Roosevelt Island is a 2-mile long, 800-feet wide island off the eastern “coast” of Manhattan – that is, in the East River between Manhattan and Queens. It has a long history, from its purchase from the Indians, to Dutch hog farming, to prison and hospital locations to now – a community of about 12-thousand, complete with school system, church, hospitals and more. And — you can’t drive to it from Manhattan. The island is only accessible via subway and aerial tramway (cars can use a bridge from Queens, though the island’s master plan forbids use – you park you car at a garage and walk or ride the bus). I recently saw the tram was going to be shut down for several months for repair, so I thought it’d be a good idea to get over for a visit – to ride a skycar to an island off New York City. Pics of our visit below:
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And here’s a panorama from the southern tip of the island (click for biggie version):
February 22nd, 2010 at 12:10 am
What a neat day trip. Wish I could have been there.