Roosevelt Island NYC Walking Tour

Tomas "Tom" Delgado (@tomdnyc) takes you on a complete tour of Roosevelt Island, a lesser known island between Manhattan and Queens that used to house convicts and lunatics. Shot by Phil Rizdon. Thanks for watching and please subscribe!
Please check out my Patreon - / tomdnyc

[@kharyzma4u]

I'm a New Yorker, born and raised. Today was my first day visiting Roosevelt Island. I really enjoyed it!

[@ilahildasissac1943]

I lived in Chicago all my life, and I have never been to Willis Tower formerly Sears Tower.

[@vanessadavis3330]

I lived on Roosevelt Island in the early 80’s. My friends and I would sneak into the ruins of Octagon park and run around. It did have a creepy feel but I have nothing but find memories of growing up there and running around the island with a band of latchkey kids.

[@bethevans9704]

My husband and I lived on Roosevelt Island a long time...1980-1992. This was mostly before the subway to the island opened.. Now we live in Asheville NC. My husband was a mechanic for the tramway...he had to ride on the top rails of the tram every morning at sunrise to inspect the cables..no guardrail there! WHAT REALLY MADE THE ISLAND AMAZING at that time was that nearly everyone that lived there worked in Manhattan. The tramway ride each morning and evening was like being in the UN because so many diplomats lived on Roosevelt Island. On the ride to work, you could regularly hear 10 different languages being spoken. Although you didn't see much foot traffic on Main Street, because of the free red buses that run, residents were always riding the tram together. This created the most amazing sense of a global community for a little tiny island. Truly a wonderful experience to feel like a true citizen of the world. Thank you for this fabulous video. I love that the tour wasn't comprised of little film segments, but rather, included your walk to give a true scope of the island. Fantastic history. Fun delivery!

[@PierreMarkuse]

As usual, great stuff and interesting. The presenter seems to be the right kind of mix of freakishly insane and genius.

[@santi7616]

I totally agree, Tom is magnificently perfect for the job 👌💯🥇😉

[@bentleyv1233]

Very knowledgeable man. Perfect amount of enthusiasm and relatability as well.

[@benwith1n528]

Great video. Love the combo of real, historical info with a light-hearted, comedic approach. Keep it up! 😁👍

[@EphemeralProductions]

Yep. Tom is awesome with that stuff!!

[@normam.o.3770]

It makes it kind of tough to watch other tour guides. They are horribly boring. Tom travel the world!!!!

[@ilahildasissac1943]

​@@normam.o.3770You got that right!

[@OUTNABOUTwithYoursTrulyLIZZOC]

Tom you definitely need to be on Jeopardy! I heard they are looking for a new host, perhaps you should audition that! I will start a petition! 👍

[@dC821957]

great idea

[@billpickard7848]

Tom I'm a native New Yorker. This is the first time I've seen Roosevelt Island. I did some learning. I like that. Thanks

[@josephbordonaro]

Pulling out the Mae West, Buddy Hackett, and Al Lewis references for the kids. Nice.

[@ansoniamuse401]

Love it! Used to live right across on 1st ave(moved, too expensive)

[@abdobouchareb6791]

Tom, the walking encyclopaedia. 👍

[@DarkandTwisted]

Roosevelt Island seems very chill, and a bonus that the people that live there don't have to look at rats roaming through the garbage bags on the sidewalks since they don't have garbage pickup there.

[@aysuppatruck6185]

@@janis3568 watch the video.

[@ansoniamuse401]

Like LA, or Boston, they don't leave garbage on the streets

[@AB-sy3cg]

Hi, I lived on R I for many years..great place..the red buses you see in the video..goes up and around the island..makes it really helpful!

[@fangyu1066]

Whenever Tom is show up, Our happy hour started.

[@mariannefell1645]

Love that you are on 13k subs now!! Honestly cannot wait to get back to New York ... only 365 days to go 🙌🙌🙌 and yes I shall be booking a tour!

[@pongisland]

I grew up in Queens and I don't ever remember visiting Roosevelt Island so this video was very educational for me. Liked and Subscribed to TOM D NYC! PS Tom you should do a NYC book review video?

[@tomdnyc1]

Yeah I should, but seriously read "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx is Burning"

[@stephaniebloom4220]

I have been patiently waiting for the Roosevelt Island video and this did not disappoint, Tom! Excellent, as usual. Nobody does NYC history the way you do!

[@tomdnyc1]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!

[@stanleymasterson1135]

@@tomdnyc1 Fact: Law school degrees are the number one degree to be abandoned by graduates in favor of other occupations

[@lyndawood3983]

Ed Koch famously said, Graffiti on subways are Bad Karma! Love your channel ♥️

[@EphemeralProductions]

Kitty was cute! Glad he came to visit! Thanks for showing us you giving him pets. :)

[@tomdnyc1]

There is a cat sanctuary on Roosevelt Island and the cats run around Southpoint Park. Pretty cool.

