Signs of Life

These two images are from the south end of Roosevelt Island (the cat is sitting in the window of the infamous Smallpox hospital - an abandoned Gothic ruin.) Technically part of Manhattan, Roosevelt Island is a two-mile strip of land in the East River with access by aerial Tram, subway and auto (by bridge from Queens). Formerly called Blackwell's Island, then Welfare Island, this place was home to many asylums, hospitals and prisons. In the 1960s, a plan by Philip Johnson and John Burgee envisioned a pedestrian community - the original plan never came to be. There is a variety of housing: subsidized and unsubsidized housing for low, middle and moderate income tenants. Luxury rentals and condominiums also exist. Hybrid electric buses provide transportation on the island; waste is collected by an underground Automated Vacuum Collection System (the only one servicing a residential complex in the US.) There was initially a lot of enthusiasm over the island's development as a modern utopia. However, the population originally envisioned was never realized and thus, there is a dearth of services on the island. One supermarket, one deli, one restaurant. For the visitor there are a few spots worth a visit - the biggest draw are the vistas of the city. But I am sure many residents like the quiet atmosphere - our black cat appears quite content ...