Welcome to Roosevelt Island. A misunderstood place where time slows down, weather patterns change, and 25¢ will still get you a decent bus ride. This week's posts are going to present you with a cross section of Roosevelt Island – from the southern most tip, all the way up to Lighthouse Park.

In the past 8 years, this part of Roosevelt Island has undergone seismic change. It was only in 2001 when construction first began on the Riverwalk buildings, just south of the original Northtown buildings from years before. Since then, six buildings have taken shape and changed the face of the island – for better or worse.

With the new construction came new tenants, by the hundreds. Luckily both the Tram and Subway are just a few steps from their doorsteps. At the very least this keeps the much-maligned/much-celebrated red buses a little less crowded than they'd otherwise be (Though the influx of new residents from The Octagon – built around the same period – more than offset this slight benefit seen here...more on that in a later post).

However, despite the greater volume of people on the mass transit, Riverwalk did begin to bring the first new commercial presence to the island in a long while. With a Starbucks opening not long after the first few buildings were complete, a pizza place, sushi restaurant and finally the icon of all New York shopping: Duane Reade followed within the next few years. Now, after several years of being dry, Roosevelt Island is about to see a brand new bar and restaurant open this Summer.

This part of the island is also unique for having more than just Main Street running through it. East Road begins just south of the fork in Main Street and continues past the Goldwater hospital campus.

Because everything here is so new (The tram was built in '76, the Subway in '89, the buildings in '01), there's not much to admire here in a historical context. But like most of the island, there are great views of Manhattan, and especially the Queensboro Bridge.

Southtown can be seen as highlighted green on this week's map: