Abandoned island in the middle of NYC
NYC loves to do all sorts of interesting things with its islands.  Another island that most New Yorkers know nothing about is Roosevelt Island:<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Island" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Island</a><p>It has had a very long history including having a prison/small pox hospital/mental hospital.