A Ride On the Roosevelt Island Tram

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Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse, waterfront community around two miles long, situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens. It is jurisdictionally a part of the borough of Manhattan

The Roosevelt Island Aerial Tramway was constructed in 1976 to provide transportation to and from the island and midtown Manhattan.  I never rode the tram before, so a friend and I decided we would take a round trip one day just for the experience.  The day we went was misty and threatening rain, but we went anyway.  We first drove to Queens and then went over the Roosevelt Island Bridge to Roosevelt Island

As you can see, the Roosevelt Island Tram runs on cable above the East River alongside the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.  In a few months this will be one of the bridges the NYC Marathoners will be running across during the race.

A photo mosaic of some of the sights of the tram station.

On line as the next tram arrives.

All aboard!  The price to ride is the same as a one way ride on a New York City bus or subway: $2.25 paid by swiping a pre purchased Metro Card at a turnstile.

There are a few seats in the tram cab,  but the ride is only around five minutes long, so most passengers stand.

According to Wikipedia: Over 26 million passengers have used the tram since it began operation in 1976. Each cabin has a capacity of up to 110 people and makes approximately 115 trips per day. The tram moves at about 17.9 mph (28.8 km/h) and travels 3,100 feet (940 m) in 3 minutes. At its peak it climbs to 250 feet (76 m) above the East River as it follows its route on the north side of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, providing views of the East Side of midtown Manhattan. Two cabins make the run at fifteen minute intervals from 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m. on weekends) and continuously during rush hours

The view of the East River looking north from the tram....

... the view looking south.

A far away view of the Crysler Building on the left, the Empire State Building on the right

Our tram begins to approach the station.  The ride is very smooth and not at all scary. I hardly felt like I was moving and enjoyed the view! You can watch a Youtube video of a round trip ride on this link if you'd like, that will show you how quick and pleasant the ride is.

Getting closer to the Manhattan 59th Street station....

...and even closer.

My friend and I had to depart the tram and leave through the turnstile, as the trip back had to be paid for separately.  We then waited on the platform a few minutes for the next tram back to Roosevelt Island.

While we waited I took these photos of old time New York City--ivy covered townhouses, water towers, and a vintage sign painted on the side of a building. (all photos will enlarge when clicked on once and then again, as they did in the past, as I disabled the lightbox feature on my blog)

After a few minutes the tram back to Roosevelt Island begins to approach.

Getting closer...

Time to re-board.

A view of midtown Manhattan from the tram, looking north..lots of traffic, as always, on 2nd Avenue!

A good look of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, that connects the borough of Queens to Manhattan

You can see a Manhattan bound tram at the top of the tower in the photo above.

A view of Roosevelt Island looking north from the tram.....

...and a view of the island looking south from the tram.

Two children were in the tram, accompanied by their nanny, and they excitedly chattered the whole ride as they looked out the window.

The speedboat going by on the river below had their attention, and mine!

Back to the Roosevelt Island Tram station.

The lamp post sign says: "Roosevelt Island--A fresh look at the Big Apple." In my next post I'lL show you more of the island.

I hope you enjoyed riding the Roosevelt Island Tram along with me--it was fun, wasn't it? I have a lot more of New York City to show on my blog before I move to Colorado.  We recently put our house on the local real estate market and although I'm hoping it sells quickly I know it is a buyers market right now, so I'm taking it one day at a time and continuing to de-clutter as I wait. My house has never looked so good and I am determined to stay simplified when I do move. Thanks again for all your moving tips--I printed them all out and they have been, and will be, very helpful!  Thank you also for your kind and sensitive comments on my 9/11 Memorial post.  It is a very emotional day for us and we will always honor those who were lost and never forget.

I'm linking this post to Seasonal Sunday, Blue Monday, Mosaic Monday, Our World Tuesday,  Outdoor Wednesday, Alphabe Thursday.