Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band played Fenway Park in Boston this past week. Nothing more needs to be said other than this Yankee fan wished he was there. Here's some of what happened. Enjoy.
Some Boston Red Sox fans are hoping that Springsteen's 2012 Fenway Concerts, like his 2003 concerts, are an omen of better days ahead for their team this season. According to Peter Gammons at MLB:
The last time Bruce Springsteen played Fenway Park was 2003. He opened with an homage to Boston music by playing the Remains' version of "Diddy Wah Diddy," and the highlight was his exorcism of the mythical curse at the wall during an unforgettable version of "Mary's Place." And, of course, a year later, the curse was broken, Boston won two World Series in four years, and all was right and good in Red Sox Nation.
Bruce returns to Fenway on Tuesday, with loyalists begging that his tribute to The Olde Towne Team be "The Rising." There have been no pennants since 2007, no postseason series won since the American League Division Series in '08, and the Red Sox haven't even made the playoffs since '09....
F Jamaica-bound trains run via the M from 47-50 Sts to Roosevelt Av
Weekend, 10 PM Fri to 5 AM Mon, Aug 17 - 20
Trains run express from Queens Plaza to Roosevelt Av.
No Jamaica-bound service at 57 St, Lexington Av/63 St, Roosevelt Island and 21 St-Queensbridge.
No word from Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) whether both Tram Cabins will be operating this weekend during the F Train subway service disruption.
The Tram will be Out of Service for Station Renovations
During Off-Peak Hours (10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Daily)
Monday, August 20th- Friday, August, 24th
& Monday, August 27th- Friday, August 31st
I sent the following inquiry to Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Leslie Torres:
What is the reason for the Tram being out of service for two weeks at daytime off peak hours during Tram Station renovations described in RIOC advisory below?
My understanding was that the Tram cabins running independently of each other would allow at least one tram cabin to operate during any Tram Station renovations.
Also, there was no mention of this Tram service outage during the July 24 Operations Committee meeting discussion on the Tram status. Has there been a new development involving the Tram since then requiring a service outage during Station renovation?
Thank you.
RIOC's Press Spokesperson replied:
The renovations will be to the passenger waiting area. Our engineers determined that the safest and most efficient way to do the renovations will involve shutting down the entire system. Safety is our number-one priority.
The work was originally planned for September, but since we'll be shutting down the entire system during the renovation periods, we decided to move up the time-table. This will allow us to minimize the disruption by finishing the work before the school year starts and while many residents are away on summer vacation.
We are going to provide bus service during the 10 am to 3 pm window when the tram stations are closed. We realize this is a burden on the community and apologize for the inconvenience, however, renovating the stations is needed.
Today, received this announcement from RIOC:
TRAMWAY SHUTTLE
The Tram will be Out of Service for Station Renovations
During Off-Peak Hours
(10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Daily)
Monday, August 20th- Friday, August, 24th
& Monday, August 27th- Friday, August 31st
RIOC will provide RED BUS service to Manhattan during this time
Departure times are as follows:
STOP
TIME
425 Main St / Riverwalk Commons
:30
546 Main St
:34
Northtown / Capobianco
:36
2nd Ave & 58th Street (SE Corner)
:00
The first trip will depart Roosevelt Island at 10:30 a.m.
The last trip will depart Manhattan at 2:00 p.m.
The MTA’s F-Train and the Q-102 bus will be in operation during this time.
For more information about MTA service please visit www.mta.info or call 511.
Received the following advisory from the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC):
Please be advised:
The Tram will be Out of Service for Station Renovations
During Off-Peak Hours (10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Daily)
Monday, August 20th- Friday, August, 24th
& Monday, August 27th- Friday, August 31st
The MTA’s F-Train and the Q-102 bus will be in operation during this time. Please be sure to make alternate arrangements.
For more information about MTA service please visit www.mta.info or call 511.
