Was watching CSI:NY yesterday, where a aerial tramway (“Luftseilbahn” in german) played an important part. Aerial Tramway? In the middle of Manhattan? I”m used to seeing them in the alps, but didn't know there was one in New York, too :) Googling and Wikipedia solved the “mystery” for me:
The Roosevelt Island Tramway is an aerial tramway (suspended cable car) in New York, connecting Roosevelt Island to Manhattan. It is also the only existing commuter aerial tramway in North America.
It was built in 1976 by the Swiss company Vonroll. It was originally built as a temporary transportation solution as the subway to the island (the IND 63rd Street Line) had not yet been completed. As the subway project ran behind schedule, the “Tram” became more popular and was converted into a permanent facility.
And Roosevelt Island sounds like a nice place:
When first developed as a residential community in the early 1970s, Roosevelt Island was not intended to support automobile traffic. Today automobile traffic is common, though much of the island remains a car-free area.
Here's the relevant Google Map part for those wondering, where Roosevelt Island exactly is and a picture I found on flickr (click on it, for the original larger version):
(Event though this is in the “Trips” category, I still never was actually in New York. Some day, I'll hopefully manage to do that..)