Roosevelt Island Tramway

The Roosevelt Island Tramway connects Manhattan to Roosevelt Island, running adjacent to the Queensboro Bridge as it crosses the East River.  Constructed in 1976, the tramway seems almost out of place in a city dominated by subway, vehicular (Ubers and taxis abound), and pedestrian transportation.  And I am so glad it exists.  The tramway was originally built as a temporary transit solution during subway construction to connect newly developed housing projects on Roosevelt Island to the rest of the city, and was only means of mass access between the island and Manhattan through 1989 when the subway between the two islands was completed (very behind schedule).  The tramway subsequently became a permanent fixture of mass transit for the island, and remains today, having undergone a renovation in 2010.  Prior to the tramway and subway (F train), elevators previously connected Roosevelt Island to the Queensboro Bridge during the early and mid-20th century when the island was city-owned and primarily dedicated to hospitals, asylums, and prisons.  The Roosevelt Island Bridge, built in the 1950s, connects the island to Queens.  There are few cars on the island, and a ferry will begin service later this year, which I will obviously need to ride the next time I am in the city.

What is better than this history?  The incredible views that you get while riding the tram - the East River glitters, the traffic-filled Queensborough Bridge fills your view with steel and the red lights of honking, braking cars, Roosevelt Island fades away, and you descend into East Manhattan.  Street thoroughfares open and close on axis.  Buildings move and create and obscure view, and all of a sudden the less than 4 minute ride is over.