During the July 24 RIOC Operations Committee meeting (full audio webcast of meeting here), Vice President of Operations Fernando Martinez updated the Directors on the Tram Station Rehab and Modernization project. No mention was made during this meeting of the upcoming daytime off peak Tram outage.
Mr. Martinez did discuss his climb to the top of the Tram Towers and the Directors asked Mr. Martinez about a recent weekend Tram overcrowding due to only one Tram cabin operating when there was no F train subway service to Manhattan from Roosevelt Island. Mr. Martinez was not aware of the daylong outage of one Tram Cabin caused by a problem with a Tower Gear.
RIOC Director David Kraut suggested that the overcrowding at the Tram when F Train Subway service for Roosevelt Island is disrupted may not be such a big deal because the people left waiting as the Tram leaves can get on the next Tram.
After a ride on the Roosevelt Island Gondooley (as the band says), Australian rockers Tame Impala talk about their music. Here's their conversation at Roosevelt Island's Pier NYC
While walking towards the Octagon Park this past weekend, I passed by the West Promenade dock shaped like the prow of a boat and was disgusted by the amount of graffiti plastered all over it. The graffiti strewn dock, both inside and out, is quite an eyesore and has been like that for years. It should be cleaned up....
The prow has always been an attractive grafitti spot, has been cleaned many times. Gets done on summer list.
and in response to a suggestion to hire local kids to clean up the graffiti on the boat prow, a philosophical Mr. Shane replied:
We do hire local kids.
Clean up of prow only creates tabula rasa. We will do it, again.
(Yes, there was a time when the RIOC President actually engaged with the Roosevelt Island community through the media.)
It's now August of 2012 and the Roosevelt Island Boat Prow Dock is still an eyesore plastered with graffiti.
However, during the July 30 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board of Directors meeting (full webcast is here), RIOC Vice President of Operations Fernando Martinez reported that RIOC will begin a Boat Prow Restoration project to remove the graffiti from the prow and to repair eroded Corten Steel damage to the base of the Prow caused by the East River salt washing up against the prow. Mr. Martinez added that RIOC has not found any type of material that can be used to prevent graffiti from being placed on the prow so RIOC will have to be vigilant and remove the tags as soon as they are placed on the prow. Here's the presentation by Mr. Martinez:
There is also an interesting exchange between RIOC Director David Kraut and Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS) President Judy Berdy regarding when the public is allowed to participate in RIOC committee meetings. Mr. Kraut explains to Ms. Berdy that public participation is solely at the discretion of RIOC Board members.
I recently took a walk around the Boat Prow Dock. Join me
and look forward to a time when the area is not filled with graffiti.
It is not hard to believe that a Roosevelt Island public space formerly dirty with pigeon poop and graffiti could be cleaned up and revitalized. Just look at what happened to the Subway Pier area that is currently an outdoor restaurant for this summer, Pier NYC, and how that was cleaned up by the Riverwalk Bar & Grill owners.
Sustaining Your Heritage Blog has more information on removing graffiti from steel structures similar to Roosevelt Island's Boat Prow Dock:
... One of the major challenges we face in the conservation of public art is dealing with human impact on the artwork. And of course, graffiti epitomises the negative impact that comes from some members of our society.
Graffiti removal is almost always problematic. Often, the marker (paint or pen) penetrates the pores or surface roughness of the materials used for the sculpture, and cannot be easily removed. At other times, the process required to remove the graffiti causes damage to the substrate....
This NY Times FYI column from 2000 provides some more information on Roosevelt Island's protruding rusty old ship's prow:
It's a performance stage and observation platform, built over an old boat landing in 1997 and designed to look . . . well, like a ship's prow. It projects about 50 feet out into the West Channel, and consists of a flat, unadorned concrete wedge clad with rusty plates of steel. Two small slots near the tip -- presumably for imaginary anchor chains -- are the only real nautical embellishment, though a few heavy mooring posts have been placed nearby.
