Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Lighthouse Park Footbridges Washed Away By Hurricane Sandy Finally Replaced - Finishing Touches Still Need To Be Completed But You Can Now Walk To Peaceful Lighthouse At Northern Tip Of Roosevelt Island

Good News.

The Lighthouse Park footbridges washed away by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012  have been replaced. Roosevelt Island resident C. Grant sent in this picture yesterday

Image From C. Grant

and reports:
I forgot how nice the walk around the point is for peaceful thinking

The yellow tape is blocking only the red wood area where they are still fixing. The bridges are open and one can walk around
There are still some finishing touches that need to be made in the area but you can finally walk to the northern tip of Roosevelt Island's Lighthouse Park.

This is what Lighthouse Park looked like under water during Hurricane Sandy

 Roosevelt Island Lighthouse Park Under Water From Huricane Sandy Via Kate Williams Tweet

and the washed away footbridge space


a few weeks ago.

Happy to have the Lighthouse area open to the public again.

10 comments :

CheshireKitty said...

"...Roosevelt Island will be as culturally distinct as the upper east side." Is that supposed to be a joke? The UES is synonymous with cultural blandness.


Let's hope RI instead "catches" some of the cultural hipness of our neighbors across the E. Channel of the E. River. Let's hope RI becomes an extension of LIC, Greenpoint, W-burg, Astoria, E. W-burg/Bushwick - including the housing projects and acres of light industry.


These areas are dynamic and filled with creative types, myriad business start-ups, not really something that can be said about the UES.

Westviewer said...

Won't happen as long as RIOC is in charge. I wish RIOC (and some vocal residents who seem to like it this way) realized that this is a housing development in New York City and not a backwater of New York State.

OldRossie said...

Not supposed to be a joke, but recognizing the same blandness you mention. I'm acknowledging the earlier comments that the island is becoming an extension of Manhattan (which I think technically it is). I agree with that, and think it's an improvement!
You're right, cultural diversity and hipness and blah blah blah... but that doesn't happen by design. Invested interest is going to shape the island, not ideologies.

OldRossie said...

With respect, I don't think it is anymore. Imagine what the island will be like when Cornell is done (granted, we may never live to see the day..). Consider the types of businesses that'll do well with that campus as a neighbor. Consider cashflows rental apartments will generate. to the south a beautiful park with some historic significance, to the north a nice soccer field, tennis courts, garden, lighthouse, a few "luxury" apartment buildings... This could be REALLY nice! but what becomes of those old dark prefab buildings in between?

Westviewer said...

Take a look at what has happened on the lower east side. Young people whose great-grandparents moved heaven and earth to get away are paying high rents for the same apartments (renovated, to be sure.) I'm not familiar with Island House layouts, but the former Eastview has an interesting and innovative design. Rivercross apartments are nice by almost any standard except really luxurious apartments (of which there are none on RI, despite vigorous marketing efforts on the part of Hudson-Related and the Octagon.) I know that the apartments in Westview make the Octagon apartments look like a dollhouse. Maybe I'm a cock-eyed optimist, but I think with a larger, more sophisticated and demanding population, the island may still flourish, even though right now Main Street still resembles that of a depressed upstate New York town, more than a NYC neighborhood.

CheshireKitty said...

The UES is not exactly SF/Silicon Valley - let's not forget Jobs (& others of the original Apple crew) was quite a hippie in his day. Sometimes, allowing a degree of wildness/improvisation ---> creativity. Anyway, no matter what we say, innovation/creativity will happen - Cornell will have a huge impact on Queens/Bklyn, as much as the creative types
in Queens/Bklyn will (eventually) have a huge impact on RI. Hopefully, the synergy of the creative types in Queens/Bklyn & the tech types at Cornell will result in a positive outcome for RI/NY in general.

OldRossie said...

I agree with that - a little creativity combine with the uniqueness of the island could result in some really cool stuff. I walked down a street near nyu not long ago (not my normal stomping grounds so felt like a different world) and went past cool little coffee shops, a chess place, boutique clothing.. not my style, but I appreciate it for what it is. That little block pops into my head when I think of the best-case impact of cornell on main street.
BUT, lets be realistic. Au bon pain, maybe barns n noble (if theyre still in business), theres always room for another starbucks... thats what main street is destine for... and its ok! Thats the UES type expectation that I have and I still think its better than the current situation.

CheshireKitty said...

It's hard to know what might take off with the arrival of Cornell & the influx onto RI of hundreds of highly-educated people. A Mid-East/falafel/schwerma place would be perfect - I'm sure another bar would be welcomed. A B&N - inc a Starbucks - imagine that.. even with Cornell, I wonder if there'd be an adequate customer base. And, as you say, B&N may not even be around by then.

Doctor Casino said...

This is very unfortunate. Does anyone know what's going to happen to the shop's merchandise, particularly the VHS tapes? My girlfriend is a collector and we had always meant to make another visit to go through their great selection.

CheshireKitty said...

I always thought they would run a big sale before they were evicted or went out of business, but I guess it was not to be. Wow - I'm surprised they were renting VHS tapes; that's a rarity.