Meeting Alexander in New York City for dinner – Crossing the East River

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These pictures are of the Roosevelt Island Tramway:.

The Roosevelt Island Tramway is an aerial tramway that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Roosevelt Island to the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The tramway is the first commuter aerial tramway in the U.S., having opened on May 17, 1976, to serve residential developments on Roosevelt Island. The tram is operated by Leitner-Poma on behalf of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation of the State of New York.

Before the tramway opened, Roosevelt Island had been accessed via the Roosevelt Island Bridge from Queens, which had opened in 1955. Starting in the late 1960s, the 63rd Street subway line was built to connect new developments on the island to Manhattan. Due to delays in the subway’s construction, the tramway was proposed in 1971 and approved in 1973, initially as a temporary mode of transport. The tramway carried 1.25 million riders in its first year and remained popular thereafter, despite intermittent closures. Ridership declined sharply after the subway opened in 1989, though the tramway remained in operation. Following two major breakdowns in the mid-2000s, the tramway was rebuilt from March to November 2010. The stations were renovated in the late 2010s.

Originally, the tram used two 125-person cabins that were hauled by the same cable. After the 2010 renovation, the cabins were replaced with 110-person vehicles that could operate independently. The cabins travel 3,140 feet (960 m) between an at-grade terminal on Roosevelt Island and an elevated terminal on Manhattan Island. The route operates at all times except late nights, with headways of 7.5 to 15 minutes. The tramway uses the same fare structure as the city’s bus and subway systems, and fares are paid with either MetroCard or OMNY. Over the years, the Roosevelt Island Tramway has been the subject of commentary and praised as an icon of New York City, and it has been depicted in several works of media.

The Roosevelt Island Tramway also played an incredibly important part in my life, but I think I’ll keep that to myself for now.

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Taken with a Sony RX10 IV

Meeting Alexander in New York City for dinner – Slow down you move to fast.

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Fifty Ninth Street Bridge Song

Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feelin’ groovy
Ba da da da da da da, feelin’ groovy

Hello, lamppost, what’cha knowin’?
I’ve come to watch your flowers growin’
Ain’t’cha got no rhymes for me?
Doot-in doo-doo, feelin’ groovy
Ba da da da da da da, feelin’ groovy

I got no deeds to do
No promises to keep
I’m dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me
Life, I love you
All is groovy

Simon and Garfunkel, 1967

Some views of the Queensboro (59th Street) Bridge.

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Taken with a Sony RX10 IV

Meeting Alexander in New York City for dinner – Beginning my walk along the East River

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As I started my journey up the walkway along the East River I turned around and looked south along the river. This is the view I encountered: pretty spectacular. I guess the East River is more impressive that I thought it was. And if you look at a map, you’ll find that the East River is much narrower than the Hudson River, which passes along the other side of Manhattan Island.

Taken with a Sony RX10 IV

Meeting Alexander in New York City for dinner – Time for lunch

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I was now feeling a little hungry. I noticed that I was passing Parnell’s Pub on the corner of 53rd Street and First Avenue. I’d been there before, but not in a very long time. So, I decided to stop and have some lunch. I resisted the temptation to have something heavy because I would still be walking for a while. I also decide to pass on the beer (gasp!) for the same reason.

I ended up having an omelette, a small salad and some coleslaw. It really hit the spot.

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Taken with a Sony RX10 IV