never B4

Tramming on a Prayer

Bon Jovi may have made Living on a Prayer a chart-topping song, but the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation and the artist Dylan Mortimer, have made the unique activity of Tramming on a Prayer possible for nearly 30,000 people every day! 

 

A recent shopping spree led me to E. 60th Street where I stumbled upon the mysterious prayer booth at the base of the Roosevelt Island Tram Station.  Never having seen a prayer booth in person before, I couldn't resist checking it out. 

   

As described on News Broadcasts playing in cabs across the city, the prayer booth had the look and feel of a phone booth but there were a few distinct differences.  First and foremost, there was no phone.  Second, there was a pull-down kneeler and most surprisingly, a printed warning stating that if I am sensitive to, or feel threatened by, actions that are religious in nature, I should avoid the booth. 

Click herefor more pics of Tramming on a Prayer adventure. 

 

I did avoid praying at the booth but not because I felt threatened by it.  I just felt it was too exposed for such a personal act and I was distracted by the realization that I had never ridden the Roosevelt Island Tram.  So, instead of kneeling at the prayer booth, I climbed the 2 flights of steps to the tram station, to take the 4-minute ride over the East River to the Roosevelt Island

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The tram is designed to hold 125 passengers and I'd say it was about three quarters full, but feeling cramped, when we lifted off. It was then that I regretted not saying a prayer at the booth below because I remembered how 69 people had gotten trapped in the tram 2 years ago when it lost power midway over the East River.  They dangled from the cable for nearly 7 hours before the last passengers were lifted into rescue baskets and brought back to earth.

Instead of focusing on how I had to pee and how getting stuck for hours could turn into a very embarrassing public display of another kind, I remembered that years ago I had stumbled upon the filming of a mid-air battle on the tram for the first Spider-Man movie.  Helicopters with cameramen circled around the suspended tram car as stuntmen dressed like Spidey and Green Globlin climbed on the outside of the car and crowds around me watched in amazement from the riverbank below.

I was hopeful my inaugural ride would be less eventful than that.  Thankfully it was, but I did discover that the tram ride far surpasses (in my humble opinion) any vantage point of the East River that I have ever experienced.  On a clear day, you can nearly take in the river's full expanse and the 4.5 minute ride lets you soak in the impressive NYC skyline for much less than it would cost you to see it from the Top of the Rock or The Empire State Building.

If you find yourself on NYC’s east side with a metro card in your pocket and a blue sky overhead, I highly recommend taking the ride.  If you’re sensitive to, or feel threatened by heights or the act of dangling over water for 4+ minutes, don't despair.  You can easily pray for safe passage at the prayer booth before taking off.  (Hey Airports! You might want to consider installing a few of these booths yourselves.)     

 

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Farming New York City Style

Remember the Green Acres sitcom?  Honestly, I don't. However,the show's theme song comes to mind frequently when Dave and I weigh the pros and cons of moving out of NYC:

Green Acres is the place for me.
Farm livin' is the life for me.
Land spreadin' out so far and wide.
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.

New York is where I'd rather stay.
I get allergic smelling hay.
I just adore a penthouse view.
Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue

...the chores.
...the stores.
...Fresh air.
...Times Square.

You are my wife.
Good bye, city life.
Green Acres we are there.

If Eva Gabor had seen what I saw this week, she would never have suffered the pains of leaving NYC for Hooterville in the Green Acres show. If she was living in NYC now, she could zip downtown like I did and see green houses, wind mills, tomatoes vines and even pumpkin patches "spreading out far and wide" (ok not that wide) on a barge docked on Manhattan's lower westside.

Urban farms, like the one on The Science Barge, are the brain children of the non-profit organization New York Sun Works and the purpose of building such an urban oddity is to test a theory that urban farms can be bountiful without being a drain on the city's water, power supplies or budget.  In other words, could they be self-sustaining, productive, environmentally friendly and low cost, all at the same time?

It appears the answer is "yes!"  The Science Barge has been a great success, producing it's own energy with solar panels and mini windmills, recycling waste and water, and producing what appears to be a bumper crop of basil, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and now even pumpkins.  They even raise worms and fish (Tilapia) on board, both of which I learned play important roles in keeping the operation going.  The worms eat the mulched remains of the staff's food.  Some of those worms are then fed to the fish and then the fish waste water (which is nutrient rich) is used to fertilize the plants. The majority of the food is being donated to City Harvest, except for the fabulous looking basil which has been sold at the Union Square Green Market. (Gotta get me some of that!)

The barge will close the end of this month but only because New York Sun Works is moving on to their more preferred location - a rooftop in Queens.  Queens is only the tip of the iceberg lettuce in the rooftop farm plan.  The company's research identified a bounty of open rooftop space across New York's five burrows, enough to host farms that could potentially feed 20 million people.  With food costs and contaminations on the rise, it's exciting to think growing our own, doesn't mean we need to be like Eva Gabor and say "good bye city life!"

COMING SOON:  An update on my mascot - SAHARA!

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I stood on Wilbur's Wright's Runway

Nearly 100 years ago, Wilbur Wright took off from Governor's Island on the world's first over-water flight and on Saturday I stood on the spot where he made history a century ago. He used the hull of a canoe as a pontoon for his plane (just in case) and after taking off, he flew across New York Harbor, circled Lady Liberty's waist and then landed safely back on the island.  I never knew any of this b4 visiting Governor's Island...and that's just a scratch on the surface of the Never b4 tidbits I learned during my visit. 

Here are a few more...

• The Ferry from Manhattan to Governor's Island is FREE!
• You can get your feet wet with kayaking by using one of the free yaks they have available. 
• The island is oozing with history -- during the civil war confederate prisoners were held in Castle Williams, during WWI and WWII the island was used a supply base for the army and air force, in 1988 President Reagan and VP Bush met Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev on the island for a US/USSR Summit...and of course, there was Wilbur's flight plus even more.

• The expansive lawns make a great place for a picnic...and the views of the harbor are the best I've seen since moving out of Jersey City. (Anyone looking to take great pics or paint the bustling waterfront or the dramatic NYC  skyline, this is a perfect vantage point! 
• The bicycle path that hugs the island's coast is wide, well paved and there's a steady breeze off the water. (If you don't have a bike of your own, you can rent one on the island.)
• The island is a hub for the arts.  The Downtown Dance Festival was going on when we visited and there are plays and other performances to come.

• You can see one of the famous NY Waterfalls upclose and and also from behind.
• The New York Fire Dept uses some of the abandoned military barracks as a testing ground for new fire fighting techniques and tools.
• Rocks and dirt dug up during the construction of the Lexington Avenue Subway (the one I use all the time), was used to add 82 acres to the size of Gov Island in 1912.

I set out to Governor's Island because I promised myself, as a Never b4 challenge that I started with my visit to Ward's Island back in April, that I would visit every island in the NYC archipelago.  In the process I'm happy to say I discovered another gem in my urban backyard.  I've also discovered the perfect spot where I can do another Never b4 that's been on my list for a while: Kayaking in New York harbor.  So clearly, I'll be visiting Governor's Island again and if anyone wants to join me for a free kayak adventure, post a comment to let me know!

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