Roosevelt Island Southpoint Park And FDR Four Freedoms Park Seen From East River Circle Line Cruise - A Glowing Review Of FDR Park But Magnificent New Hunters Point South Waterfront Park In Long Island City Much Better For Local Community
The view of Roosevelt Island's FDR Four Freedoms Park and Southpoint Park
Image From You Tube Video
seen by passengers on East River Circle Line Cruise Ship.
Here's a video that describes the FDR Four Freedoms Park in glowing terms.
My reaction to the video - what a bunch of crap.
Take a walk/bike/drive over to Hunters Point South Waterfront Park right across the East River from Roosevelt Island to see a magnificent newly opened park with welcoming open play space for adults, kids and families
Image From Weiss/Manfredi
as well as a casual waterfront cafe and big comfortable seating
Image From Weiss/Manfredi
intended for its local community
to enjoy.
Roosevelt Island could have had a park like Hunters Point South.
Instead we have a cemetery masquerading as a Park called Four Freedoms.
How sad.
14 comments :
Why not encourage restoration of Lighthouse Park instead of continually beating a dead horse.
I was just at these wonderful new parks in LIC last weekend, on a walking tour; a couple of the advocates that appear in the above Hunters Point Parks Conservancy video spoke to our group.
These parks are fantastic! They aren't too far from RI - our island is visible from the parks; FFP looks like the prow of a ship anchored in the river from LIC. It is very deserted looking - even on a day when LIC parks were overflowing with life, activity and people, there was no-one to be seen across the river at Four Freedoms Park, at around 12:30 PM on a Sunday...
I agree with Rick: Even though FFP is tiny compared with the waterfront parks in LIC, it could be less restrictive, more welcoming.
Also, RI has a wonderful promenade encircling RI. RI residents should visit the parks in LIC and see if some of the progressive ideas from those parks could transfer to our promenade/parks.
Yeah, yeah. We know by now that you hate it. Plenty of people would disagree with you.
Yes, of course people have a variety of opinions on this. You're entitled to yours as I am of mine.
However, now that it is built and open for a while, do you acknowledge that the FDR Park is not a community park for residents like Gantry, Hunter's Point South, Socrates, Brooklyn Bridge, Carl Shurz but is, for the most part, a Monument for tourists to visit and other one time visitors.
The reason for this post is as follows. I planned to show the video of view from East River boat but wanted to add more and then came across the glowing video about the Park.
To balance the glowing praise of that video and since I visited Hunter's Point Park last weekend, I thought adding info about Hunter's Point Park was informative for readers.
As to Lighthouse Park, my understanding is that the footbridges will be replaced by the end of June and the Park will be full open.
I will confirm that with RIOC and let you know.
It is mainly a tourist attraction but I have been there many times with my family as well. Sure, it is not a park to have a BBQ and it is probably not the most exciting spot for small children but we have plenty of other space for that purpose.
So, yeah, I do like it.
You did say "what a bunch of crap" to the video. That's quite a bit different from "balancing," no?
The whole point is that space is at a premium on RI - compared to other parts of the City. The monument is wonderful - but it should never have been located on RI, consuming the scarce parkland we have.
So we have it now - and I go ahead and tout it, even though I know what it means. We have that much less parkland, because it's a monument.
I love it from an architectural point of view - but it's architecture would have worked just as well at any other riverside location in NYC.
We should have had a memorial to FDR on RI - but not the monument. Something suitable to the scale of the island, and taking account of the people who actually live on RI, would have been more suitable.
There are monuments to many Presidents in NYC, such as Washington Sq arch, or Grant's Tomb. But, consider that Manhattan is huge compared to RI. We have a Manhattan-size monument on RI - not in keeping with the size of the island and the number of people living on the island who should have some parkland.
As I said above - what's done is done, and I always say nice things about the monument, especially to people who visit. If the conversation comes up, I'll explain the controversy/issues. But I accept the monument, and hope that the Conservancy might make the rules less restrictive etc.
Last Sunday, viewing FFP from LIC, it was indeed remarkable that FFP appeared so tomblike - no-one was visible walking around. It was an eerie contrast to the life and fun at the parks in LIC.
In my view, balance does not mean not having an opinion. "What a bunch of crap " is my opinion. You have a different opinion.
Balance is showing the video of the person who likes the FDR Park. Balance is also having readers like yourself provide different opinions.
Agree that it is primarily for one-time visitors. No shade, no seating, no food, plus over-priced water. By no seating, I mean chairs, like in Bryant Park, where visitors might linger. Yes, visitors sit on the stone benches in the Room, on the grassy lawn and steps, but no one appears to linger at FDR Park, after taking in the 360-degree view, like at other parks that are hospitable and not stark.
Let's also remember how the park encroached on public land with the security fence. Are there still plans to take over the Smallpox Hospital?
Place is a sterile granite mausoleum. The most popular place down there is the wild hill just north of the ruins. You see people sitting up there all the time. LIC park is wonderful.
We have so much open green space on Roosevelt Island that it doesn't really matter much that the southern tip was used for the memorial.
It was never intended to be the kind of playground you would prefer. The name of the island, as well as the design for the memorial, preceded the arrival of any residents of the island's current incarnation.
But space is NOT at a premium compared to other parts of the city.
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