Roosevelt Island Tram

For our second visit to the Roosevelt Island Tram, we decided to start gathering footage of exactly how this method of transportation functions. We collected videos from the outside perspective of the tram, as it left and came into its station, as well as its gliding through the sky over the East River. We paid special attention to how easily the bright red color of the Tram is able to stand out against the somewhat dreary (since the day we visited happened to be cloudy) backdrop, full of various shades of gray and other muted tones. This iconic color was also the subject of one of our interview questions for people riding the tram. Other things that we ask our interviewees to consider are the different feeling of the tram environment, as opposed to the business of the subways and the bus, and of course, the beautiful view. We also gathered footage and photographs of the spaces that greet us as we get off of the tram on both the Manhattan side and the Roosevelt Island side, taking note of how they are similar and how they differ. On the Manhattan side, the loud honking and sounds of trucks/buses passing through is immediately heard, along with the crowding on the sidewalks and in the seating area outside of the station. The rider is completely absorbed by all of the aspects of New York City. This provides intense contrast with the Roosevelt Island side, which greets the rider with wide patches of green grass, right up until the river, and a much quieter environment. During our visit, I noticed that there were barely any cars on the streets, which can really never be said about the other side. Putting all of this footage together will allow us to explore the calmer, scenic tram and separate it from the chaos of Manhattan.