Street Closings
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August 22, 2009
Saturday, Aug. 22, is your last chance this year to perambulate through the lanes of Park Avenue and linger in the middle of Lafayette Street. It's the third and final weekend of summer streets, the closing of streets to create a pedestrian, biking and skating route from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park. Entertainment and kids activities will take place where cars usually honk. (Go here for a schedule.) Cars reclaim the pavement at 1 p.m.
To get to the route, Transportation Alternatives is leading bike rides from Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and upper Manhattan. A schedule is available here.
The street closings are not limited to Manhattan. On summer weekends, thoroughfares throughout the five boroughs have been closed for several hours on weekends, making them available for sports, recreation and simply enjoying the freedom from the internal combustion engine. On this Saturday afternoon, for example, Van Duzer Street, billed as the "hippest street" on Staten Island, will be the scene of street games, musical performance and art, while 46th Street in Sunnyside, Queens, closes to let people explore the neighborhood and enjoy a jazz concert, among other activities. On Sunday, the action moves to Stanton Street on the Lower East side, with acoustic music, soccer workshops and other events.
For more on these and other street festivals, see the weekend's listings on Gotham Gazette's events calendar.
