Summer Streets To Shut Down Much Of Park Ave This Weekend

MANHATTAN, NY — The city Department of Transportation will once again be shutting down a large portion of Park Avenue on three summer weekends for its annual Summer Streets event — turning the road over to New Yorkers for uninhibited running, walking, biking and any other activity that doesn't include a car.

Nearly seven miles of Park Avenue and connecting streets will be blocked off to cars from Central Park to the Brookyln Bridge on Aug. 4, 11 and 18, city transportation officials announced. The street closures will extend to Lafayette and Centre Streets where Park Avenue ends in lower Manhattan.

Last year's Summer Streets drew 300,000 New Yorkers to Park Avenue, city officials said.

"In its eleventh summer, Summer Streets will once again offer miles of fun, family-friendly and free activities, all in space that is blissfully free of cars and traffic," DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said in a statement. "This year’s Summer Streets activations will allow New Yorkers to see their streets in new and exciting ways. We encourage everyone to get out this year – and enjoy what has become over the last decade one of the great traditions of a New York summer."

Summer Streets 2018 will feature five rest stops where New Yorkers can take in performances, take advantage of free bike rentals and engage in family-friendly programs. The theme for this year's event is "finding joy in unexpected moments," and many of this year's programs are designed to help New Yorkers do just that.

Here's a full list of this year's programs at each of Summer Streets' rest stops:

Uptown Rest Stop (Children's Corner): East 51st Street and Park Avenue.

• Kid fitness zone;
• Arts & cultural workshops;
• Performance stage;
• Municipal Art Society Historical Walking Tours;
• DOT safety zone;
• Bike programming and free bike rentals.

Midtown Rest Stop (City Picnic): East 25th Street and Park Avenue.

• Food and beverage sampling zone;
• Performance stage;
• Bike programming and free bike rentals.

Astor Place Rest Stop (Outdoor Adventure): Astor Place and Lafayette Street.

• Clif kids park;
• BBF adaptive bouldering wall & obstacle course;
• I LOVE NY mobile visitor’s center;
• Gazillion Bubble Show’s bubble garden.

SoHo Rest Stop (Fitness Zone): Spring Street and Lafayette Street.

• Fitness and healthy living;
• Dog park & agility course.

Foley Square Rest Stop (Extreme Sports): Duane Street and Center Street.

• Zip line;
• Honest Tea mobile tea garden;
• Street games;
• Hand cycle and adaptive basketball;
• Pop-Up performances;
• Bike Programming and free bike rentals.

Photo courtesy New York City Department of Transportation