Even with the hordes of
people, there are still some places in New York where one can enjoy quietness
and a break of people. These two are
both nice spots that I discovered last week.
FDR's Four Freedom Park on Roosevelt Island
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| iPhone panorama shot from south point of island |
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| The United Nations from Roosevelt Island |
Roosevelt Island is a long narrow island in the East River
between Manhattan and Long Island. The
north end of the island consists of apartment buildings, but the south end is
mostly a park. It is also the site of
the ruins of the city's old smallpox hospital and on the point is a small park/monument
dedicated to Franklin Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms" which overlooks the
United Nations. I decided to check out
this island in order to get a good look at the place where my daughter was
spending the week as an intern, and was pleasantly surprised by how pleasant
of a place this was to hang out. Sitting
by the point, I watched barges and boats make their way up and down the East
River and helicopters whirl back and forth, yet felt totally isolated. Although the island can be accessed by a
subway (F line) I would recommend the tram.
The tram leaves from Second Avenue and 60th Street (just west of the Ed
Koch Queensboro Bridge) and provides great views up and down the East River.
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| Tram to Roosevelt Island |
This stop, which few seem to know about (I even had one friend
who grew up in NYC say she'd never been on Roosevelt Island), is another must
see site in the city. It is also cheap
as you can use your MTA card to take the tram.
A $31 seven day unlimited MTA card is well worth the investment. Warning,
the Four Freedom monument doesn’t open until 9 AM, but if you get
there early, there are places you can wait around the ruins of old small pox
hospital. There is also an indoor tennis
center on the north end of the island.
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| Tudor City Greens |
Just a block south of the UN and running between 40
th and 43
rd Street is a neat garden park with benches and lots of old trees with shade and various shrubbery and flowers. It is a private park, ran by a non-profit board. The park is clean and well maintained and since my daughter was doing an internship in the UN, it was a great place to hang out in the morning and read while waiting for museums to open as well as to wait in the evening. One evening there was even a concert in the lower section of the park. But most of the time there was only a handful of people in the park, mostly reading and waiting.
Do the crowds ever get to you and you find yourself wanting a break? If you have been to NYC, do you have a favorite Hideaway?
What lovely photos of the great city.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking your daughter is an intern (?) did you mean at the moment? What an interesting place to be. My daughter interned for a summer in London for one of their publications through her Journalism and Media course, which we also flew over to view/share as well! Our children's learning adventures often extends ours as well! Lucky us right! I haven't had the chance to tour New York as much as I'd like, I drove through there not too long ago, but we had other commitments. I favor the nooks and crannies within their charming neighborhoods, like Greenwich Village, (the Village) Tribeca, Little Germany etc. I do like your incredible quiet spots, thanks for sharing this. Enjoy your time and do share more please!
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a one week internship--she is still in high school. And I changed internet to intern :)
DeleteGreat shots of the peaceful and quiet spots you enjoy. The garden park is lovely.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a treat to be away from the crowds and just relax. Thanks for sharing and the interesting info. Thanks for stopping by too.
Happy 4th of July. cm
Thanks for stopping by--the city is an interesting place to explore.
DeleteI don't remember its name, but the bar that sold Chimay Ale on tap was my favorite hideaway
ReplyDeleteI should have kept a list of all the beer that I enjoyed--lots of local breweries along with one ale from Brazil (but it was in a Brazilian restaurant)
DeleteI'd hate to miss a chance to hang around an old small pox hospital....
ReplyDeleteSeriously, these are great tips and Roosevelt Island looks beautiful. Thanks, friend!
I'm young enough to have had my vaccinations :)
DeleteIt's nice to know that even in a big city, there are places to "get away from it all."
ReplyDeleteYou said there was a concert - who was playing, and did you get to see it?
DeleteI heard a bit of the concert, but it was a local band. We did go to Prospect Park in Brooklyn and heard a little of the New York Philharmonic. It was an outdoor concert and everyone was drinking and having fun and I heard more of Brooklyn's gossip than the music. Secondly, they were on the approach way to JKF, so planes kept flying by at low level... So, while I enjoyed the experience, the music was only a part of it.
DeleteI'm not a crowd person so I find myself wanting a break from humanity quite often. Saying that, I've never felt the urge to seek refuge when in New York City. I guess because I am mentally prepared heading there that everything will have people and I've never spent more than a week there at a time. I also come from a place where I have to seek out crowds so going to a large city like that with lots of people is kind of a novelty and I find myself doing a lot of people watching instead of seeking solace.
ReplyDeleteActually, the crowds when you are anonymous are not nearly as "threatening", in my opinion, but it was nice to have a few spots to read and rest
DeleteI had a look at teh island on the goo maps. I'll be honest I'd need a good reason to go there. But it looks pretty enough in your photos, not on the sat map though.
ReplyDeleteThe google photo car wouldn't have been able to get down on the point, which has a nice view of the city and especially the UN
DeleteThey have the photo-dome things down at the point where the Four Freedoms park is sited.
Deletethat should be a good shot--my shot is panoramic, so it is distorted
DeleteHave you read this artocle about green spaces in New York and the paths used by rats and other animals? Very interesting http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/magazine/the-rat-paths-of-new-york.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0
ReplyDeleteNo, I'll have to look at that article. Thanks
Deletesuch nice places! I used to just race to Bryant Park (which isn't much of a hideout) lol but I loved it there. :)
ReplyDeleteI'll have to get out a map and see where Bryant Park is located.
DeleteOh, I was there, that's by the library, isn't it?
DeleteNice use of the panorama option!
ReplyDeletesometimes I can get creative :)
DeleteBeautiful shots! I enjoy visiting, but am glad to live in a less crowded suburb.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! It is a great place to visit
DeleteI went to Roosevelt Island for the first time during my last trip. I loved stumbling on Tudor City Greens while I was wandering.
ReplyDeleteBeware the Little White Rabbit is on Nook, but it's only on sale on Amazon.
A fine post. I have my parents names carved into The Immigrant Wall of Honor at Ellis Island. While I haven't yet seen it, it is important to me. This was very informative about other areas I was not familiar with!
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough to have a wonderful apartment to get back to after sightseeing, so I guess that was my hide out. :)
ReplyDeleteMy niece's husband pointed out that tram to me as we were at a gas station - I would love to take it to Roosevelt Island. There is so much to do there that I haven't done. Sigh.
It's nice to find a quiet spot. Gotta love the combination of noise & quiet, motion & stillness.
ReplyDelete