What's The Staten Island Ferry Doing On East River Today Passing Roosevelt Island - It's Annual Boat Ride For God's Exceptional Children

The Roosevelt Island Twitterverse reports:

Staten Island Ferry passing @Rooseveltisland 😯 pic.twitter.com/YlGKgmF6UV

— Jens Wösten (@Usssel) July 11, 2015

Roosevelt Island resident Island Gawker also spotted the Staten Island Ferry on the East River today and wonders if:

The Staten Island Ferry suffered a navigational malfunction today and went past Roosevelt Island.

No. there was no Staten Island ferry navigational problem. The Staten Island Ferry was on the East River hosting the annual boat ride for God's Exceptional Children

Boat ride on the Staten Island Ferry for God's Exceptional Children. @FDNY #godsexceptionalchildren @NYC_DOT pic.twitter.com/EV88DXiscI

— Patrick (@p4de125) July 11, 2015

According to this 2014 Working Harbor Commmittee post:

... For the past 4 decades, The Marine and Aviation Club, Branch 119, has hosted a very special tour around the harbor for special needs people of all ages....

... The annual event transforms the ferry boat into a huge floating party space, with hundreds of balloons and thousands of hot-dogs, dancing clowns and costumed characters entertaining the guests while 3 DJ’s played music on the three separate decks....

The Twitterverse asks:

Bragging that I've been on both the Roosevelt Island tram and the Staten Island ferry in one day. (Brag-worthy?) pic.twitter.com/U0uRcePC8l

— Monika Anderson (@MonikaEAnderson) July 11, 2015

Yeah, I think riding the Roosevelt Island Tram and Staten Island Ferry in one day is bragworthy.

Sailboat On East River Hits Roosevelt Island Bridge Yesterday Afternoon - Boat Capsized, Pilot Safely Rescued By NYPD Harbor Patrol

I asked Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Public Safety Director Jack McManus about reports of a sailboat hitting the Roosevelt Island Bridge yesterday afternoon. PSD Director McManus replied:

... the pilot of this sailboat

attempted to go under the bridge without notifying the bridge operator and misjudged the clearance and capsized his boat. The pilot was rescued by the NYPD Harbor Unit appearing to be uninjured.

NYPD Harbor then disengaged the mast from underneath the bridge and towed the boat along with the boat's pilot to a safe location. There did not appear to be any damage to the underside of the bridge, but to be on the safe side we made notifications to NYC DOT Bridge Department...

7/12  UPDATE - Renee Kennedy-Hill shares this photo

of the sailboat rescue.

No Roosevelt Island F Train Service To Manhattan This Weekend Or Next - But Tables And Chairs Are Available At Roosevelt Island East River Pier

According to the MTA:

F Coney Island-bound trains run via the E from Roosevelt Av to Canal St, then via the A to Jay St-MetroTech

Weekends, 11:45 PM Fri to 5 AM Mon, Jul 10 - 13 • Jul 17 - 20

Trains run express from Roosevelt Av to Queens Plaza.

No Coney Island-bound service at 21 St-Queensbridge, Roosevelt Island, Lexington Av/63 St, 57, 47-50 Sts, 42 St-Bryant Pk, 34 St-Herald Sq, 23, 14, B'way-Lafayette Sts, 2 Av, Delancey St, East Broadway and York St.

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) adds:

Please be advised that the MTA has issued a weekend service advisory for the F train, which may affect travel plans. The Tram will run on a rush hour schedule from 7:00 AM until 10:00 PM to accommodate any increase in traffic. Please plan your travel accordingly and visit mta.info/weekender or call 511 for more information.

For electronic updates on F Train service, sign up for MTA Alerts at mymtaalerts.com.

Some good news. The outdoor tables and chairs are available at the West Promenade

this weekend for relaxing, having a bite to eat and drink or just enjoy the view..

