Honestly, I was looking for something else when I walked down the East Promenade from the post office south. But we can set that aside for now because, even on an overcast afternoon, nature lit up the path… like a reminder. And a promise.
By David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Roosevelt Island’s East Promenade, Where Wild Grasses and Flowers Make a Stand
I don’t know who’s responsible for this wild garden of cultivated wildflowers and grasses, but thank you, whether it’s Hudson-Related, RIOC or someone else.
Because Hudson-Related’s graceful landscaping so refreshes every complex along Main Street in Southtown, giving them credit here is the default.
It’s a small patch along the East Promenade but a big reminder. Roosevelt Island once had wild places along each shore and within our parks. Now, we have what the state calls “open spaces,” but they’re not open to nature
A copse of willows matured in season in Lighthouse Park, becoming so dense, the soft branches lowered a curtain along the path. You had to gently sweep them away as you walked or ran. You had to touch and smell nature and were part of it.
Between the grassy area, home to the dog run, set aside for the last Southtown building, and Blackwell Park, the wild garden gets missed because of its location. It’s not “on the way” to anywhere.
But that’s a virtue making it worth the detour away from Main Street.
If we can do this along the neglected East Promenade, why not more? Why spend millions on an unneeded bike trail when wild grasses and flowers give so much more to everyone for so much less.
Why are we pouring more millions into turning Southpoint shorelines into a tourist trap of poured concrete and rock when we can have this?
Bikes and tourists serve so few of us and, in time, will make the East Promenade unsafe for many. Is it too late for saving our shorelines and parks? Maybe this wild garden will change some minds, but at least for now, we can all enjoy it.
A little detour can uplift any day with a stroll through curated nature.
More from the Roosevelt Island Daily
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- Thursday’s PSD blotter: two hospital runs, a trespass summons at 888 MainRIOC’s Nov. 12 PSD blotter lists 15 incidents: six medical calls, two alarms at 546 Main Street, and a late-night trespass at 888 Main Street that ended with a summons.
- Queens Home Prices and Rents Rise in October 2026 as Long Island City Condos Draw BuyersQueens home prices and rents rose in October 2026. See StreetEasy’s housing figures and Long Island City condo contract activity at Radiant and Vesta.
- Medicare Open Enrollment Ends Dec. 7: Get Answers on 2027 ChangesMedicare open enrollment ends Dec. 7. Sen. Krueger’s Nov. 16 virtual town hall covers 2027 premium, deductible and Part D changes, with a HIICAP expert’s Q&A.
- Wednesday’s PSD blotter: two medical calls, a water leak, a custody reportRIOC’s Nov. 11 PSD blotter lists 10 incidents, all on Main Street, including two medical calls at 555 Main Street, a water leak at 560 Main and a custody or visitation report.
The Budget Knew Before the “Emergency”
The demolition began on paper long before the City invoked emergency authority to carry it out. In RIOC’s fiscal 2013-14 budget, the Corporation set aside $7 million for fiscal 2015 for the complete demolition and cleanup of the Roosevelt Island Steam Plant. RIOC called that figure its worst-case scenario, meaning the State corporation might be left responsible for the entire cost.
