Roosevelt Island Tram: $3 a Ride to a Free Skyline Park
Three dollars buys one crossing, and the return is a second fare. The Red Bus and the park at the island's tip are free.
Two Stops Across the East River
🚡 The Crossing
Tramway Plaza to East 60th Street and Second Avenue, running since 1976. At rush hour a cabin leaves every 7.5 minutes; between peaks it stretches to about 15. Cabins take strollers, bikes and mobility devices, and the last one goes at 2 AM Sunday to Thursday, 3:30 AM on Friday and Saturday. Every boarding pays the standard MTA fare — $3 a ride by OMNY or MetroCard, unlimited passes accepted — so coming back is a second fare. High wind or a cabin out of service can leave one car running every 15 minutes, so check RIOC's advisories first.
🪨 The Room at the Tip
Louis Kahn's memorial opened at the island's southern tip in 2012, and entry is free. A triangular lawn leads to the Room, where Jo Davidson's bronze head of Roosevelt marks the threshold, and the far edge frames the United Nations and the Manhattan skyline. Gates are 9 AM to 5 PM, closed Tuesdays, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. When a special exhibition is on, the park can switch to free timed-entry tickets reserved ahead — check the Conservancy's events page before you go. There are no public restrooms in the park; the nearest are at the western entrance of Southpoint Park.
🎟️ What One Fare Buys
Two fares cover the round trip, one tap each way. From the Manhattan station, budget for the wait — about 7.5 minutes at rush hour, closer to 15 between peaks — then roughly four minutes across the river. At Tramway Plaza the free Red Bus runs to Southpoint Park, and the walk south from that stop to the park gate takes about three minutes; add time for the bus to arrive. Set it beside a paid observation deck: less altitude, more air, and a Room built for looking. Mornings give the sharper skyline.
