Your NYC travel advisor
Your NYC travel advisor
The Roosevelt Island Tramway is in my opinion one of New York’s most valuable hidden gems. I’m talking about an aerial cable car that connects Manhattan with Roosevelt Island in the East River.
In this article I will cover everything there is to know about this cable car in Manhattan.
In fact, I will talk about:
Let’s find out together all there is to know about the Roosevelt Island Tramway.
As the name implies, the Roosevelt Island Tramway is an aerial cable car that connects Manhattan with Roosevelt Island.
The cable car opened in 1976 and was the first passenger cable car in the USA.
Since 1976, the cable car has carried more than 26 million people.
The tram basically consists of 2 cars that run back and forth in parallel and meet halfway between Manhattan and Roosevelt Island.
The bridge that sits alongside the tramway is the Queensboro Bridge. This bridge connects Manhattan at 59th Street with Queens.
The station in Manhattan of the Roosevelt Island Tramway is located on 2nd Avenue at 59th Street.
It is thus located on the east side of Midtown Manhattan. On this side there is also, not too far away, Grand Central Terminal and the United Nations building.
Midtown Mahattan in New York City is one of the most popular tourist areas in the entire city. You can safely visit this area.
To help you find the Roosevelt Island Tramway station, you can click on this LINK which will take you to the cable car’s Google page. Alternatively, below is a map showing where to find the station in Manhattan.
To reach the Roosevelt Island Tramway by subway, I recommend using the N line.
This leaves from Radio City Music Hall at 6th Avenue and 49th Street.
Take the N subway and go in the direction of Queens until you get off at the Lexington Avenue and 59th Street stop. From here you can walk to the cable car station, which is also on 59th Street but at the intersection with 2nd Avenue.
The easiest way to get to the Manhattan station, from a tourist standpoint, is to walk from the Plaza Hotel.
The Plaza Hotel is located at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 59th Street. From here you can walk eastbound on 59th Street for about 20 minutes. Cross Lexington Avenue, and the very famous Bloomingdales shopping center, and walk straight ahead. Once you arrive at the intersection of 2nd Avenue and 59th Street, you will see the Tramway stop in front of you.
The Google Map below will definetely help you while walking from the Plaza Hotel to the Roosevelt Island Tramway station in Manhattan.
The Roosevelt Island Tramway runs every 15 minutes. During peak times, Monday through Friday between 7 am and 10 am and between 3 pm and 8 pm, there is a cable car every 7 minutes.
The hours of operation are as follows:
The following points are a summary of everything you need to know about tickets and costs for the Roosevelt Island Tramway:
The ride between Manhattan and Roosevelt Island using the beautiful cable car takes about 4 minutes.
Once you get to the other side, you need to exit the cable car so that you can then take the one going in the opposite direction.
The best place to take a picture of the tram is undoubtedly on 2nd Avenue. In fact, what I love to do is, before boarding the cable car, wait for it as it arrives at the station. I find it really fascinating how the cable car “parks” itself in the station, flying over majestic 2nd avenue and its city traffic.
Alternatively, I recommend taking a beautiful picture once you arrive at Roosevelt Island. You will also be able to capture the beautiful and iconic Queensboro Bridge in this photo.
Are you planning a trip to NYC? Then I’m sure these BLOG articles will definitely be very helpful to you!
