With very sore legs this morning we set off to meet our pre-booked Big Apple Greeter, Mike.

Click here to apply for a free A Big Apple Greeter.

A lovely older gentleman, teens girls a bit skeptical of our day where there would be not shopping and listening to someone that looked like their grandfather! I let Mike plan our day as we really didn’t mind and I thought it would be best that he shows us the places he knows best and it was free of course. So off we went to the subway where he explained in detail how to use the Subway. Awesome instructions. He suggested we buy 1 card for 4 of us as we wouldn’t get our money out of $120 worth of unlimited cards as we were walking so much. Once we had learnt about uptown and downtown we had the subway set!

So off we went to Roosevelt Island. We took the E Line from Port Authority around to Lexington Ave/53rd Street them walked up to the Tramway Plaza entry.  


Using our MTA card, the cable car ride over was so peaceful with a great view back of Manhattan. Click here for info on transport options around Roosevelt Island.  


We then took the free shuttle bus to the far end of the island where the original Blackwell's Island Women's Lunatic Asylum was located. It is now very swish, filthy expensive condos.  

We learnt about a famous female journalist, Nellie By, who feigned insanity to stay at the the Women's Lunatic Asylum on the then named Blackwell's Island. She reported back on the appalling conditions and prompted the asylum to bring about major reforms.  


Walking along the river, deathly quiet with hardly a soul to be seen, we hopped on the subway back across to Manhattan. It was very peaceful if a bit of a soulless place for residents. A lovely walk away from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan