Summer Streets a Boon for Brooklynites
Imagine how different New York City would be with no buses, no cabs, no cars, no traffic. Well, during the summer you can take back the city from the automotive industry, even if it's just for a few hours during a few of summer's dog days of August.Welcome to New York City's Summer Streets program. You can wander, walk, bike or run through certain parts of the city—from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park—from seven in the morning until one in the afternoon on a few summer Sundays. But beware. At one minute past 1 p.m., these temporarily empty New York's streets, like Cinderella's coach at midnight, will turn back into a pumpkin. Er, traffic-clogged arteries, that is.
What Is Summer Streets ?
During this fun program, NYC closes streets to motor vehicles for six hours on three different days, all the way from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park.So you have a grand total of 18 hours over three weekends in which to explore New York by foot or bike, from the Brooklyn Bridge clear up to Manhattan's Central Park.
Plus, at various stations and stops along the way, you can hoist yourself up a climbing wall, compliments of REI. Or nosh at the Whole Foods food fair. Or ride a zip line in the middle of the city! (find out what's where.) How to Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
When Is is the 2013 fifth annual Summer Streets ?
It will be on three Saturdays in August from 7 AM to 1 PM. (Stay tuned for the exact dates.)Here's what the organizers say: nearly seven miles of New York City's streets will be opened up for everyone to play, run, walk and bike. From the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, along Park Avenue and connecting streets you can rock climb at Spring Street, receive a free bike helmet at 51st Street, soar through the air on a zip line at Foley Square or just stroll along and experience the city's streets in a new way—all for free.
What Does Summer Streets Offer to Brooklyn Residents?
Well, respite from traffic!And, one of the problems of biking or walking across the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan is that once there, you're met with a crunch of traffic. So, here's your chance to have the place to yourself (and other walkers, runners and cyclists, of course).
How to Get to Summer Streets from Brooklyn
You can walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, take the subway — or take the East River Ferry!About the Ferry:
NY Waterway’s East River Ferry has waived their $1 bicycle fee, all day, on three consecutive Saturdays: August 4, 11, and 18, 2012. Plus they are adding 399-passenger boats on summer weekends, allowing for more space for bicycles per ride. You can access the Summer Streets NYC route, which runs along Park Avenue between E 72nd Street and Foley Square in downtown Manhattan, by taking the ferry from Greenpoint, North and South Williamsburg, and DUMBO (Brooklyn) to participate in Summer Streets NYC.
Get the Summer Streets Map
Or, if you're walking, head over the Brooklyn Bridge. Then, check thisEnjoy festive rest stops, too, featuring activities, music, art installations and more.
- Uptown Rest Stop at 51st Street and Park Avenue
- 40th Street Rest Stop at 40th Street and Park Avenue
- Midtown Rest Stop Park Avenue and 25th Street (free bike and skater assistance)
- Astor Place Rest Stop
- Soho Rest Stop at Spring Street and Lafayette Street
- Foley Square Rest Stop at Duane and Worth Streets
What's Summer Streets Meant to Accomplish?
According to the NYC announcement, the goal of the Summer Streets program is so "New Yorkers can re-conceive the way we use city streets. Summer Streets is part bike tour, part block party and a great time for exercising, people watching"- and fun.The Summer Streets program was an invention of the Bloomberg administration, which sought to expand alternative modes of transportation and encourage cycling and environmental initiatives. It was begun in 2007.