[@EphemeralProductions]

@@tomdnyc1 Awsome. ❤️. I must visit this place! :)

[@kymmcl8435]

Another great one Tom

[@siberangel]

Loved the vlogumentary. Thanks!Tom!

[@CynthiaBanessasharing]

Love, love your tours 🌟 thanks!

[@vondelpark8141]

Absolutely great tour!

[@TXMEDRGR]

As fun and informational as always. Thanks for the video.

[@milenabianca9787]

These videos are so bingeable

[@christinebojic492]

So great vidéo as usual Thanks for sharing 👍

[@VonSolo5]

So interesting. Thanks for the fun tour, the trivia and all the great history too. 🙌🙏

[@geoffreyselvage1673]

Great video as always. Proud of you as a fellow UF Alum!

[@crystals8693]

Thanks for the tour! We didn't know much about the island. Definitely learned a lot!

[@monica-NJ-123]

I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry , such a depressing place and you made it so interesting and entertaining , thanks for the walk

[@johannsmithe2570]

... and Tom's Lower East Side*, Avenues A-D, walk was invigorating? Just asking * Video not having the cities' smells 👃 can be a good thing. 24/7 constant noise 👂, pollution, overcrowding, crime, ... There are reasons why city transplants stay on the average two years. Makes Roosevelt Island's open spaces, cleanliness, quiet, parks, amenities desirable. Include isolation. And if you want the city it's a short ride away. Not being critical but having spent hot summer nights on a tenement roof the open breeze would be close to nirvana.

[@rexlex1736]

Great tour, dude!

[@kew9164]

I just found this today and can’t wait to watch all of the other videos. All of the facts and details with comedy. Well done. Thank you.

[@rdubs7430]

Great tour. I like the guides comical approach as well as his historical knowledge. I’m going to check out his other videos now.

[@paulseoighemcgee5772]

Great work Tom!

[@adrianthomas9377]

Tom it's truly amazing to watch your videos. You have a vast amount of knowledge about NYC. Your tours are the best!!

[@bentleyv1233]

What a great tour guide. You’re a knowledgeable guy earned my sub! Thanks for sharing some of it with us!

[@gowalker5416]

This is another very pretty and wonderful journey from your side of the world, thank you for sharing!❤️

[@rebecagalbinski]

Always fun to follow your videos Tom!

[@skr2824]

First time I've heard of Roosevelt Island. I enjoyed every minute of your historical tour. I'm ready to book my flight!

[@saskiapanter]

I really don't mind your longer video's. It's educational and funny. Which in my case is a perfect combination to really learn stuff. Also, I've seen so many of video's, I'm starting to recognize places and learning the way, the streets. So cool. 👍😊

[@esmeesme7666]

Hey Tom! I can picture you now. Wearing a hat and reading a book, talking to a cat and planning the next tour strategy with Phil. No matter where you go Tom, you're the man. We really appreciate all your tours as we are stuck at home, with our cats of course....and dog....totally yearning to get back to NYC. Take care.

[@IranTourism_official]

A nice place to visit! Enjoy your tour

[@GabrielTheMagolorMain]

This is so great, love how I can see so many places I’ll probably never visit because of channels like yours. Thank you!!

[@ericmontalvo6262]

Another great tour, I think viewers would be interested in seeing the Bronx thanx for the adventure. Eric

[@darlagts]

Tom, you're the best! I went to Roosevelt Island a couple years ago, couldn't get into the Four Freedoms Park because it was already closed, despite it being only 4 or 5 p.m. at the end of summer. We walked around for a couple of hours, got some fantastic Manhattanhenge type of pictures and left. I wish I knew there was a lighthouse at the other end. I guess I'll need to go back when I can make it to NYC again. Gracias por otro increíble tour!

[@simonkell7967]

i lived here all my life and still do and i still learned something :)

[@WanderinginMotion]

love the view of the island!

[@Alan-zi2rw]

Nice walking tour. Love it.

[@pramitmitra]

As a long-time resident of Roosevelt Island, I thank you for this lovely video. I learnt a lot as well.... Subscribed!

[@mitchelljarmellmiller6102]

Absolutely a joy to watch your videos

[@waltman333]

Your video shared a lot of history of Roosevelt Island that other people's tours didn't! Thankyou Tom, Walt in Miami

[@helentravels2474]

I walked around Roosevelt Island when I was in New York last year and it was a weirdly quiet place. I love NY and am missing not being able to visit, hopefully next year!Thanks for the video.

