Island Vs. Island

A meta Island war brews, nothing resolved:

There’s a small Island in New York Harbor that feels forgotten by the rest of the city. It has far fewer people than its great, bustling neighbor, and as such doesn’t feel it gets its fair share of recognition, power or simple respect.

Roosevelt Island often sings the Staten Island tune of woe. A canoe-shaped hamlet off the shore of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, it’s most recognizable by the way people get to it, and is sometimes viewed by the rest of the city as an odd appendage to the inimitable Manhattan.

. . .

How can anyone complain about their transportation woes when they have a subway to Manhattan, the commuting fantasy of every Staten Islander who has ever been gridlocked on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway?

It’s not so simple, says [Dick] Lutz. During rush hour, the F train that comes through has tracked through all of Queens and, from the looks of it, has picked up everyone along the way. A select few Roosevelt Islanders are able to meld themselves to the living wall of people before the train speeds on into the city; the rest are left scowling and cursing on the platform.

“I usually miss two or three trains,” said Euralis Lopez, 40, whose hopes of getting on a recent morning train with her 5-month-old and stroller were futile. Penelope, her 10-year-old daughter, resigned herself to being late to school yet again.