Being in NYC, we couldn’t miss another aerial view of the Manhattan skyline, so we decided to experience it by riding the Roosevelt Island Tram. The aerial tram-car is a unique mode of public transportation from Midtown to Roosevelt Island. Of course, it is not the only route to access the island. There is the Roosevelt Island Bridge which is the sole route for vehicular and pedestrian traffic and a subway train is available as well. The skyline view from the tram is incredible and a perfect photo-op. The tram follows right alongside the beautiful Queensboro Bridge overlooking a magnificent stretch of Manhattan and Roosevelt Island with the East River in between.
Our aerial tram ride started at the Roosevelt Tramway plaza located at 59th Street and Second Avenue in Manhattan. The ride was short, 4 minutes in each directions. The Tram Station also accepts Metrocards. Full Fare: $2.25. This Tram lifts people over the city streets into the sky 250 feet over the East River. The Tramcar has been using the Queensboro Bridge to take passengers 3,100 feet across the river to Roosevelt Island for over 30 years.
Some facts from the official ‘The Roosevelt Island Tramway’ website. The Roosevelt Island tram began operating in 1976. There are 20 other trams operating in the U.S. and Canada but the Roosevelt Island tram is the only aerial commuter tram in the country. Originally built as a temporary means of transportation for island residents by New York State’s Urban Development Corporation, it has become a permanent part of the life of the island and a treasure for New Yorkers and visitors throughout the world.
The Roosevelt Island Tramway has been featured in many motion pictures. In the 2002 film Spider-Man the Green Goblin throws Mary Jane Watson off the Queensboro Bridge, and Spider-Man must choose between saving her or passengers on the tramway. Shooting of this movie caused the Tram to be out of service for weeks.
The Spider-Man film was not the first appearance of the tramway; The House on the Edge of the Park (1980) shows the tram at 6:07 minutes into the film as how it appeared in the late 1970s. The Sylvester Stallone thriller Nighthawks (1981) depicted the tramway as a terrorist target where United Nations delegates were taken hostage. It was used in the opening credits of City Slickers (1991). In the 1994 film Léon: The Professional it can be seen when Natalie Portman’s character, Mathilda, is traveling on it alone. It also appeared in the 2005 horror movie Dark Water (from wikipedia).
Comic book writers have used the tram many times as a way for evil doers to hurt the people of New York City. A virtual version of the tramway is seen in fictional Liberty City of the Grand Theft Auto gaming series.
Often referred to as the “Little Apple” of the “Big Apple,” Roosevelt Island is located between Manhattan and Queens.
Arriving at the Roosevelt Island Tram Stop. The ride stops near the southern tip of the island. Roosevelt Island has had a pretty shady and unnerving past. In the 1800′s this island used to be called Blackwell Island. Located here was a prison, an insane asylum, and a smallpox hospital. Today it is a residential neighborhood. We didn’t explore Roosevelt Island, but took the tram back to Manhattan. Here, at the stop the passengers must leave the tram, walk through a gate with a ticket or MetroCard in order to take the tram back to the city.
Back to the Tram Plaza in Manhatten.