Shades Of Blue TV Show Starring Jennifer Lopez & Ray Liotta Filming On Roosevelt Island Bridge And Motorgate Garage Roof Tonight - Don't Be Alarmed By Use Of Prop Weapons And Staged Emergency Responders

The new NBC TV cop show Shades Of Blue starring Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta



will be filming tonight on the Roosevelt Island Bridge

 October 2013 Elementary TV Show With Lucy Liu Filming On Roosevelt Island Bridge

and Motorgate Garage roof.

Image Of Motorgate Rooftop Garage

According to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC):

Please be advised on Friday, 7/10/15, the Roosevelt Island Bridge has been permitted for a Film Shoot which will involve the use of various prop weapons and staged emergency responders. Regular traffic will be reduced to one lane between the hours of 7 PM- 1 AM. During this time, expect delays and increased foot traffic in the area. Additionally, the film shoot will move to the roof of the Motorgate garage between the hours of 1 AM- 5 AM involving the use of emergency vehicles.

Here's post from earlier this week on Roosevelt Island film permitting procedures and how production companies can deal with local Roosevelt Island community groups seeking funds.

MyFoxNY Reporter Discovers Roosevelt Island - Interviews Residents And Declares The Word Is Out And It's Fabulous

Image From MyFoxNY Video

MyFoxNY reporter Christal Young visited Roosevelt Island recently, interviewed some residents and discovered it is fabulous.

Discovering Roosevelt Island: Roosevelt Island is one of the most unique places in New York City. It sits in t... http://t.co/jBumGdWcHn

— MyFoxNY.com (@MyFoxNY) July 10, 2015

Roosevelt Island Historical Society President Judy Berdy talked about the Octagon Asylum ruins restoration into a luxury apartment building

Riverwalk Bar & Grill owner Jonathan Hoo said that after a first few years of taking lumps with slow business he has his fingers crossed for a bright future with the coming of new residential developments and Cornell Tech.

Other residents did not want to talk to the reporter because it is so great they want it to stay that way and not tell others.

Here's the MyFoxNY report on Roosevelt Island.

New York News

Roosevelt Island Summer Outdoor Movie Showing Mary Poppins Saturday July 11 At Firefighters Field - IT’S A SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS Night!

The 2015 Roosevelt Island Outdoor Summer Movie Series at Firefighters Field

 mage Of July 12,2014 Showing Of Marvel's The Avengers At Firefighters Field

is showing Mary Poppins Saturday July 11 starting at 7 PM.



According to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC)

IT’S A SUPER-CALI-FRAGI-LISTIC-EXPIA-LIDOCIOUS SATURDAY!

This Saturday July 11th, 2015 join us for a magical screening of the film Mary Poppins at Firefighter’s Field at 7 PM. Although we will not have any parrot talking umbrellas, there will be music, trivia, prizes and lots of laughter! You are welcomed to bring blankets and lawn chairs. There will be food on-site, available for purchase.

Schedule of screenings this summer:

Saturday July 25, 2015: The Wiz (Rain Date: Saturday August 1st)

Friday August 7th, 2015: A Streetcar Named Desire (Rain Date: Friday August 14th)

Saturday August 8, 2015: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Rain Date: Saturday August 15th)

Saturday August 22, 2015: Casablanca (Rain Date: August 29th)

Friday August 28, 2015: Singin’ in the Rain (Rain Date TBA)

This free event is sponsored by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation.

2 Hallway Fires This Week, Dog Waste And Trash Among Problems Reported By Roosevelt Island Resident Of Roosevelt Landings - Embarrassed To Invite Friends Over Says Resident

A Concerned Roosevelt Landings residents reports:

I am hoping you will be able to help bring quick and loud attention to this appalling behavior in 546 Roosevelt Landings. Attached are two pictures of fires set this week in the 3rd floor of 546 Main Street. The smaller one was set earlier in the week

 and the larger one was set last night.

I am not sure if this is happening on other floors but this is horribly embarrassing that people are consistently engaging in this behavior.

