Summer Streets

Disclaimer: This is meant to be a self aware, honest, and ultimately douche-​y review; the lesson here is that self-​awareness can and does justify any atrocious behavior… I guess it’s also an extremely facetious review.
The yearly NYC institution of closing down Park Ave., from the 70s-​80s all the way down to the New York County Courthouses, excluding gas powered vehicular locomotion… is a beautiful thing. Now if only we can cut the number of joggers/​walkers in half… or at least have the means to enforce a hefty fine on those such persons who so much as set a foot into the biking lane; it would also be great if the less street rule savvy, slow, and just straight up incompetent bikers stay out of the biking lane as well.
Because I loathe these anomalies in the aforementioned paragraph, a lot goes into my being able to enjoy the «open» city streets… and my enjoyment is a necessity, as open streets only come once a year (three times, once a year, in a span no more than one month, to be more accurate)!
The start time for this thing is early. Like 7:00 in the morning early. I typically like to get 20 – 30 miles in whenever I go out biking in the city, so up and down the given path 3 – 4 times is a good start for me prior to doing my obligatory Central Park loop (s). And I don’t like travelling any less than a speed of 17 – 20 mph, depending on the incline and terrain. In order to enjoy the straight away shot down, at such velocity, to the court houses, from 59^th and Lexington after arriving from Queens via the Queensboro Bridge, I’d usually leave between 8:00−8:30 (I’m not getting to this thing right at 7am, that’s just stupid, I need sleep for this kind of s##t).
Unfortunately, the rest of the east-​west NYC traffic is still in full effect, and the stop sign cross-​walk volunteers are out, in full force every couple or so blocks, to do anything and everything from keeping me from achieving maximum velocity. For the safety of the mob, it is completely necessary, and while I frequently espouse the maxim that «the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few»… I am ultimately out for my own best interests. Besides if a Citi biker doesn’t have the wherewithal to navigate himself/​herself through an intersection without the help of an overly protective crossing guard, maybe he/​she is in dire need of learning the hard way… you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs (i.e. bones).
For those who need a break from the riding, the path is littered pit stops that offer refreshments, bike maintenance, and other fun little distractions. The zip line looks fun, and it probably is, but the lines can get long. I don’t have time to be waiting in lines when the mortality of the closure of Park Avenue is so palpable; keep your eyes on the prize and your @ss on your bike seat.
By virtue of being the closest thing to apocalyptic levels of street closures that the City of NY can muster, I am compelled and obligated to enjoy this citywide tradition to it’s utmost. So… «until Judgment Day, and the trumpets sound,» I’ll just have to wait, and settle for Summer Streets…

3.5 stars.
I attended the summer streets for the first time last Saturday. My friend and I met up at the «Astor Place» rest stop at 9:45am. There was the setup by the American Kennel Club and there wasn’t that much activities going on at the time we were there. We just stayed there for about 10 minutes. Then, we walked up to 25^th street to checked out the «Midtown» rest stop. This is where the Whole Foods Market had setup a few food kiosks. They were giving out samples of Vita Coco coconut water, mini Cliff granola bars, cheeses, bottles of Honest Teas, mini veggie burgers from Made By Lucas, and hot dogs (line was way too long so didn’t bother waiting).
It was an interesting experience to walk along the closed off Park Avenue road. My friend and I walked from Astor Place to K-​Town. We wanted to check out the «Uptown» rest stop but we didn’t have time and we were already hungry. I think I would have enjoyed summer streets more if there were more activities long the way. Or if I biked the 7 mile path.

Summer streets 7am-​1pm first three Saturdays in August when you can walk, run, or bike from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park traffic free. Enjoy a variety of organic and healthy snacks provided by Whole Foods, rock climbing wall, zip line, water slide thru the financial district. If you want to participate in the water slide you must pre-​register online.
Bike helmet give aways and good vibes.
The lines are long for the freebie, however lines move very quickly.
One of the best events of the summer and everything is free. The earlier you arrive the better. Get up its with it!

Well the best time to ride in the city plus there is free stuff along the way if you don’t mind waiting in line for a little bit.

Summer Streets, and the livin’ is easy! Come in the early part of 7am-​2pm. before Park Ave turns into Death Ave.
Whole Foods provides midtown munchies with a handy dandy bike valet nearby.
Good times! First 3 Saturdays in Aug!

Three weekends in the summer when Park Ave is closed off from traffic for people to play.
There’s a small zip line, rock climbing, bike rentals, yoga, etc. Zip lining and rock climbing are a big hit though. So make sure you have something in mind as your priority because you will probably only get to do one since lines are ridiculously long. I arrived when it opened and waited about an hour to sign up for a time slot for the zip like and then waited another hour to actually go on the zip line. It’s quite small and is enjoyable for anyone who hasn’t gone zip lining before. If you have, you can probably skip it because it doesn’t really compare. The only difference is that it’s in the city instead of around trees, which is cool.
Bike rentals have a limit of one hour. Take advantage of the open streets while you can. It’s also the perfect time to go running.

