Roosevelt Island is a narrow little island that sits in the middle of the East River between Manhattan and Queens. It is approximately 3 miles (1 km) long and 800 feet (240 m) across at its widest end.There are a number of ways to get from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island, but none is as exciting as the cable car/tram that floats 250 feet (76 m) above the East River. The view from the tram is breathtaking but it is definitely not for one who has an extreme fear of height. Last summer, mechanical problems caused two trams to stop midair, and 69 people were stranded for over 5 hours.
This photo was taken from the pedestrian and bicycle lanes of the Queensborough Bridge, which connects Manhattan to Queens. The neighborhood on the left is the Upper East Side.
20 comments:
during the weekend i saw some similar view on tv. actually very different i should say.
A mailman have to send the mails by passing the lines hanging over the river in the backland of the southwest China.There is no bridges, no boats, no bikes, no cars. He has to walk to deliver all the mails evereday.
He did that job for more then 8 years.
i think its a hard job!
jing
nice shot
oh! 5 hours up there! I think that people engraved in their mind that sight forever!
Even what happened it seems funny to cross the river in that cabin!
Oh, I would like to try that cable tram. Must be a fantastic view from up there. Great shot!
that looks one of the scariest things i have ever seen! Think i will be taking a different route!
what a cool view of the city! With all the astounding places to take great photos around NYC, this location is rarely seen.
Nice work!
I never knew of the tram before! (so many things to explore in NYC!) Already thinking about trying it when I visit NYC again. Just hope I won't get trapped there. Do you know how much it costs?
superbe photo. tres bon le roosevelt island tram, cela donne une autre vue de NYC dans un quartier moins visite. A roosevelt island, il y a une superbe eglise. tres bon theme sur NYC
superb photograph. very good the roosevelt island tram, that gives another sight of NYC in a district less visit. With roosevelt island, there is a superb church. very good topic on NYC
jing - taking the tram to work every day would be too much excitment for me. :-)
k m f, tanty, chris & deb - thanks for the complement.
dsole & missy - I would freak out too. I hate tight spaces!
fay - it is part of the public transportation system so it costs as much as the subway train and the bus, ie. $2 each way. I buy the monthly pass ($76) so it didn't cost me extra to use it. I've only been on it once, there and back.
olivier - where is the church? north or south of the island? I have not explored the island much.
Great photo, Ming! The Victorians would have loved that. When was it built? Early 1900s? '30s?
I think my Richmond upon Thames mansions were built by a spec. builder who did not read German. He hadn't heard of Gottfried Daimler and Otto Benz.
chuckeroon - The tram service began in 1976. It isn't that old but it has encountered quite a number of mechanical problems over the years.
The picture is very nice. I read the story about the tram mechanical problems in a comment above and that made my heart skip a beat. I would dread getting dunked in a tram in the river.
Thank you for stopping and looking at my covered bridge.
l'eglise ( Chapel of the Good Shepherd )se trouve entre les deux ponts (le 59th bridge et le Rooselvel island bridge) , pas loin du blackwell park. une petite visite dans Roosevelt island vaut le detour.
Voir le site (le meilleur sur NYC d'apres moi) Forgotten NYC)
the church (Chapel of the Good Shepherd) is between the two bridges (the 59th bridge and Rooselvel island bridge), not far from the blackwell park. a small visit in Roosevelt island is worth the turning. See the site (the best on NYC according to me) Forgotten NYC)
I had no idea you have cable cars as well! Interesting.
I don't fancy heights but as long as I'm inside a cable car I can take being stranded for a while.
Slightly less pleasant was a few years ago in Abisko (way north in Sweden) when I was similarly stranded in a chair lift for ... well I guess it was half an hour at a height of... maybe 75 meters (100? don't know it felt like 1000!). It was late in the season and only a few tourists around. Turned out afterwards that the lift was stopped as the staff missed counting me and thought noone was currently in transit...
I'm sure this trip is a lot more pleasant! :)
I'm going to put this on my list of things to do on my next vist. Thanks for pointing it out :)
Hmmm if any DP blogger happens to be trapped inside, I am sure his camera will be snapping away, oblivious of the 5 hours being stuck!
Am I right? hehe...
Thanks for the info, Ming. The cost is not bad at all! Seriously gonna try it sometime! Wish me luck! And Keropok Man, I think you're right. If I ever got trapped (oh god I hope that will NEVER happen) there, I'll make sure I take tons of pictures.
Oh, that is gorgoues. There was one tram in Wuppertal Germany where I was born and raised. It was always a pleasue for me to travel with. My dad used to take me to Zoo and ice skating by the tram. Brought back memories:)
i think roosevelt island is creepy
The kids at The Child School on Roosevelt Island love the tram and can be seen frequently enjoying it.
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