Tags: Governors Island, Randall's Island, Roosevelt Island, teen travel, lobster in NYC, lobster rolls in New York City, Nantucket, dogs in Nantucket, where celebrities travel, Brangelina on vacation
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Islands of Manhattan
By Oliver Hartman, www.oliverhartman.com
Manhattan is the least islandy-island I’ve been on. Fish at the market has travelled hundreds of miles at the very least, serenity comes in the form of empty subway cars, and while people are chronically late, it cannot be attributed to a collective agreement to follow “island time” in the Caribbean sense of the phrase. In fact, only because it is surrounded by water do I consider it one. Here are a few of the other Manhattan islands that are a little more tranquil.
Governors Island
Rumored to have been purchased for 2 axe heads, a string of beads, and a few nails, Governors Island remained rural until 1702 when a great permanent home was built for British governors. The years that followed were full of historical drama. By 1710, it was used as a quarantine for German refugees and contaminated  ships. In the 1800s, it became reinforced with forts and was home to the Army of the East. During the Civil War, it was a recruiting center and used as a prison camp for Confederate soldiers. Later (in 1966), the Coast Guard accepted jurisdiction over the island and stayed for 30 years.
it was opened to the public for the first time in 1976 for fireworks and a parade of tall ships to celebrate America’s bicentennial. And then, in 2003, was returned to the people of New York when it was sold to the city for $1 by the federal government.
Its popularity has been growing ever since. The northern 92 acres are historic and are open to the public for picnics, tours, concerts, and bicycling. For the past 3 summers they have also hosted a polo tournament, attended last year by Prince Harry. The southern 80 acres are not historic and will be the site of a future multi-purpose development that combines park and public spaces.
Details: Open Friday-Sunday until October 10th. FREE Ferries depart from the Battery Maritime building (10 South Street), which is just east of the Staten Island Ferry. On Fridays only, you can also take NYHarbor Water Taxi, which leaves from the South Street Seaport.
Randall’s Island
In 1835, the city of New York purchased Randall Island from the heirs of Jonathan Randel (for whom it was named after, albeit with a different spelling), and converted it into a holding tank for undesirables: the Inebriate Asylum, Idiot Asylum, a homeopathic hospital, the State  Emigrant House of Refuge, and the House of Refuge for juvenile delinquents were all here. In 1933, stewardship of the island was given to Parks & Recreation, which, under direction of Robert Moses began to transform it.
Now the island is a center of recreation with a stadium built to Olympic standards where Jamaican track star Usain Bolt set a new 100m world record in 2008; a 20-court tennis complex showcases US tennis stars for World Team Tennis like Andy Roddick and Serena Williams; and over 60 sports fields for sports like soccer, baseball, football, lacrosse, rugby, and field hockey. There are also 9 acres of restored wetlands and salt marsh, and a network of bicycle and pedestrian paths that follow the waterfront around the whole island.
Details: Take the M35 bus which departs from 125th Street and Lexington (4,5,6 trains) in Harlem. If you have a car, take the Randall’s Island exit off the RFK bridge.
By foot, you can cross the pedestrian bridge that is rooted at 103rd Street from the East River Esplanade. The bridge is open from 6am –midnight everyday.
Roosevelt Island
After switching hands a few times, “Hog Island”, as it was known due to Dutch farmers and their pigs, came back into New York City’s possession and was promptly made the staging ground for a famous penitentiary – Mae West served 10 days for her crude improvisation in her early play called “Sex”. Joining it were also a small pox hospital and a Lunatic Asylum whose poor management and practices were exposed by undercover reporter Elizabeth Cochrane who pretended to be a patient for 10 days. Later, in 1969, a 99-year lease was given to NY state’s Urban Development Committee and a project to build housing for 20,000 residents was spearheaded.
While mostly a residential island, there are some notable historical sites. One, the famous Octagon, part of the New York City Lunatic Asylum, built in 1834, was restored and converted into luxury apartments. The Chapel of the Good Shepherd, the Ruins of the Smallpox Hospital, and Blackwell House – the 6th oldest house in New York City--are also worth a visit, as is a ride on the Tramway of course, which was the first commuter aerial tramway in North America.
Details: Tramway (59th and 2nd Ave) closed for repaired until September 2010
Train: F train to Roosevelt Stop
For more info on visiting NYC and islands, NYCGo.com
The Best Lobster in NYC
By Oliver Hartman, www.oliverhartman.com
It may be hard to believe, but growing up in Maine, I didn’t love lobster. I was more impressed with my mother’s measured consumption of every scrap of meat from the contours of the curved claws and knuckled legs. She always remained at the table after we had all bolted, picking and digging away. I’ve since matured  and now can’t imagine a better summer dinner than lobster, corn on the cob, and a bottle of muscadet. For non-Mainers, lobster - served red and whole on a checkered tablecloth or chopped and dumped in a top-loaded bun – joins coastal estates, blue-blooded yachts, and salty breezes of Maine to conjure an image of utopian summer.
But you don't have to travel all the way up to my home state to enjoy our favorite dish. Below is a short list of places to help city slickers get a slice of Vacation Land in New York City.
Luke’s Lobster
Son to a lobster processor, the eponymous owner is a young Mainer from Casco Bay who serves $15 lobster rolls with meat procured from Vinalhaven, Propsect Harbor, and Casco Bay that goes from boat to bun in 72 hours. Consistent with its simple shack decorum and limited seating, the lobster is served without distraction – the celery salt is a great touch.
7th Street ; Upper East Side location opening in June.
93 E.7th Street; 212/387-8487.
Pearl Oyster Bar
More upscale and twice the cost - ambiance and shoestring fries included - Pearl Oyster Bar is also known for its roll, which uses meat from the claw, knuckle, and tail. For fans of fancier surroundings and more mayonnaise, Pearl is the place.
18 Cornelia Street 212/691-8211.
Red Hook Lobster Pound
If you prefer to cook your own goose, you should go to the Red Hook Lobster Pound where husband-wife duo Jen Susan-Panch and Ralph Goram van down lobsters from around Portland and Kennebunkport. In addition to live lobsters, the pound serves Maine-style rolls (cold with mayo) and Connecticut (warm with butter) style for $15. This month they will be opening an eating area that seats 40.
284 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn; 646/ 326-7650.
Nantucket Has Gone To The Dogs!
If you're getting up to Nantucket this summer or early fall, be sure to make your way over to the Nantucket Shipwreck & LIfesaving Museum.
They're showcasing an exhibit called "Sea Dogs! Great Tails of the Sea," through October 11th.
A traveling exhibit originally developed for Mystic Seaport ® , it tells stories of lifesaving dogs, United States Coast Guard dogs, fishing dogs and lighthouse dogs with a long maritime history of being valued companions on land and at sea.
Paintings, photographs, artifacts, children's books, family activities, and a partial replica of a wrecked ship are part of the exhibition.
The museum is located at 158 Polpis Road, 3.5 miles from Nantucket Town.
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