Sunday, April 6, 2014

Hanging Out At The Roosevelt Island Waterfront Pier On A Beautiful Sunny Sunday - RIOC Looking Into Summer Outdoor Dining Options For Pier

One of the great outdoor community spaces on Roosevelt Island is the West (Subway) Pier. On a lovely, sunny Sunday afternoon today, despite gated barriers still blocking the pathway, the Roosevelt Island public came out to the recently renovated West Pier to enjoy the beautiful weather and East River waterfront.

If you weren't at the Pier today, here's what it was like.



Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Charlene Indelicato reports about the Pier:

On March 31, reconstruction work on the West Pier near the Subway Station was completed, and we are looking forward to reopening the Pier to the public shortly. RIOC is pleased to restore this beautiful area to active use and is currently looking into outdoor dining options for this Summer.
Looking forward to learning what RIOC has in mind for outdoor dining at the Pier this summer. In the summer of 2012, the pier was the site of an outdoor restaurant

 2012 Outdoor Restaurant At Pier And Main Street Food Trucks

operating by the owners of the Riverwalk Bar & Grill.

22 comments :

CheshireKitty said...

MANHATTAN COMMUNITY BOARD FIVE

450 Seventh Avenue, Suite 2109, New York, NY 10123

212.465.0907

www.cb5.org

#### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ###

Community to Rally on Rizzoli’s Last Day

On Friday, Rizzoli Bookstore will be forced to close its doors after 29 years in the

six-story architectural gem located at 31 West 57th Street. In solidarity with those

losing their jobs and in recognition of a city losing an important piece of our cultural

fabric, Community Board Five is calling for a rally of support.

This rally will be held Friday April 11th at 10:00 A.M. in front of Rizzoli

Bookstore.

This turn-of-the-century townhouse, as well as its two adjacent neighbors, is slated

to be replaced by a luxury condo glass tower after its recent sale. This comes as a

hard blow to a community that has attempted to gain designation for this building

from the Landmarks Preservation Commission since 2007. Last week, Manhattan

Borough President Gale Brewer, together with CB5, hosted a press conference

urging LPC to hold an immediate hearing on the historical and architectural value of

both the exterior and interior of the Rizzoli Building.

Community Board Five believes that New York City can continue to grow while

maintaining a balance between preservation and progress, as many leading cities

around the world have done for centuries. Showing our support for the Rizzoli

Building is a small but imperative part of a larger issue: the future of our skyline and

Manhattan’s architectural make-up. We must cease this short-sighted development

on 57th Street that comes at the expense of exquisite buildings that have only yet to

be designated due to an untimely process.

We urge all who agree to join us for the rally on Friday!

PRESS MUST RSVP to office@cb5.org

###

Jonathan Clements said...

Why is it -- a year and a half after Sandy -- that the north end of the island is still fenced off? Surely it can't be that replacing the small wooden bridges that were washed away is somehow insurmountable? During the summer, I love wandering through the park by the lighthouse because it feels like half the residents are there picnicking, playing and partying -- and yet a major chunk of the park still can't be used. Shouldn't somebody be embarrassed by the park's continued closure?

Mitch Elinson said...

Nice weather...for the ducks.

Random said...

Salvatore is right about a few minutes from Manhattan. I could swim there at slack tide. But the mainland begins on the other side of the Hudson. Manhattan is an island, like Roosevelt.

Random said...

Austin is not a small town.

Random said...

Best wishes to Austin TX Marlo. My son was there recently and is full of praise. Is it really in Texas?

Random said...

What a creep.

marlo m said...

Is what really in Texas? :-)

marlo m said...

This week, I finally had the chance to visit your island-twice! (I visited Sunday and Wednesday) and it just took my breath away. Perhaps it is the Texan in me that appreciates wide open spaces and nature the island has to offer, but I was just completely blown away by the beauty of Roosevelt Island...from the blooming trees to the smallpox ruins and of course the FDR Four Freedoms monument (my husband said the monument is actually the thing he enjoyed most about the trip). We had a goose who continually photobombed a bunch of skyline photos and I was able to take panoramic photos with the 1776, Chrysler, and Empire State Buildings in one shot. Those who state that the island lacks character truly makes me scratch my head...of course, I love nature and I have a deep appreciation for the minimalist style by which the island was designed. I can see where living there can probably feel inconvenient at times but from what I saw, RI residents truly have the best of both worlds- living on a beautiful, quiet island with everything you'd ever want in the world literally a 3 minute tram ride away. If I ever came across the opportunity to move to NYC, after having literally walked all over that entire city and subwayed and cabbed pretty much the entire thing too, I'd definitely make RI my home. What a beautiful island. I went twice because after we arrived Sunday I insisted that this be the first thing I do in NYC, but my mom didn't feel well so she took a nap and hubby and I went over. After that I told her I'd take her back and I did on Weds...we rode the red bus around the island and then walked down to Southpoint. She LOVED it. We fell in love with your little slice of NYC. :-)

RooseveltIslander said...

