Roosevelt Island Tram

Are the views any good from the Rossevelt Island Tram? Or is the Brooklyn Bridge a much better option. Also, are you able to use the weekly metro card or do you have to buy a separate ticket?

Roosevelt Island Tram

The tram is not currently in operation, but if it were the metrocard can be used.

Views from The Brooklyn Bridge are spectacular, as are the views from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade.

Roosevelt Island Tram

Don%26#39;t know when you%26#39;re traveling, but not only is the Tram not currently in operation, I don%26#39;t believe it is expected to be in operation for at least 2 or 3 more months. They are doing work on its power system following a recent power failure that left many people stranded in the tram for several hours.

Because of its location over the East River at the northern tip of midtown and the southern end of the Upper East Side, the Tram offers different views than the Brooklyn Bridge, which spans the East River downtown and has spectacular views of downtown, with midtown to the north. In addition, the Brooklyn Bridge spans the river, from Manhattan to Brooklyn. The Tram runs from Manhattan to Roosevelt Island which is mid-river. Also, views are affected by the shape of Manhattan island.

I think the Brooklyn Bridge is the better choice for classic views.

Thanks for the quick response. I%26#39;ll be there in January 2007 for a week. Would it be worth it to do both or skip the tram?

Yes, Spiderman had to come by to save everyone in the tram.

If you have the time and/or are in the neighborhood (perhaps at Bloomingdale%26#39;s) you could do the tram, too. It leaves from 2nd Ave. between 59th and 60th streets (when it%26#39;s operating), one block east of Bloomies. But, unless you have a particular interest in trams, I wouldn%26#39;t suggest rearranging your schedule or foregoing a visit to a place like the Metropolitan Museum for this experience.

About a year ago I had a niece visiting from California and we were walking up Second Av. in the early evening, just as the tram came gliding in to the tramport. She gasped and asked what it was, as if it were a flying saucer or something. It is the only tram in NYC , looks like something you%26#39;d see in the Swiss Alps, so is rather incongruous here and can be quite a sight silently floating over the East River and 1st and 2nd Avenues.