Roosevelt Landings is already in a state where I am too embarrassed to invite friends over because I am not sure what they may encounter in the hallways (dog waste, trash, people smoking in the elevators, and now open fires). I hope that you may be able to bring more attention to this so that PSD or UA will actually ramp up the security in this building since Roosevelt Landings is already the armpit of Roosevelt Island.

Thank you,

Concerned resident

I asked Roosevelt Landings management, Urban American, and Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Public Safety Department for comment earlier today.

Will update when response received.

UPDATE 9:45 PM - Another Roosevelt Landings resident adds:

PSD does nothing! There are people sleeping in the staircases as well. I was doing laundry, and there were two people, female and male sleeping in the laundry room. Looked at me like I was in the wrong doing my laundry while they slept.

RIOC Public Safety Director Jack McManus replied to my inquiry:

We are aware of these incidents and are deploying our resources accordingly. There have been no arrests to report at this time.

Roosevelt Landings management distributed this flyer

to residents this afternoon advising of a small number of recent fires in the AVAC garbage rooms and offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the identification and conviction of those persons responsible for the fires.

UPDATE 10:10 PM - Urban American's Josh Eisenberg replied to my inquiry:

The safety of our residents is our utmost priority. These incidents are clearly unacceptable and we are taking immediate action to address it. We have distributed notices to every unit and throughout the building offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who has information leading to the identification and conviction of those responsible, and are looking into additional measures to reinforce safety at Roosevelt Landings.

Roosevelt Island Parents' Network RI MoM Walking And Exercise Group Meeting 9:30 AM Friday July 10 At Octagon Soccer Field - Dads Welcome Too

Roosevelt Island Parents' Network Coordinator (RIPN) Eva Bosbach reports:

The RI Moms on the Move (RI MoM) walk and exercise group will meet tomorrow, Friday July 10, at 9:30 AM, directly at the Soccer Field between Manhattan Park rainbow pool and the Octagon.

All moms, moms to-be, moms of all ages, moms' friends and daddies are warmly welcome! The age of your child does not matter. Please bring some toys to share and a blanket if you have.

The exercise part is voluntary :)! This week's exercise will mostly involve thighs and abs.

Looking forward to seeing you and your little ones! :)

Feel free to contact me for more information on the Roosevelt Island Parents' Network.

Paddle Around Roosevelt Island By Kayak With Long Island City Boathouse Saturday July 11 - Fun Times On The East River

Come join the Long Island City Community Boathouse (LIC Boathouse) for a Kayak Paddle around Roosevelt Island.

 Image Of Kayakers Passing Roosevelt Island

 According to the LIC Boathouse:

Circumnavigation of Roosevelt Island

When - Sat, July 11, 5pm – 9pm
Where - starts and ends at Anable Basin, at LIC FLEA, 46th Av at 5th S Map

Paddle around every inch of the Roosevelt Island shoreline.

A moderately easy paddle with favorable current going and coming. The trip turns around with the turning tide. Approx on water time is 2.5 hours.

Adults only (18 years of age minimum). NO PETS on river trips.

There is no charge for this free event.

Your cash donations are appreciated and support LIC Community Boathouse public programs.

More information on the LIC Boathouse at their web site and from these videos.





as well as info on plans for future recreational eco dock in Astoria.



Before the kayak paddle, you can also check out the great nearby food options at the LIC Flea and

Image From Anable Basin Bar & Grill

Anable Basin Sailing Bar & Grill.

Happy paddling.

There should be a kayak launch on Roosevelt Island.

UPDATE 7/13 - From LIC Boathouse Facebook Page.

Volunteers Laura and Barbara making sure no one is left behind on last Saturday's Circumnavigation of Roosevelt Island....

Posted by Long Island City Community Boathouse on Monday, July 13, 2015

Cornell Tech Students Developing Pallette - Tongue Controlled Wireless Device To Allow Quadriplegic Patients At Roosevelt Island's Coler Goldwater Hospital And Elsewhere To Perform Everyday Activities Independently

Cornell Tech is open and teaching its students from the Google HQ in Chelsea as its Roosevelt Island campus is now under construction and scheduled to open in 2017.