This needs to happen more often. As a Manhattanite there is always the dream in the back of my mind about the possibility of there not being any cars in the city. These weekends let you witness that dream in action.
True, I hate bikes almost more than cars because most of the bikers in this city are crazy in terms on not yielding to pedestrians.
My favorite part of this is walking on the roadway around Grand Central Station.

I went to Summer Streets for the last two weekends this year and had a really good time, both times. So much to do!
I zip lined at Foley Square.
The lines are hellish, but well worth it. First, you have to get in line at the crack of dawn to sign a waiver and receive a wristband. The wristband designates your time group. You will need to come back at the designated time to get in another line to get on the zip line. This takes several hours out of my morning, but to zip line in Manhattan… that’s pretty awesome.
I walked through the Park Avenue Tunnel & Viaduct.
The pictures for previous years look really cool, so I was a bit disappointed at this year’s (2014) installation. It was… meh. I do think it’s cool to walk through an area that’s usually blocked off for pedestrians though.
My only complaint is that it’s on the same street every time, every Summer Streets Saturday, every year. Coming from San Francisco, I’m accustomed to roaming and rotating Summer Streets. They section off a different street every time so that you can enjoy a different area and explore a different neighborhood. You’d have to follow the website or the news to see where they’ll be.
I guess the perk to having it on the same street every time is knowing exactly what to expect weekend after weekend. People know where to go. Cars know where to detour. BUT… if I wanted to go to every Summer Streets day, I’d get a bit bored. (I felt that on my second day.)

Long line. You should definitely head the early. Activities include zoo line, rock climbing, bike rental,. whole food has this free food station featuring healthy organic choices. Occurring only 3 Saturday on August– do not miss this!

Still hands down the best event in New York City in the summer.
If you take a trip to New York in August — definitely schedule some time to come to this event. We’ve been going for the past few years and it seems it gets better and better each year.
The first weekend we walked the route to the Wholefoods sample area and ate a bunch of fun interesting food, played mini golf, listened to a jazz band, and looked at adoptable pets in the midtown area. The second weekend we took our bicycles out and rode the full length from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge and back.
There are such a variety of events that there is something for everyone. Rock climbing, rollerblading, dog walking/​dog park, yoga classes, zumba classes… If you own a bike this is a great time to get to know your local bicycle shop — there are several on the route.
Only gripe would be where the road narrows down south of 14^th street… by noon there were so many people walking, running, bicycling, rollerblading, running with push strollers, that that area had a pedestrian traffic jam. Perhaps for next year they should devise a way to route bicycles down one street, and pedestrians down another at that point in the route? (4^th or Broadway or even 14^th to 3^rd)
If you want to have the most pristine, quiet, relaxed walk/​run/​ride down Park for summer streets, be there at 7am when the whole thing starts.

This has been a lazy summer, but I woke up at 6:30 today and figured might as well drag my butt to the city for summer streets 2014. This year it will be on Aug 2,9 and 16 from 7 AM-​1 PM.
I started off at 32 st and checked out the art installation in the Park Avenue tunnel. It was nothing much to write about, bunch of ocean sounds. Last year’s light installation in the tunnel was much better. It was cool to walk in the tunnel though!
I wasn’t planning on walking much this time. But once I started walking back from 42 st I continued all the way to downtown checking out all the stops along the way! It was a good workout!
The rock climbing wall and zip line were cool. At 9 o clock, the lines were starting to get long. The stop at midtown had free samples of food/​drinks. Each of the six rest stops had different booths with freebies, exercise classes, free bike rentals and some performances.
The best way to enjoy Summer streets is to get there early to beat the crowds and the heat!

An awesome chance to go for an unobstructed run* (or bike) in the city!!!
I didn’t really pick up many freebies but I loved the HonesTea samples and appreciated the frequent water fountain stops. The REI rock climbing wall looked really fun and didn’t have that long of a line at noon (I didn’t do it, though).
Had I not been concerned with finishing my run before the 1:00 street opening, I would’ve stopped at the juggling station for a free lesson — it looked really fun!
The zipline in Foley Square didn’t seem worth it at all, so I wouldn’t recommend rushing there to sign up … it starts about 2 stories high and lasts all of 30 meters at a blazing speed of maybe 5 mph.
The Park Avenue Tunnel installation was awesome and I took my time slowly walking through enjoying the lights and sounds.
*The only bad part of my run (which went from Foley Square up to 72^nd and through the park) was right after Grand Central in the 50s when it seemed like I had to stop at signals every block or two for cross traffic.

