Site Ideas

Here are some sites that I have been considering with my reasoning for them:
1.Smith/9th st. stop and Gowanus Canal:
I like the idea of the verticality of the station (its shear height), crossing over the canal, which is a kind of remnent of the old city...Also, and this goes for a few of the sites I have considered, I would like my site to be a place where many people may pass through, but is also related or in proximity to a body of water.

2. L.I.C. New Town Creek railyards:
SImilar to the proposal above, but the massive railyards which lay adjacent to the creek are only crossed by one road at its widest point, creating a huge tear in the urban fabric of this part of the city.

3. Roosevelt Island, southern tip:
I have considered this site for a while, even though recently a Kahn designed FDR memorial (proposed back in the 70s) has been approved for construction. The site is sort of surreal because when there, you feel both isolated and surrounded: Isolated by the barrenness and openness to the river, and surrounded by high rises on either bank of the river. The shape of this tip of the island is almost streamlined, evidence of the constant rush of water wearing away its coast. Perhaps too isolated, though...

4. Jacob Riis Park/Fort Tilden:
Jacob Riis is a massive public beach facility in the Rockaways which has a massive parking lot, and several abandoned buildings, including what I believe was a hospital, adjacent to it. Fort Tilden is an abandoned military base that was meant to defend against foriegn armies landing in NYC. It is now part of Gateway National Rec. Area and is one of my favorite places in the city due to its isolation and history: you don't really feel like you're in NYC. Again, perhaps too isolated.

I have some other Ideas, but they are more or less related to or similar in quality to those listed above.