Roosevelt Island, New York City ~ July 2021

The island is two miles long and 800 feet wide at its widest, and it lies in the East River between Manhattan Island and the borough of Queens. We took the tram from Manhattan and had some great views on the way there and back.

Here's a 3 minute video from the tram ride:

On the southern end of the island, the FDR Four Freedoms Park was opened in 2012. It's a beautiful space.

A view from the park.

The UN building.

In the 1880s, this was an island of undesirables first called Blackwell Island, and then Welfare Island. (The name was changed to Roosevelt in 1973.)  There was a penitentiary with its own hospital, a lunatic asylum (opened in 1834), a workhouse for lesser criminals, and a small pox hospital. Here are photos of the ruins of the smallpox hospital, which is fenced off.

View of the grounds from an earlier boat tour.

The Octagon building is all that's left of the notorious New York City Lunatic Asylum (photos from our boat tour). It now serves as the entrance to an apartment complex.

In 1887, Nellie Bly went undercover for the New York World newspaper (published by Joseph Pulitzer) and faked insanity to get admitted. She was brought here to Blackwell Island and the New York World got her released after 10 days. The deplorable conditions and treatment were exposed in Bly's subsequent series of articles that were later compiled in a book, "10 Days in a Mad House." (It's a horrifying read.)

The Graduate Hotel is the first hotel to open on Roosevelt Island and it is situated on the campus of Cornell Tech. We didn't have a chance to visit its rooftop bar but it must be amazing.

On the northern end of the island stands a 50 foot lighthouse, built in 1872 by prisoners. We didn't walk the entire island so these photos were also taken from the boat tour.

Take a half day or so to explore this historic gem of New York City.

The Holland Oz Project ~ September 25, 2021

In front of the Herrick District Library at 300 S. River Avenue in Holland, Michigan, these sculptures can be found standing alongside a yellow-brick road. And they are marvelous. They were modeled after the original drawings of W.W. Denslow, the illustrator of  "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" written by L. Frank Baum. These photos were taken in April of this year.

The yellow-brick road is then continued across the street at Centennial Park.

Note the "it is suggested by" and "most likely" on the sign. Suspect.

It is undisputed that Baum summered in Macatawa Park for about 10 years in a house he first rented and then purchased, nicknamed Sign of the Goose after his Father Goose book. (it burned down in the 1920s). Baum lived in Chicago from 1890 until 1910 when he moved to California. Most research indicates he wrote Wizard of Oz while living in Chicago at 1667 Humboldt Blvd. Holland, Michigan-based articles use language like:

"assumed he drew inspiration"

"have a feeling it was finalized in Macatawa"

"assumed he wrote part of the book here"

"local legend states"

"some believe"

"possibly wrote"

"reportedly inspired"

"it is thought to have"

(There have been others who have claimed to be the inspiration for Dorothy 😊 ) 

This is problematic language and there is no proof he was inspired by people, boardwalks, or even a castle-like building nearby, and there is no evidence he wrote any of the book while staying in his summer home. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. But saying so doesn't make it so. Regardless, the sculptures are fun and we visited again in May when things were a lot more colorful.

The promised giant book was still not in Centennial park, however.

Later that summer we were in Holland again and stopped by the park. There the huge book was in all its plant glory.

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" book differs from the movie and is a bit darker. But we all know and love the movie, and L. Frank Baum will always be honored in Holland, Michigan with this fine tribute.