3.5 stars.
I like the idea of gathering us NYC folk, tourists, and whoever else is down, to engage in fun, outdoorsy activities in Manhattan.
This event runs from Brooklyn Bridge to 72^nd street and park avenue. The streets are closed off until 1pm for people to ride bikes, skate, rock climb, dance, jog and more. And get this, everything is FREE. From bike rentals, to helmet rentals, zip lining and rock climbing. There’s even free food and drinks, which is mostly provided at the «Whole Foods Market City Picnic» rest stop. There are six rest stops in total. I think its wise to get here early to participate in activities. We came at about 10ish, and zip lining was already closed for the day, such a bummer. Since we didn’t rent bikes, we ended up strolling from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Midtown rest stop, nice little walk.
I’m not an early bird so being awake at 8am on a Saturday is rough for me (event runs from 7am-​1pm), hence the 1.5 stars taken away. But because I enjoyed myself I will be back on the 9^th. Hopefully we’ll get to zip line and ride bikes.

Summer Streets last year was great.
The timing was perfect. My wife and I were in the midst of training for several marathons and an ultra marathon. We had been running like crazy!
Summer Streets gave some really nice fun weekend training runs. The vendor stops were great, the water stops were great, the live music was great, seeing so many people being happy was great…
I guess what I am trying to say is Summer Streets was great?
Can’t wait for this year’s!

I participated in Summer Streets 2013 and I can’t wait for this year’s! Tips: get there early if you want to do the ziplining (which didn’t seem that cool to me, to be honest). You must be prompt about returning your bike, or else they WILL charge you the extra money, and I remember it being a shocking amount. My friends and I took shortcuts to get back to the site just in time. My favorite part was biking around Grand Central — I’d never seen it from that angle before and it was breathtaking. Dress lightly and wear comfortable sneakers. Grab the free treats on the way. Meet new people and have a wonderful time with your family and friends exploring NYC on the car-​free bike-​only avenues of NYC.

Went to the last weekend of Summer Streets 2013 and it was actually a pretty cool experience to actually be able to walk in the middle of the streets from downtown to midtown. It was cool seeing people jogging and biking along the way. Definitely a unique experience I’d like to do again next year! It’s great too because it promotes physical activity and fitness along the way with stations for yoga, dance activities, crossfit, wall climbing, bicycle servicing, etc. If anything, it motivated me to want to get back into shape (although I have enough motivation as it is considering I need to be in shape).
I mainly participated by walking and watching my friends struggle through the crossfit session. It was great to actually see the trainers perform the exercises, so that I could throw it into my own repertoire. I look forward to doing more activities though!
I also hope they keep doing it for years to come and there was just one regret I had and it wasn’t being able to experience the Voice Tunnel. I heard it was really not all that much as it was hyped up to be, but then again there’s not much hype you can put around walking thru a regular tunnel. It’s just that it hadn’t been open in about a century. Maybe they’ll open it up again sometime in the near future.

Runners, bikers, you will love this! You can run from the 60s to the Brooklyn Bridge (along Park ave). And of course, you MUST make it down to the Brooklyn bridge and run across the bridge!
I wish I didn’t have to stop at the stop lights, I was wondering why it took me so long to run 6 miles and that’s cuz I had to stop at the lights! Also, it does get pretty crowded. Some roads were narrow and you had to cram cyclists, runners, walkers and their dogs into the narrow paths… I thought I was gonna get hit by a bicycle or something.
The free attractions were cool but the lines were way too long.

*** 2^nd Saturday:
Rode with my Unilocaler friends
Hang out at the REI booths down in Spring St.
More KIND bars for breakfast.
Great photo booth at REI tent!
Loaded up on food at Whole Food Picnic!
Finished off at Chinatown for snacks.
*** 3^rd Saturday: Best of Summer Streets
I got to ride a Citbike for 45 min. free! It was not the best ride but probably great for the NYC street.
I got a new helmet for my GF!
More Whole Food Picnic!
More KIND bars for breakfast.
I got to visit the Voice Tunnel. The line stretched for 5 blocks but it moved fast. It was worth the wait! The mix of sound and light inside the tunnels long curved ceiling made for a fantastic experience!
Met many Unilocalers along the route!
Best NYC event every!
See you all at Summer Streets 2014!

It’s so awesome how NY does this every year!
Close down those streets and let people work out, eat free samples from Whole Foods etc, and rent bikes & rollerblades! I grabbed some protein shakes, some kind of yogurt with nuts and didn’t wait for the long hot dog line… then walked over to do a martial arts dance and bhangra class out in the sun. Everyone was in high spirits and workin’ it!

Good
Free food from the whole foods market, hot dogs, bars, drinks, pudding etc.
Free rock climbing
Car free streets except major intersections
You get to go through the MetLife building which is only accessible by cars
Good time to spend with friends
Bad
Too crowded
Bikers in pedestrian lane
Pedestrians in bikers lane
sudden change of direction by bikers and pedestrians causing enormous stress on others fear of an accident
you cannot bike fast
Tourists walking with their back turned and making sudden turns
The lines are crazy long for certain events
Don’t take your nice bike, too much risk
If this is your first time, you will enjoy it, otherwise it’s just another day in NYC