Glad you had a good time visiting Roosevelt Island and thank you for sharing your wonderful story.

Michelle said...

Does anyone know if small dogs are allowed on the Roosevelt Island Tram?

RooseveltIslander said...

Service dogs are allowed on the Tram.

I believe small dogs are allowed on the Tram if they are in carrying cases.

CheshireKitty said...

Jane's Walk on 5/3/14 @ noon of Queensbridge;meeting at 21st St Queensbridge F train stop - one stop from RI. This is a free walk.
http://janeswalk.org/united-states/new-york-city-ny/new-queensbridge-exploring-largest-public-housing-development-north-america/

Jack Baier said...

Bicycles on the Tram
With the arrival of Spring, that means a marked increase of bicycles on Tram.
Bicycles on the Tram means greasy bicycle chains and dirty tires, brushing against people wearing suits and dresses commuting to work.
Also, more bicycles on the Tram means more crowding especially during the morning & evening rush.
Why does RIOC allow bicycles on the Tram?

The ride to Manhattan from Roosevelt Island, thru Queens, is relatively short, approximately two miles.
That would spare pedestrians from the overcrowding and dirt from bicycles.

CheshireKitty said...

If, as the MTA says "Bicycles are permitted on Subway trains at all times" http://web.mta.info/bike/ then how could RIOC not permit bicycles on the tram at all times? It's key for cyclists using both trains and tram to be courteous and mindful, as the MTA says: "...standing with your bike, moving it so others can pass, and not blocking doors."


Even though bicycles are permitted on subway trains at all times, the MTA does "strongly recommend that cyclists avoid boarding crowded rush hour trains." Common sense would dictate that bikes unlike people cannot be squeezed into subway cars during rush-hour...

YetAnotherRIer said...

I agree with this. I am an avid cyclist but people that bring their bikes into the tram or subway are rude. I know it is allowed etc etc, but come on! Can you not ride the 2.5 miles from the tram station across the bridge to Roosevelt Island?


Yesterday was extremely bad because of the 5 Boro Bike Tour.

OldRossie said...

There are rude people on the tram with or without bicycles. What shall we rule out next: strollers, handbags, suitcases, dogs, dog strollers, golf bags, tennis rackets, audible headphones, cell phones, large backpacks, walkers, canes, shopping bags, obnoxious teenagers, cranky seniors, body odor, or Helen Chirivas? Cause I tell ya, a tram ride without these would be a pleasure.

Jack Baier said...

Thank you

CheshireKitty said...

Helen Chirivas has to be the worst problem on Roosevelt Island, Rossie. Your astuteness and keen intelligence in noticing this is astounding. You really deserve the Grand Prize for your special insight. Wouldn't you like to lynch Helen Chirivas immediately,and then burn her! Cause isn't that what folks like you always used to like to do to the dissenters, those from the wrong side of the tracks, hmm? I'm sure you'd get a lot of satisfaction from burning Helen Chirivas and then lynching her.

CheshireKitty said...

I think the rule of thumb should be to common sense: I agree that even if it is allowed, taking a bike onto a crowded tram is not so smart - even if it saves the roundabout ride over the 59th St Bridge etc. I don't think I've ever seen anyone take a bike onto a crowded train, although it is allowed. Probably, cyclists just never do it (i.e. they know better than to try to get on a crowded train with their bikes).


If Jack and you are that upset about bikes on the tram why not drop a line to Charlene Indelicato (RIOC President) with your complaints?

Trevre Andrews said...

I ride the tram twice everyday, usually with my bike and only about 1 out of 100 trips is there not room to take everyone on the first trip bicycles and strollers included. The problem is people don't pay attention, they are on their phones, can't decide which part of the tram to go in or which direction to get off on..."ahhh, should I go left, right, by the window, stop in the middle, turn around...". Sardine's people. Get your ass in the there all the way to the front and corners as fast as possible. You are going to have to touch someone else. If you want personal space you picked the wrong city. If you don't like something, to bad there are a thousand things I don't like about you but I still put on a smile, say good morning, and be as courteous as possible. A good solid "could everyone move up a little" goes a long way. See you on the tram.

YetAnotherRIer said...

Bullshit. Bikes don't belong into the tram or the subway. End of story. Ride your bike across the bridges.