A lot happened on Roosevelt Island in 2021. The second COVID-colored year saw a community evolving, adjusting and, mostly, appreciating life here. We picked one photo from each month as representing its most memorable event. So much went on, we were surprised at how much we left out. Local spirit burned through the COVID haze, more often than not.
By David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Roosevelt Island 2021, January thru December
In one of the years biggest sour notes and one that still needs investigating, RIOC opened its Swift COVID-19 Rapid Testing Site. While later claiming dubious testing counts, the location was such a bust that – probably illegally – a PSD officer was positioned as a sidewalk barker on the second day.
It was, again, a mild winter, but February brought a couple of rounds of snow early in the month.
Shortened winter led into early spring. As the city began reopening, people came outside, enjoying fresh, mild air and what became the first pass out of COVID.
Although they begin opening along the East Promenade in March, April is always the month for cherry blossoms in fair weather.
For one warm day in May, Roosevelt Island 2021 became somewhere else, clandestine and dramatic. The TV series Blacklist filmed scenes in multiple locations.
In June, Roosevelt Island got its first ever hotel, complete with a ribbon-cutting.
Roosevelt Island 2021, from Mid-Year to New Year’s Eve
After fundraising and COVID-related delays, the FDR Hope Memorial opened on an appropriately sunny day in July.
But it wasn’t all good news as RIOC failed at protecting the historic Tram cabins left for years behind the Motorgate atrium. After proposals for saving and/or repurposing the cabins were turned aside, vandals took over.
After RIOC tried skating, with little effort, past a serious tribute to September 11th on its 20th Anniversary, Ceruzzi – at her own expense – tried rescuing the event on behalf of caring residents.
Listless enforcement of state mask mandates continued into October.
But somehow, much of Roosevelt Island’s natural beauty survives. November brought the usual spectacular of color, although with fewer trees for another year.
Crowning the year with art, The Girl Puzzle, a tribute to Nellie Bly brought crowds out for a ribbon-cutting. The event drews international coverage.
What’s up for 2022?
We’ll catch as many moments as we can, but there will be surprises.
Also from the Roosevelt Island Daily
- Former NYPD Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Impersonating ICE Agent in Brooklyn Federal CourtA former NYPD sergeant pleaded guilty to impersonating an ICE agent in Brooklyn federal court, highlighting issues of authority, public trust, and the legal process ahead.
- Queens Subway and Far Rockaway Stabbings Spur Police InvestigationsQueens subway and Far Rockaway stabbings on September 30 prompted separate police investigations and community response after two fatal incidents disrupted daily routines.
- Fatal Stabbing on J Train at Woodhaven Boulevard Spurs Subway Safety Concerns in QueensA fatal stabbing on J train at Woodhaven Boulevard raises fresh subway safety concerns in Queens, as NYPD investigates and riders reflect on recent incidents.
- J and M Train Weekend Service Changes: What Riders Need to KnowJ and M train weekend service changes will impact riders for five weekends as crews replace elevated track switches. Here’s what to expect and how to prepare for modified schedules across Brooklyn and Queens.
- Coastal Flooding Disrupts Southeast Queens Streets and TransitCoastal flooding disrupted streets and transit across Southeast Queens as a fall nor’easter brought heavy rain and renewed calls for resilience and improved drainage.
The WIRE: Two Futures, One Empty Chair
It is December 6, 2015, and David Stone is writing to Dr. Jack Resnick about a chair that will soon be empty. Dick Lutz is preparing to leave the Main Street WIRE, and Stone has been encouraged to ask whether he might replace him. Seven years of covering art, Cornell Tech and questionable practices inside Public Safety have taught Stone how the paper tells an Island story.
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