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Joined: Oct 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
re: habitated (by the living) This struck me as funny! Is there one that's a cemetery, then?
Yes, (see above) Hart's Island is home to NYC potters field. (Potters field--idiom used to define a cemetary for the destituted, from NT-)to get to Hart's island, you take road/bridge to city island,then ferry to hart's island. (there was a movie--with Michael douglas--(i'll never tell..crazy girl keeps repeating) not to long ago, that had city island/ferry to harts island and potters field as 'story element'--i always forget the name of it..)
and another island is habitated by the incarcarated--Riker's Island (a place that is known to watcher of Law & Order) is another east river island. (if you ever fly into NY's LAG airport, the last thing you see before you land is riker's!) is very close to LAG.
Ward's island/Randle's Island- (they used to be 2 islands, but land fill has made them one) is home to a number of state hospitals--it used to house orphanages, and to the city's soccer stadium, and to fire department training buildings. (they keep burning them down!)--
Roosevelt island is best known, but then roosevelt island used to be Blackwell island, and it was there that typhoid mary was keep as public health criminal. back then it didn't have a bridge, subway stop and cable car connection to manhattan or queens. and tides in the east river can run at 20 knots, so the water way is an effective barrier (hell gate, is at the north end of roosevelt is. the worst part of the east river is well named--its full of eddy's and whirlpools.
the brother islands (yes, there are 2 brothers) are bird santuaries, i don't know the name of the island with the lighthouse). the remaining island are all pretty small, and some are demi islands--they are almost submerged at high tide!
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to go clamming, you use a rake (the kind with short, stiff teeth) --actually there is a special clamming rake, but if you don't have one, a garden rake will work-- and you rake the clams out of the sand (muck, really, as much dirt as there is sand) and dump them in a bucket filled with sea water..
better still, is to use something like a laundry basket at first, the sea water washes over/through and help wash out the sand and grit.. and then transfrer to a bucket that holds water to take them home.. and you wear gloves!
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 389
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 389 |
Memories
What a wonderful description of some of the lesser known islands of the 5 boroughs. Many good memories almost overwhelmed me as I read it. Thanks.
As you say, Roosevelt Island is the one with the suspended (cable car) tramway and a most unusual and wonderful spot.
High School football games and track meets used to be held at the Randle's Island stadium. Perhaps they still are. I ran there myself. The New York Relays, the biggest HS meet of the season was held there. It was fun and thrilling for a High School kid. Concerts were (are?) held there too.
Bad idea
While clam rakes are easier, and gloves certainly appropriate, feet and hands may be used as an alternative method. I feel that galoshes or gloves interfere with the tactile acuity that is needed for optimal claming success. There is no real danger of getting bitten, (shelled?) during the process. But I was reminded of the following as I was reading your post. When my older brother was 16 he had a bad experience with a clam. There was a bucket of live calms (quahogs in New England) in the summer rental house’s ‘fridge. They open up some when in a cold environment. While the rest of the family was at the beach, he, for some unexplained reason, (playing chicken of the sea?) stuck his finger between a clam’s shells and was caught in the cold and clammy vise grip of one of the larger ones. Every time he tried to get his finger out, it clamped down harder. When we got back an hour or so later, he was almost in tears. He was and is very tough, so we knew that it was very painful for him. Knives, ice water, hot water and pliers were useless. Our Dad resorted to a baseball bat to smash the thing off Joe’s squished finger. Gee, I said good memories didn’t I? Well he used to rough me up a bit back then and there was no permanent damage to his finger, although his ego suffered some. I’ve always liked clams.
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,543 Likes: 1
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,543 Likes: 1 |
I've always ethought of Randall's Island as home to the three-way interchange that connects the parts of the Triborough Bridge: two short truss spans RI-->Bronx, RI-->Manhattan, and a long graceful suspension bridge RI-->Queens. The stadium is below...we used the bridge often but never got off the road onto the island iself. My father used to tell us, growing up, that he had worked on it -- nay, had been in charge of the design of the entire Randall's Island Project. Never did find out whether that was all true or embroidered a bit...
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
yes, wolf, the triboro bridge does make its vortex there--is that the right word? what do you call the common point in a Y stucture?
but randell's island has been merged with wards island, and the mega island is also home to the NYState mental hospital, and to a hosp for children and to state 'residences' for handicapped children--many of whom have mental or emotional handicaps.
most of NYCity's bridges have pedestrian paths, and can be walked over --you can walk across the triboro to the parks stadiums, or drive there
many have walked over the brooklyn bridge (i always recommend it for visiters) but walking over the George washington is much more spectatular in many ways.
my parents walked across the triboro (when i was a young child) and i rode in a stoller!) i have no memory of the experience, except i love NY's bridges.
(PS--one of my glories is i can see the lovely suspension bridge of the triboro from my living room/kitchen and bedroom windows!)
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