[@harryjamessmithmusic7762]

Great job, Tom!!! Perfect!!!!!!!

[@andredoumad]

Keep it up man, you're doing a great job !

[@judithhinton5784]

Loved this Roosevelt Island tour, Tom. Such an interesting history, and your hilarious commentary made it even more enjoyable!

[@tomdnyc1]

Thanks, Judith!

[@MultiRabe]

I used to work at Goldwater Memorial Hospital in the 80’s! Looking at this video brought back a lot of fond memories from my time working on that island! I also learned some historical things that I never knew...love looking at your videos Tom, please keep up the great work 👍🏼👍🏼

[@tedmichaels1951]

Thanks for a terrific tour. I visited here with a very special person in my life about 10 years ago….brought back many cherished memories.

[@Gustav0Silva]

So nice!!! Thank you

[@kimmie7263]

This is so great, thank you!! You are a genius, great thumbnail photo. Strike a pose! Love the duck joke. Hahahaa Looking forward to the next video.

[@vjeff777]

Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt. RIght on

[@tomdnyc1]

Yeah, it's like "Brangelina."

[@user-mt4wy2or3i]

Thank You, Tom for inviting me in Roosevelt Island and show me wonderful scenery with interesting stories. Have a nice weekend. from South Korea. ^*^

[@royston8044]

Built in 1889 my shoes are older than that lol.....classic

[@ducadistaducati8225]

Great tour, hello from Santo domingo, DR.

[@lindajohnson3846]

Love watching your very informative walks, I’ve learnt quite a lot from these about New York particularly the history Xx U.K.

[@theotang681]

tom. i love your informative walking videos and the touch of humor goes a long way to break up the monotony of just a walking video where some folks don't utter a single word. i love it how you just love to talk with so much trivial and random information about new york. may the youtube logarithms be very generous with their recommendations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! also a big up for the videos that you do with the sarah f. they are also very very enjoyable indeed!!! peace!!!

[@PerthTowne]

I agree. Tom, your videos are terrific because you actually KNOW the history in detail and you explain so many things that people are seeing. That adds so much. Also, great sense of humor. :)

[@michaelmoreo9351]

I worked on the island for many years. You definitely did your homework... well done!!!

[@marciantvgi]

Otro video para aprender y reirse a la vez. Gracias Tom! Besooo

[@jonathansmith283]

thanks- thought about taking the tram to Roosevelt island several times, never did. good job ~ JDS/CT

[@patriciaperkins4252]

This was great, as always. Thanks for letting your Patreon folks vote for this one. Worthy of a long walk whenever lockdown ends and my CA workplace allows us to travel back East again. Almost missed this one, but the 18-year old caught this while avoiding helping make leftovers this AM. He needs to get his own Patreon to support your history reviews of NYC.

[@tomdnyc1]

Thanks for helping pick this, Patricia.

[@MrRezRising]

And here it is. Day three, and of course you did a tour of where I grew up. Haven't watched yet. Moved to RI in 1977 when I was 6. Me and my hooligan cohorts were the first families to move in. My family is still there. Really enjoyed you covering my 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. Looking forward to my 00s and 10s next. Off we go... EDITS: Buddy Hackett called me Poncho when I was 13. Al Lewis - Grandpa Munster - was over 6 feet tall and wore tall cowboy hats. The Ruins were a blast to play in, so creepy, and is the location of the arguably hardest mission in Grand Theft Auto 4. 🎮 (pro tip: Have a speedboat waiting nearby for your getaway.) RI was heavily underdeveloped until about 1995, heaven for little kids looking for adventures. For more on Boss Tweed's "vacation" on RI, there is a fun scene in Pete Hamill's novel Forever. The Octagon was an abandoned shell for the entire 70s and 80s. Fun Memory: My buds and I once found a Box Of Porn In The Woods in that building. So...Nellie Bly and Larry Flynt under the same roof. Yes, it felt haunted. As did the Lighthouse. Haven't been in there since 1988. Roosevelt Island was a great place to grow up. It was like living in a small town, but in NYC. At night, the views were incredible as nowhere else in NYC were you that close to the towering midtown Manhattan skyline, with only about 1/4 mile of water between you and the future. Like on Skull Island, when they stood under those massive doors keeping King Kong at bay. ANYTHING could be behind them! No wonder, 44 years later I'm still here in NYC. How could you leave that? I mean, once you've been carried around by a fifty foot gorilla, what else could there possibly be left to do? Great video. Really enjoyed the trip. 🤘🤠

[@fegu]

This is the video that made me appreciate New York on a whole new level, so much American history!

[@martinbravonajera]

Estuvo genial el tour! un lugar muy melancólico, un poco solitario, pero muy interesante!