A team of current Cornell Tech Connective Media students have been busy developing a wireless technology called Pallette that may eventually help quadriplegic patients at Roosevelt Island's Coler Goldwater Hospital and elsewhere perform everyday activities in an independent manner using a tongue controlled device. According to Pallette:

... People with quadriplegia are unable to use their hands, arms or legs to interact with the world around them. We have created a way for them to perform everyday tasks more independently.

The way Pallette works is simple: it has been designed behind the idea of a computer mouse. It contains a joystick to control movement and 2 buttons to indicate actions. It sends a Bluetooth signal to our mobile app, which redirects the signal to different devices connected to it.

These devices then map the signal to a corresponding action. They can be simple actions such as opening and closing doors or turning lights on and off, or more complicated ones such as moving a wheelchair around....

Image From Challenge Post/Pallette

Here's more on the Pallette tongue control technology.



Pallette is participating in the The AT&T NYU Connect Ability Challenge:

... a three-month global software development competition leveraging mobile and wireless technologies to improve the lives of people living with disabilities

This new initiative strives to help millions of people with disabilities by matching developer talent and client users with disabilities. Together you can imagine, create and refine new innovations that break down barriers to independence and self-expression....

Cornell Tech Professor Mor Naaman tweets a request to vote for Pallette to win the Connect Ability Challenge. (Public voting ends July 10.)

Vote for this important project by my @cornell_tech students! Pallette connects quadriplegics to tech, to the world http://t.co/PAw3dSU9V3

— Mor Naaman (@informor) July 2, 2015

@Rooseveltisland @cornell_tech great idea but far from testing -- I'll let the team know @rj_here

— Mor Naaman (@informor) July 2, 2015

Netflix Marvel Daredevil Filming At Roosevelt Island Coler Hospital Today - RIOC Discusses Film Permitting And Production Company Financial Donations To Legitimate Community Groups

According to On Location Vacation, the Netflix series Marvel's Daredevil

 Image From The Wrap

is filming today at Roosevelt Island's Coler Hospital.

#Daredevil is at Coler-Goldwater Hospital, Roosevelt Island http://t.co/pHq0q6imLY

— olv (@olv) July 7, 2015

The May 18 Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Operations Advisory Committee discussed permitting procedures (full audio web cast of meeting here) including practices and policies for filming on Roosevelt Island.

RIOC Permits Coordinator Donna Masly outlined the procedures for obtaining a Roosevelt Island film permit.

Movie Permitting on Roosevelt Island by rooseveltislander

RIOC Director Michael Shinozaki asked about RIOC policy for local community groups seeking financial contributions from production companies filming on Roosevelt Island.

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Vice President Sherie Helstien said that she asks film production location managers for donations to RIRA.

RIOC President Charlene Indelicato advised that RIOC should not be in a position of deciding which community group is legitimate to receive donation from film production companies.

No decisions were made.

Here's the discussion.



Some may remember that in 2008, former RIOC President Steve Shane threatened former RIRA President Matt Katz with arrest or summons if Mr. Katz continued to solicit financial contributions from productions filming on Roosevelt Island.

Times have changed for the better on Roosevelt Island.

How Cute - Resourceful Roosevelt Island Geese Don't Let Cornell Tech Construction Gate Block Their Journey, They Duck And Find A Way

These Roosevelt Island geese don't let a Cornell Tech construction gate stop them from their journey. They go under the gate and if one can't fit, another way is found.



Where there's a will, there's a way.

