Streetsblog’s City Correspondent Has the Skinny on Summer Streets

By Stephen Miller
Aug 2, 2013

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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Last Chance! The Final 2013 Edition of Summer Streets Is Tomorrow

By Stephen Miller | Aug 16, 2013

Okay, New York. You’ve had two chances so far this August to get out of bed, off the couch, and outside to Summer Streets. This is your final warning. The last of three Summer Streets this year is scheduled for tomorrow from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. along Park Avenue and Lafayette Street, from 72nd […]

Summer Streets and (Mostly) Car-Free Central Park: Same As Last Year

By Stephen Miller | Jun 19, 2014

Six years ago, when Summer Streets was introduced, the New York Times asked: Will it work? This year, the question is: Why isn’t the city doing more of it? The ciclovia, which attracted 300,000 people over three Saturdays last August, will mark its seventh year by returning to the East Side on August 2, 9, […]

Eyes on the Street: NYC’s Car-Free Streets Season Gets Started

By Stephen Miller | Jun 17, 2013

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Car-Free Saturdays Will Open Path For Peds and Bikes From City Hall to 72nd

By Ben Fried | Jun 16, 2008

With several cities in addition to New York exploring the idea of car-free events modeled after Bogotá’s Ciclovía, Streetfilms produced this "express version" of their popular full-length video. Last month we reported that DOT was planning a major car-free event this summer in the mold of Bogotá, Colombia’s weekly Ciclovía. Details emerged on Friday in […]

DOT Has Ruled Out a Crosstown Bike Lane on 72nd Street [Updated]

By Ben Fried | Dec 17, 2015

DOT is studying routes for crosstown bike lanes on the Upper East Side, but it looks like 72nd Street, which could provide a seamless route across Central Park, won’t be one of them. With the arrival of Citi Bike, neighborhood advocates have been pressing DOT to add more crosstown bike connections on the Upper East Side, which […]

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

Saturday: Ride for Car-Free Central Park

By David Meyer | Jan 5, 2018

A car-free Central Park is a popular cause, and advocates have made a lot of progress, but the job's not done yet. Below 72nd Street, car traffic still roars on the West Drive and Terrace Drive on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. The Center/East Drive between 6th Avenue and Park South and East 72nd Street is a motor vehicle shortcut on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.