4. There is an Abandoned Art Installation on the FDR Drive

Photo from Alice Aycock

Under the Queensboro Bridge and atop a defunct waste transfer station is a unique looking sculpture that resembles a wild rollercoaster ride. The metal behemoth is known as the East River Roundaboutand was a commissioned project created by artist Alice Aycock, unveiled in 1994. The original purpose of Aycock’s project was to transform the abandoned waste transfer station into a public plaza. Carol Rifkind, the president of the East River Waterfront Conservancy, wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Times asking for a $125,000 endowment so the work could be maintained forever. Though it is unlikely that the money was granted to care for the installation, it is currently under the care of the Municipal Art Society’s Adopt-A-Monument Program.