Streetsblog’s City Correspondent Has the Skinny on Summer Streets

If you’re looking for summertime recreation, I have just the spot for you. New York’s hottest club is Summer Streets.

Don’t be fooled by the “road closed” signs — they’re actually open for you to walk, bike, scoot or stroll. Inaugurated in 2008 and located on Park Avenue and Lafayette Street from 72nd Street to the Brooklyn Bridge, this ciclovia event is the creation of NYC DOT. Thanks to club promoter Janette Sadik-Khan, this East Side hotspot now connects to a car-free Central Park loop drive north of 72nd Street.

This place has everything: climbing walls, dance performances, mini golf, tai chi, live music, fitness classes, parkour, yoga, a zip line, and Voice Tunnel.

What’s Voice Tunnel? It’s that thing where the city shuts down the Park Avenue tunnel between 33rd and 40th Streets and Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer installs an interactive light and sound exhibition.

The forecast calls for a chance of rain. Summer Streets runs from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will repeat on August 10 and 17.

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Central Park should not be a taxi shortcut. Photo: Simon Alexander Jacob/Flickr

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This past Saturday, New York City DOT and partners kicked off the second year of Summer Streets, a six-hour car-free event stretching from 72nd Street to the Brooklyn Bridge. DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan estimated that twice as many people visited the route compared to the first Summer Streets event last year. If you missed this […]

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