then the northeast...
We walked across the Roosevelt Island Bridge...
... And into Queens.
Well, we had not planned the next steps too well as we only had a loose plan to get to Astoria in Queens. But where is it? Northeast or so from here?
We wander a few blocks east on the 36th Avenue to 21st St where we jump on bus 69 after asking the bus driver if the bus would take us to Astoria (answer: where in Astoria? And then he just shook his shoulders). The bus took us up to the corner of Astoria Boulevard and 21st Street. That would do and we exit the bus.
A few pics from that intersection... Not very glam to be frank... And we were now starting to look for a place to have lunch at as well...
Well, we wander Astoria Boulevard (in the wrong direction as it turns out), but we do find a Queens Public Library where we tried to get free wifi access to update our Google Maps for directions.
Now, in Manhattan, in New York Public Libraries, wifi is free for everybody. In Queens, they are not called New York Public Libraries but Queens Public Libraries and you need a library card for wifi access. Duh...? Isn't Queens part of New York?
Anyway, it got resolved as the librarian gave us access to the Internet via a desktop computer. All we needed was some 5 minutes to get our bearings and it turned out that Astoria Boulevard towards Astoria Boulevard metro station is where we would like to head. Off we go...
We saw this "United Cyprians of America" building and though of Mary in Chester, who grew up in Astoria and whose parents are Greek Cypriots. Would she have been to this place?
Its around 2pm and we are hungry. We found a small Mexican "hole in the wall" restaurant (3 tacos each, with rice, beans and salad for not very much money) next to Astoria Boulevard metro station. Lots and lots of food...
After our lunch, time is around 2.30pm, and as Di's ankle injury is causing her some grief (you may recall that Di fell in a hole last week and sprained her foot/ankle). We decide to call it a day. We just wander around the corner and walk up to Astoria Boulevard's subway station which is above ground here.
Photo below is taken from the station's platform and we are looking at Interstate 278 towards Randall Island and Robert F Kennedy Bridge in the distance.
We need to change to our F-train at 34th Street / Herald Square and hey, if you see something suspicious, don't keep it to yourself etc etc as the messages go on the subway. Who is peeking out there very suspiciously from behind the column?
We stop at our local Chinese supermarket under Manhattan Bridge on the way home to get a slab of bottled water (35 bottles, heavy) and some other supplies. Home around 3.30pm for a rest (Di needs her foot elevated) and also a nap (so nice).
Quiet evening follows.
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