Exceeding expectations is not normal with RIOC, but they pulled it off here. While the commitment to mask wearing is admirable, the WTF element carries us away. To the Midwest.
By David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Exceeding Expectations on the Roosevelt Island Tram
A reader emailed that she was “on the tram facing this sign.”
It looked okay at first, but on closer inspection.
“What is the language in the middle?”
It took a little doing, but I finally figured it out.
It’s Hmong, the language of an ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.
While I felt proud, having found the answer, I could only guess about why it was there, below the English, flanked by Spanish and Chinese.
Did the mountainous regions of Midtown Manhattan import a cultural cluster from Asia nobody knew about? Or were they Roosevelt Islanders?
We don’t know, but a further challenge remains unsolved…
Rounding out the WTF circle…
“And why does it say Public Health Madison and Dane county?”
Above is a map of Dane County, Wisconsin. It looks like a lovely place to visit, but we still don’t what it has to do with the Roosevelt Island Tram.
Exceeding expectations, there’s always a chance RIOC will clear up the mystery, but, well, do they even know?
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- June News Highlights: Roosevelt Island and Queens Community UpdatesGet the latest June news highlights from Roosevelt Island and Queens, including community updates, local safety, rent discussions, transit negotiations, and celebrations.
- Community Safety and Resilience on Roosevelt Island and BeyondCommunity safety and resilience on Roosevelt Island and beyond are reflected in how our neighbors, institutions, and leaders quietly respond to challenges and sustain local life.
I Take the Tram Because I Have To
There are people on this Island you learn to recognize long before you ever learn their names. Like the real estate man with the blue goatee, the one whose name I keep forgetting, though I could pick him out of a lineup any time of day.
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