Explore Roosevelt Island: A Hidden Gem in NYC
Unfurling like an eel in New York City’s East River, Roosevelt Island is a full 2 miles long yet a mere 800ft across at its widest point.
This long sliver of prime real estate has a fascinating history: for almost 150 years, it was the site of numerous hospitals, prisons, asylums, and other grim institutions where “undesirable” patients and inmates were banished. Over the last half-century, however, a remarkable planned community has taken root, with around 12,000 New Yorkers living a uniquely low-key version of big-city life now calling the redeveloped island home.
In recent years, further grand projects – including a mighty memorial park and a cutting-edge tech campus – have continued to put space between the island’s troubled history and its lovely present, drawing visitors from all over. The preferred way to get to the island might be the most exciting part of any excursion here.
Intrigued yet? Here’s how to delve into Roosevelt Island through six engaging activities.
Hang Out in NYC’s Only Cable Car
Despite its super-central location, Roosevelt Island remained unconnected to the rest of the city for centuries. Today, a road bridge to Queens, a subway stop, and a ferry terminal offer various ways to cross the water – yet none compares to what might be the island’s most famous attraction.
There might be no better ride for the money in New York than the iconic red cable car (or aerial tram) that departs from Midtown Manhattan. Gripping fast-moving steel cables above, the bus-sized cabin quickly makes a vertiginous ascent (almost 250ft!) in just a few minutes, floating smoothly between a forest of high rises and the tower of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. Before you know it, the East River is beneath you, and the skyline becomes a spectacular panorama as the tram whisks you across the water. The descent comes quickly – hopefully before you’ve had time to recall that harrowing rescue scene from Spider-Man. All for the price of one MetroCard swipe.
Consider the Island’s Grim History at the Ruins of the Smallpox Hospital
Native Americans first arrived on Roosevelt Island around 12,000 years ago, before Dutch colonists “purchased” the land in the 17th century and cleared it for farmland. The Blackwell family later settled the island over four generations before selling the whole lot – then known as Blackwell’s Island – to the government in 1828.
Over the following century, New York City authorities transformed the island into a complex of institutions designed to house or, rather, to discard some of the city’s most vulnerable populations. A notorious prison, insane asylum, workhouse, and hospitals for patients with smallpox, typhus, and other infectious diseases soon gave Blackwell’s Island a well-deserved reputation for Dickensian squalor.
Happily, these institutions are long gone, with parks, playgrounds, and other public spaces today occupying their former sites. Yet one physical trace of this past remains: the ruins of the Smallpox Hospital, located to the island’s south. Now covered in ivy and hollowed out by the elements, this castle-like structure (now fenced off for safety) once housed patients who suffered greatly. As you take in the decaying structure’s eerie appeal, spare a thought for those who visited Roosevelt Island through no choice of their own.
Feel the Calming Grandeur of Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park
The last project of master architect Louis Kahn, this monument to the legacy of President Franklin D. Roosevelt was left unrealized until 38 years after Kahn’s death. The stark yet uplifting result was well worth the wait. After ascending a grand set of marble steps just beyond the Smallpox Hospital, visitors traverse a lawn, flanked with elegantly planted trees, that tapers to a bust of FDR, with the text of his famous “Four Freedoms” speech engraved on marble slabs. The Room, a wide, water-level terrace at the island’s southern tip, transforms the space into an extraordinary area for quiet reflection while enjoying views of New York’s skyline.
Meet Tomorrow’s Start-Up Founders at Cornell Tech Campus
Put on a hoodie and sport sandals with white socks, and you might just pass for a student at Cornell Tech, a cutting-edge campus that has been developing over the last 15 years – with much more to come. Within these ultra-high-tech buildings, entrepreneurs and graduate students studying computer science, design, and business engage in hands-on learning and exchange ideas. The appealingly landscaped grounds feature plenty of lawns and seating areas for the use of students and visitors alike. Take an alfresco break here for a taste of campus life you won’t find anywhere else in New York.
Cycle the Island’s Perimeter to Get a Sense of NYC’s Mighty Infrastructure
The presence of very few cars on Roosevelt Island makes it a cyclist’s paradise, and a bikeable path encircles the island’s entire perimeter. Fresh air, river views, and minimal traffic all make for prime pedaling – yet a bike tour of the island provides something even more special: a visual X-ray of the robust systems that keep New York City ticking.
Start at the tram station, looking up at the underside of the Queensboro Bridge, which supports the weight of over 150,000 vehicles crossing daily. Pedaling up the island’s west side, take note of the half-exposed lanes of FDR Drive just across the water, whisking traffic along the East River and underneath the Manhattan apartment buildings, hospitals, and parks that can be dramatically cantilevered above.
Savor the Quiet
A 1969 master plan for Roosevelt Island’s redevelopment called for a mix of apartment towers and green spaces free of cars, a vision that came to pass in the ensuing decades. The residential core of the island today is a neighborhood unlike any other in New York.
While the centrally planned apartment blocks that radiate off Main St aren’t architectural marvels, the plan’s harmonious whole – which includes connecting footpaths and ample greenery – is far more gracious than the sum of its parts. What’s most remarkable is the sheer quiet of it all, interrupted only rarely by the sounds of nature and activities around. You won’t be able to catch a cab here; however, you won’t need to.
This article was first published on May 14, 2019, and updated on September 17, 2024.