[@ednaalvarez3485]

I love the video's I am 75 yrs old and I was born in the Bronx and grow up in Queens and the things that I see in the video make me home sick and I am shock of how things have change. Like they say you can never go back the memories is all that you have left. Thank you for your hard work, if you did not do this project knowing all the history and sharing the info many of us that even was born and live there we would of not known.

[@MrStreetballer5Official]

It’s crazy seeing this my mom worked at the hospital near the lighthouse for around 30 years and I even did volunteer work then. It’s quite cool to see a trip down memory lane and see some of the places, the place really has changed over the last 10-15 years

[@Lassiter2013plus]

Thanks so much for putting this video together. I am part of the original group of people who grew up on Roosevelt Island. My parents and I moved there in 1977. I was 5 going on 6 years old. I lived at 560 Main Street and then 555 Main Street. I was probably in my third year of college when I moved away to Stuyvesant Town. It was probably one of the best places I could have grown up. It had its challenges at times as any neighborhood does. However, as a spouse of a recently retired Army veteran, I have been able to compare every place to RI. There just aren't very many places like it--and I certainly never lived anywhere else like it. By the way, where you were walking-towards the Cornell building? That's where I first learned how to drive. And I still can't believe there are dogs there now. I visited a few years ago, and I laughed when I saw someone walking their dog. It was just a matter of time.

[@nancyking9718]

Thanks Tom great facts and style as Always 🙏✌️🎄🗽🚶🏻see you later 😋

[@rejmayer967]

Oh my gosh! HOW do you store all of that information in your brain! Love your channel but am in awe how you can speak so easily about so many historical facts. Bravo!

[@andatefaire]

Excelente video, gracias por compartir tanta información.

[@ritagonzalez8923]

Thank for your videos,very educational,keep posting.Gracias por tu vídeos son muy interesantes y educativos.

[@philpaule472]

Your tours are fantastic

[@robertmorris7256]

YOU ARE THE VERY BEST, THANKS, REALLY ENJOY YOUR VIDEOS

[@mancello]

Good tour. Like the side jokes. Few New Yorkers have visited Roosevelt island. I visited it the first time last year and I'm a native New Yawker of 60 years. The Smallpox hospital has an interesting history and is creepy looking especially at night.

[@albertofasoli4005]

Thanks you so mutch from video Mister Delgado ! 😉 Salutation from Alvito ! ITALY

[@tnteachertim]

I was there in 90/91, and the place was deserted. It looks great now. Thanks.

[@godhams]

I'm talking to u from tiny little Malta (9 miles wide..26 miles long but with tons of history!) right here smack bang in the middle of the med...always enjoy going further afield on these walking videos to BIG places like NEW YORK!!😊 usually they are silent videos so enjoyed the history lesson that came with this one! thank u very much!😁

[@LaLeoRonroneo]

What a charming guy you are Tom. 😊 Phil seems coo. 😅 thanks for showing me around one of my hangout from back home 🏠

[@susanaltman5134]

Very good. A lot of info packed in this one. There are also some cool Tom Otterness sculptures near the north west (facing Manhattan) end of the Island.

[@robes.dornagon]

My mother worked at Coler Goldwater Memorial Hospital in the 90s! loved visting this island

[@ycryoon]

I lived in NYC for 20 years. I went Roosevelt Island 2 times to visit my friend's apartment. You are doing good job for me because You give me a chance to tour.

[@larrygrasso6032]

Tom you're still the best !

[@fredj.quinones40]

The trees you passed at 12:38 in video are cherry blossoms. They were donated by the people living on the waterfront of Manhattan. They didn’t like seeing the hospital called Goldwater that was there before Cornell Tech.

[@devinl1236]

Best NY channel

[@louishawkins5058]

Just visited RI last Friday. Always saw the tram. I had QC nyc friend take me and then we checked out the island. It was amazing and this video is so interesting and informative

[@woop2235]

Thank you 😊 you’re the best tour guide 💯🥰

[@quintinjxander]

Roosevelt Island is very chill out there. Which is why I love it out there.

[@JesseLewisACTOR]

Great video 🎉

[@krahntravel7343]

Great video very interesting and informative much ❤️❤️❤️

[@mikelopez5865]

Love your videos

[@madelinemercado6850]

Wow! You are AMAZING! Lots of history❤️❤️❤️❤️👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@lunabouch]

Never disappointed with this fact fun tour(s).

[@richsit]

Going through your catalog of vids and the "Nickerbocker" factoid has been in all 4 of the past vids I watched. Fingers crossed it makes its way into the next one 🤞

[@Morrell.]

You make history so exciting. You would be a great history teacher. Mine was so boring ZZzzz. Love your videos Tom