Way way way back when, this swivel bridge, where the Hudson and East Rivers met, allowed the New York Central (later, Penn Central, then Conrail) rail traffic from the north to get directly into downtown New York City (west side of Manhattan). The west side line was abandoned in the late 70s but was revived by Amtrak several years ago as an alternate route for getting passenger service efficiently north out of NYC (originating at Penn Station). Photo taken December, 2007, from the Metro North Spuyten Duyvil station. The grand Englewood Cliffs of northern New Jersey form the skyline to the west in this picture.