Scenes From Macy's July 4 Fireworks Celebration At Roosevelt Island Southpoint And FDR Four Freedoms Park - An Awesome Night

Happy #4thofJuly from @4FreedomsPark on #RooseveltIsland! pic.twitter.com/jAWpMUtGg2

— Sen. Jose M. Serrano (@SenatorSerrano) July 5, 2015

For the first time since 2008, Roosevelt Island residents and visitors watched the Macy's July 4 Fireworks from Southpoint Park and FDR Four Freedoms

@4FreedomsPark #RooseveltIsland #MacysFireworks #FourthOfJuly #BestViewInNYC #BoomGoesTheDynamite pic.twitter.com/GaKPdRAYNu

— Randy K (@RandyMK6) July 5, 2015

and it was FANTASTIC.

Yet Another RI'er reports:

Quick recap: it was awesome. I was afraid that it would be mobbed but it was far from it. It seems that pretty much everybody squeezed into the FFP and hardly anybody stayed in SP even though the view was excellent no matter where you were.

Here's the the opening



and finale of the 2015 Macy's July 4 Fireworks celebration at FDR Four Freedoms Park.



Great job by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) and FDR Four Freedoms Park - Thank You.

Will update with more pics later.

UPDATE 8:45 PM:  John Lee shows us 2015 July 4 fireworks seen from FDR Park with the Manhattan skyline in background

Image From John Lee

and Irina Hage has a view of fireworks from a Southtown Riverwalk building rooftop.

Images From Irina Hage

More 2015 July 4 Fireworks pictures from Roosevelt Island.

#4thofjuly #roosevletisland #ilovenyc #independenceday #godblessamerica

A photo posted by Joey (@joeychanco) on Jul 5, 2015 at 6:30am PDT

Happy 4th of July!

A photo posted by Carolina. (@purinchun) on Jul 4, 2015 at 6:35pm PDT

Some were close enough to smell the Fireworks.

🇺🇸🇺🇸 Just watched the #Macys #4thofJuly #fireworks from our home base on #RooseveltIsland 🇺🇸🇺🇸 #NYC

A video posted by Goodiebites Cake Pops (@goodiebites) on Jul 4, 2015 at 7:12pm PDT

What a glorious view! #4thofJuly #4FreedomsPark #RooseveltIsland #MacysFireworks #ilovenyc

A video posted by @namelynorm on Jul 4, 2015 at 8:12pm PDT

From Roosevelt island, America!!! #Happy4thJuly pic.twitter.com/eJdSZxF9nH

— Kaito Nakahori (@kaitonakahori77) July 5, 2015

Had the perfect uncrowded view of last night's fireworks on wonderful #RooseveltIsland. pic.twitter.com/E2OCg9JshJ

— Regan Kirk (@Regan_Kirk) July 5, 2015

Happy Fourth of July! #fourthofjuly #rooseveltisland #BW #bnw_ #byn #blancoynegro #blackandwhite #NYC #bnw_worldwide

A photo posted by Dana Vizcaino (@danavizcaino) on Jul 4, 2015 at 8:47pm PDT

Great job by the NYPD,

From the 114 Pct family to yours we wish you all a very happy and safe #4thofJuly weekend! #4FreedomsPark #freedom pic.twitter.com/5JsoqLam5Z

— NYPD 114th Precinct (@NYPD114Pct) July 5, 2015

NYPD Aviation Units patrolling the East River ensuring the safety and security of all enjoying tonight's fireworks. pic.twitter.com/FADM7xjQyv

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) July 4, 2015

the US Coast Guard

and RIOC Public Safety Department keeping the event safe and secure.

One last look at the 2015 Macy's July 4 Fireworks Celebration from Roosevelt Island.



At the end of the Fireworks, the crowd exited Four Freedoms/Southpoint Park and headed home in a very orderly manner

passing the Cornell Tech construction site.

There was not much a a crowd at the subway station to leave Roosevelt Island.

After the fireworks, some went home and others watched Independence Day movie at Firefighters Field.

#RooseveltIsland knows how to celebrate the 4th! #MacysFireworks from @4FreedomsPark & #IndependenceDay alfresco! pic.twitter.com/MgwGN4suoV

— NamelyNorm (@NamelyNorm) July 5, 2015

July 4 was done very well on Roosevelt Island this year.