Roosevelt Island Tram at night

After a lovely weeknight dinner, my (twin) cousin and I didn’t want to part ways just yet. We pondered what to do. It was frigid outside, so taking a walk through the city streets wouldn’t do. We were full, so dessert wouldn’t work. Budgeting was important, so shopping was out too. I racked my brain for a few minutes, trying to think of something that would fit our criteria, and then it hit me: What about one of my favorite things, riding the Roosevelt Island Tram?

Though it was sort of a crazy idea cousin agreed to it. I was excited to share this thing that’s been so special to me with her. We climbed into my conveniently-parked car and drove uptown and across the Queensboro Bridge. After some tentative turns – I remembered the route being more straightforward than it appeared this night and Queensboro Plaza has undergone a lot of construction since my first drive through it – we eventually made our way to the Roosevelt Island Bridge, which connects the island to Queens. As I drove, we continued catching each other up about our lives but I also began to intersperse excited observations and facts about our destination.

I easily found a parking spot on the island’s Main Street. We walked in the cold over to the tram station, swiped our Metrocards, and waited under the heat lamps between the tram bays for our carriage to arrive.

After a few minutes the tram arrived, we boarded, and our magical ride began. We both stared out the panoramic windows; there was so much to see. Cousin was as taken with the sights as I was. I pointed out landmarks to her as we travelled smoothly over the river and above Manhattan’s east-side avenues.

Now it was starting to get late so I walked cousin to her subway stop. “Will you be okay going back by yourself?” she asked. “Roosevelt Island is like my second home. I’ll be fine.” I replied. A block walk and a short wait under the glaringly bright heat lamps later I was back on the tram. I again stared out a front corner window, marveling at the shapes, shadows, and dots of light in the dark.

And so concluded my tiny, spontaneous infrastructure excursion that day. I hope to soon share many more excursions with my closest cousin.

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