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lived there for 21 years...if you can afford to live there i say go for it. it is a wonderful place for kids to live. its technically part of manhattan so its in district 2 school, which is one of the best in the city. very family oriented. very safe. lots of things to do for children. years ago everyone knew everyone, now its changed a bit because theres a lot of new buildings coming up. but it is a great place to live.
Roosvelt Island is great.
I go biking there twice a week. I like the small-town feeling it has to it, the parks, and of course the great views of the city around it.
The new buildings on the southern part of the island look great. Very modern and many with balconies.
The southern tip of the island is currently being worked on and it looks like it's gonna be a beautiful park.
Overall, I like the island a lot and I wouldn't mind to live there at all.
The only thing it has against it, is the somewhat limited transportation (F train, Tram and bus service). I would be scared also to get stuck in the island in case of a major emergency, but I guess that can happen anywhere.
transportatin options is bus to queens, car, tram to manhatan, or train to manhattanan and queens. in an emergency i would say you can walk the bridge to queens....but theres never been a major emergency over there that i know of (and thats 20+ years of knowledge of the island)...theyve shut down the bridge one time and it only lasted about 1 hour
Yes, there's a lot to like but it's not paradise either.
Not to like? A short list:
--the tram, if you're acrophobic and/or claustrophobic
--the lack of parking
--the time that it takes to get to the subway if you don't live right by the station
--the high price of groceries on the island and poor selection--in other words if you want a decent selection of fresh food, be ready to bring it home on the tram/subway or to hire a car or take a taxi
i wouldnt agree with you on the time it gets to the station. the island is so small you can get to the station quick from any part.
I lived on Roosevelt Island from September 2010 to May 2011. It had its good and bad aspects. Overall, if I ever moved back to NYC it wouldn't be my first choice to live but certainly not my last. If I did choose to live there, I'd want to be at the Riverwalk apartments close to the train and the tram (I lived in Manhattan Park). I didn't like the lack of dining/shopping on the Island. As mentioned, the Gristedes is terrible. Not only high prices ($7 for cereal, $9 for a bag of grapes!!), but the store is dirty and the employees always seemed miserable. For groceries I'd take the F down to Chelsea to shop at Trader Joe's. There's also just this dreary feeling that hangs over RI. I'm sure once they tear down the hospital for that new campus the atmosphere will greatly improve. The Island could use a revival.
I did love the green space there, as well as the river walk. The views of Manhattan are gorgeous, especially at sunset. I enjoyed taking the tram as a part of my daily commute (although the length of the commute was not favorable). I also liked how quiet it was; much different from where I had lived previously in Midtown East.
i wouldnt agree with you on the time it gets to the station. the island is so small you can get to the station quick from any part.
Not true if you're up at the northern end around Coler Hospital. It's the equivalent of 18 city blocks from there to the subway/tram. There's a shuttle bus to the subway but if you miss it you're stuck waiting a while, or walking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brinkofsunshine
As mentioned, the Gristedes is terrible. Not only high prices ($7 for cereal, $9 for a bag of grapes!!), but the store is dirty and the employees always seemed miserable. For groceries I'd take the F down to Chelsea to shop at Trader Joe's.
I knew someone would have Gristedes horror stories! And yes, lots of Trader Joes bags on the subway or tram.
Quote:
Originally Posted by queensgrl
Fresh direct Delivers
Yes, many people feel that the $6.45 service charge & gas surcharge is worth it for heavy and bulky items--their prices and selection aren't the greatest but not too bad either.
Last edited by gk90; 04-21-2012 at 08:41 PM..
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