Beauty in the Boroughs: Queens
And Vegan Food

Socrates Sculpture Park is a free waterfront art space with great views of Manhattan. Gosh, that’s a lot of nice things in one sentence. Even nicer, the rippling fabric of the current exhibit, Chronos Cosmos: Deep Time, Open Space, which was like a star filter for the daytime sky.

Close by is Roosevelt Island, a surreal and isolated New York City neighborhood in Queens. It is most residential but boasts 360-degree beautiful views and a gorgeous park honoring the great FDR, Four Freedoms Park. It’s probably one of my favorite NYC parks given its seclusion and views.

That sneaky Chrysler building

A river runs through it…

The decaying Smallpox Hospital, Renwick Hospital, on the island is gated but right in the center of the park. The island, which used to be called Blackwell’s Island, was perfect given its isolation from the more populated parts of the city in the late 1800’s. You know how Smallpox is! In reading about its history I learned that the island was the first Riker’s Island. It housed a Penitentiary and inmate labor constructed a Hospital, Penitentiary, Alms House, Hospital for Incurables, Workhouse, Asylum for the Insane, etc. (source).

I find it interesting that the islands of New York City historically served such distinct purposes… Hart Island is the city’s Potters Field; Staten Island was its dump; Riker’s Island (after Blackwell’s Island) is jail complex; Liberty Island was a pest house before it was Ms. Liberty’s home; Ellis Island was a immigrant inspection station; North and South Brother Islands are now bird sanctuaries after also serving as pest houses, most famously to Typhoid Mary.

Queens has the best ethnic foods, including delicious Venezuelan arepas at Arepas Cafe in Astoria. This veggie one is stuffed with plantain, avocado and black beans. So fresh and yummy, I need to eat arepas more often!

Thank you Queens for a hot day of beautiful things. You’re up next, The Bronx!