Meat Market Plaza is Open for Business
The interim redesign of Ninth Avenue and 14th Street is done. Tables, chairs, planters and some of those giant granite blocks from DOT's Bridges Division have been set out as multipurpose bollard-bench-tables atop a gravelly, earth-tone pavement surface.
What was very recently one of the longest and most hectic pedestrian crossings in Manhattan, and no treat for drivers, cyclists or nearby businesses, is suddenly a place where you can sit down and enjoy a Fat Witch brownie from the Chelsea Market after a busy morning of couture shopping at Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen. And soon you'll be able to get there via New York City's on-street, parking-protected "cycle track." As Danish urban designer Jan Gehl says, "How nice is it to wake up every morning and know that your city is a little bit better than it was the day before."
If DOT's new plazas on Willoughby and Pearl Streets in Brooklyn are any indication, the demand for this type of public space is huge and it's going to be a hit with lunchtime and evening crowds regardless of the proximity to busy traffic. Word has it the granite blocks and tables on the south side of 14th Street were already seeing heavy use on Tuesday evening at around 11:00 pm. Meat Market Plaza seems to be particularly popular with the smokers, banished, as they are, from the city's indoor spaces. Get ready to clean some cigarette butts out of the planters.
We'd love to get more photos of people using the new plaza spaces. If you're in the area, snap 'em and send 'em to tips@streetsblog.org.
Before:
After:
Related:
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog New York City
Popular Fort Greene Open Street Fizzles After City Pulls Support
DOT reassigned its contractor, and this open street — which once hosted rollicking dance parties — is history.
Monday’s Headlines: Thin-Skinned, Anti-Restler Mayor Edition
Under fire for how he handled the storm, the mayor found a familiar target: Brooklyn Council Member Lincoln Restler. Plus other news.
Two Paths Forward: Broadway Shows What Could Be on Fifth Avenue
It's time to widen Fifth Avenue's sidewalks and add a protected bike lane. Delays hurt everyone.
CYCLE OF RAGE: Even Cheap Souvenir Plates Fool NYC Speed Cameras — And Piss Off an Out-of-Town Man
You don't have to be SEXY to fool New York City speed cameras. You just have to pretend to be.
We Have the ‘End of Days’ Flooding Pics You Need Right Now
It's bad out there. How bad? Here is a citywide roundup from our staff ... and our friends on social media.