Reported last April on a Roosevelt Island Digital Photography Workshop being formed by residents Olya Turicihin and Brian Dorfman with Island Kids. Francine Lange updates us on their progress. From Ms. Lange:
Budding photographers train their lenses on rocky textures. (Credit: Brian Dorfman)
What do you get when you combine a child’s wonder with a cool orange camera? An amazing collection of photos by 4- to 10-year-olds on Roosevelt Island.
Island Kids recently added photography classes to their summer camp and the kids, teachers and parents are loving it.
Olya Turcihin, one of the teaching duo, says: “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.” An avid photographer and blogger (see her work here), her idea of the perfect job is working with children and photography. Olya’s co-teacher, Brian Dorfman (see his work here), also a longtime photographer, says he loves sharing “the unbridled love of photography” with kids.
Class starts with a review of safety rules, including securing camera straps on wrists, keeping grubby fingers off lens and sensors and asking permission before taking someone’s photo.
Photo hounds then hunt for the perfect subject. Cameras click away at feet, faces, shadows, squirrels, squiggles, birds, rocks, shapes, textures, clouds, skies, puddles and poodles.
The kids return to class and select several of their favorite shots to take home. One child shyly explains why he’s chosen an image of a fence with a z-shaped support. “Because my name starts with the letter ‘z’,” says Zachary.
“Z” is for Zachary, 5 ½ years old. (Credit: Zachary)
Both teachers have been amazed at the level of growth in photo taking and the expansion of the kids’ creativity.
Silhouette a point of view. (Credit: Karen)
They’ve watched how quickly they want to manipulate a photo, even at such a young age. “This is an issue of sophistication of visual thinking,” says Brian. Adds Olya: “As they say, we are all born artists.”
Moody infrastructure.(Credit: Yunari)
Nikki Leopold, director of Island Kids, has received positive feedback from parents. “It’s like the highlight of the camp,” she says. “It’s incredible. You see the improvement” week to week.
Road to somewhere.(Credit: Olivia)
To see more of the children’s photos, visit Olya and Brian’s Facebook page, Bounce Light Enterprises.
To sign up your child for the Island Kids Summer Camp, which also includes sports, swimming, drama and art sessions, e-mail IslandKidsri@gmail.com or call 646-752-3839. (The camp runs through August 24 and you can sign up by the week. Cost is $285 per week for children ages 4-6 and $270 for children ages 7-10.)
Toastmasters is a place where you develop and grow - both personally and professionally. You join a community of learners, and in Toastmasters meetings we learn by doing. Whether you're an executive or a stay-at-home parent, a college student or a retiree, you will improve yourself; building skills to express yourself in a variety of situations. You'll open up a world of new possibilities: giving better work presentations; leading meetings - and participating in them - more confidently; speaking more smoothly off the cuff; even handling one-on-one interactions with family, friends and colleagues more positively. The Roosevelt Island Club consists of 20 active members, being small gives you the flexibility to work on your communication skills with a friendly lot. http://4121.toastmastersclubs.org/
More information on Roosevelt Island Toastmasters available at previous posts.
Roosevelt Island Explorers is a group of experienced educators and professionals exploring the possibilities for a rich early childhood program on Roosevelt Island. Our work is grounded in deep respect for children’s competencies and a strong belief in their ability to figure out the world around them, our fascination with Roosevelt Island as a distinctive learning environment, and our inspiration by the Reggio Emilia experience, internationally recognized as a model of excellence in early childhood education .
This summer, we have initiated and sponsored a Children’s Garden at 455 Main Street.
which has become a joyful place for explorations and strengthening our close community. This is only a metaphor for what we believe could become a deep and bonding learning experience for young children, their families and the larger Roosevelt Island community.
We hope to engage other groups and individuals who care about young children in a conversation about possibilities for an early childhood education experience unique for our magnificent Island.
Do you have a non-profit, community event to add to our calendar? If so, Click Here.
WELCOME TO ROOSEVELT ISLAND
Welcome to the Roosevelt Islander Online!
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
