David Stone
Founder & Euro Editor
Navigating Apps with Changes in Memory: Join Our Study
December 2, 2025
Weill Cornell Medicine seeks older adults with mild memory loss for a study on improving navigation apps. Participation is valuable,...
Saturday Strolls Return: Farmers Market and a New Coffee Spot Await
A Tradition That Keeps Growing If you’re new around here, the Farmers Market has been part of the community for over 35 years. Every Saturday, it brings together local farmers, vendors, and neighbors for a colorful morning full of fresh…
Always Cheapskate, RIOC Now Mixes in Greed
Welcome to the Roosevelt Island circus, where RIOC juggles greed and incompetence like pros! They rake in nearly $1.8 million but still want more from businesses. Hudson-Related swoops in like a hero, and RIOC finally wakes up to digital signs. The solution? Pay to promote elsewhere! Who knew charity could be this promotional?
Make It Better, Roosevelt Island: Main Street Retail, The Visuals
Earlier, we posted our first Make It Better article, featuring dynamics that might help Main Street Retail, but a reader made us think about the visuals. They are, in a word, awful and not getting better. RIOC, ironically, is the…
Make it better, Roosevelt Island: Main Street Retail
A dull or dreary commercial street can be discouraging for both businesses and customers. There’s no question that Main Street retail on Roosevelt Island fits that description. But in the interest of improving underused community assets, we have some suggestions….
Main Street Retail 2024: Mixed Bag with Some Promise
No question, 2023 was a down year for Main Street retail with multiple closings and more ugly, empty storefronts. It reflected the still unresolved difficulties surrounding doing business in the canyon. Rents are too high for this marketplace, and RIOC…
Wayfinding Signs or You Just Can’t Shame the Shameless
Over five years ago, in the summer of 2018, wayfinding signs went up along Main Street on Roosevelt Island. Since then, a tangled journey has gotten comically worse. Dark comedy, sure, but the sheer shamelessness stands out. by David Stone…
Main Street Retail Now, a 2023 Review
In the past, we looked at Main Street retail every year, comparing, looking to the future, but the pandemic changed everything. An analysis under extreme circumstances seemed unrealistic. But that’s in the past. It’s time for a fresh – rather,…
Sprucing Up Main Street Now Needs Some Help From RIOC
With the signless head shop finally tossed out, sprucing up Main Street gained focus in August. Other storefronts need to catch up with ME, Bread & Butter Market and Island OM. Worst offender, RIOC, controls Main Street through a contract…
The Main Street Head Shop Closed Now, After Facing Eviction
We got a text on Thursday morning telling us that the Main Street Head Shop on Roosevelt Island had closed. “For real?” we asked. “Come up and take a look…” We did. It wasn’t just closed – it was emptied…
Fresh Salads, Energy Drinks – New at Bread & Butter Market
When the owners redesigned Bread & Butter Market(589 Main Street, Roosevelt Island), they wanted it not just better, but also new. Change for the better brought healthier food and beverages to their front-end deli. Through the spring and early summer,…
David Stone
Founder & Euro Editor