Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.
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This is the 59th Street Bridge, New York City. Not hugely interesting to look at, but Simon and Garfunkel sang a really great song about it 
(and it does have quite a cool shadow too!).
Although I never did understand what was so groovy about it…
Thank you very much to Judith Weiss, you made my day 
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Link to specific places either as a Google Maps page or a decimal latitude and longitude written like this: lat/lng:55.949400,-3.200000.
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![World's Largest Saw [Updated]](http://media.googlesightseeing.com/wp-content/images/worldslargestsaw.jpg "World's Largest Saw [Updated]")
The weirdest and best of Google Earth is now available in the…
It used to be more interesting in the past. Until the 1950’s, there was a large elevator tower in the middle of the span which lowered ambulances from the bridge to the Welfare Island chronic-care hospitals below. Completion of a much smaller vehicular bridge from Queens rendered this unique elevator obsolete and it was demolished soon after. No trace remains today. Welfare Island was renamed Roosevelt Island in the 1970’s and most of it was redeveloped as housing, though a couple of hospitals remain.
Two other interesting facts about the bridge is that it carried trolley cars as well as motor vehicles until 1957, and it is one of the very few bridges anywhere that has two accepted official names (59th Street Bridge and Queensboro Bridge).
Thanks!
There is still an ariel tram that goes to Roosevelt Island along this bridge. The ride is about 10 min. Every 4th of July at the south end of the island there is a huge event to watch the fireworks in the East River. You can see the reflections in the facade of the UN building on the East River at 42nd St.
PS Here’s the UN complex:
Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth