heypaul

Hey Papa Tom... The bike path that goes around Roosevelt Island is 3.55 miles long. I clocked it when I rode it for my Tour de NYC 620+ miles of bike lanes. Since the 2009 bike map shows it bidirectional, I rode it both clockwise and counterclockwise for a grand total of 7.10 miles.

There are no bike path signs or markings, but it pretty much hugs the perimeter of the island.

There are 3 ways to get on the island:
1. Roosevelt Island Tram, which allows bikes and is the cost of subway fare. It can be a scary ride, but offers a wonderful view of the City and Queens. Do not worry about getting stuck up there for 10 or 20 hours in the event of mechanical trouble. Since the unfortunate incident a couple of years ago, each car has a bucket and a privacy curtain stashed away, in case you need to relieve yourself, while the engineers try to figure out how to rescue you.

2. The F train stops on Roosevelt Island, which is just a couple of stops from midtown. It takes about 10 minutes by train. Once at the station, it's only about 5 or 10 minutes to negotiate the 10 banks of escalators which bring you up to the island from the station which is about 800 feet below the ground.

3. And then there is the bridge that you can access from 36th Ave & Vernon Boulevard on the Queens side. They are working on the pedestrian/bike lane and it is very narrow and the sign says to walk your bike.

The Roosevelt Island Historical Society has a Visitor Center, which is housed in an original kiosk from the Queensborough Bridge trolley lines, which ceased operating in 1955. They have a webside at

http://www.rihs.us/

One of my favorite buildings is the Octagon, which housed the NYC Municipal Lunatic Asylum, which was opened in 1839. I just love the name of that place.

The Chapel of the Good Shepherd goes back to 1889. On the northern end of the island is the restored Lighthouse which was built in 1872. It's not open to the public.

There are two long term care hospitals on the island. They have a neat 1930's aging look, especially when viewed from the Queens side.

Not on the main bike path, but accessible from a gate on the south end of the island on the side facing Manhattan are the ruins of the Smallpox Hospital, which was opened in 1854 and designed by the man who designed St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Most importantly and little publicized are three outdoor unisex restrooms on the northern end on the Queens side. Don't let too many people know about this, as the great unwashed crowds of bike riders will quickly turn this oasis into a pigsty.

I've never been on the island at night, but hope to get there within the next week or so, as the view of Manhattan lit up at night must be tremendous. Also on the Queens side, you can probably see flames shooting out of the stacks of the Big Allis electrical generating plant, as it struggles to meet the insatiable megalomaniacal power needs of the city.