New York is a wonderful city, but that doesn’t mean it’s not borrowing ideas from other big cities around the globe. Last year, New York City took a page out of the urban books of Bogota and Paris and dedicated some central streets and avenues to recreation the way the Ciclovia and Paris Plage events do in Columbia and France, respectively.
New York’s Summer Streets event opens up miles of city streets to the public for biking, walking, jogging and just about everything else. For visitors from out-of-town the event provides a truly unique opportunity to navigate large swaths of Manhattan with space to breath, not to mention the opportunity for people-watching. We have apartments available in New York this August on and off the designated streets.
Summer Streets was a huge success in 2008, its very first year. The route connects the Brooklyn Bridge with Central Park, running for a long stretch along Park Avenue. It goes through most of New York’s East Side: Gramercy and Union Square, Midtown East, the Upper East Side, to end in Harlem. More than just an open route for bikers and runners, Summer Streets has a wide array of performances, information kiosks and attractions along the route. There are activities related to arts and culture such as dance classes and sidewalk chalking, health and fitness stations running yoga classes and special bike helmet fittings, and myriad other musical performances and workshops. Summer Streets will be taking place on three consecutive Saturdays in August (August 8,15,22) from 7am to 1pm. The event is part of Mayor Bloomberg’s sustainability initiative encouraging residents and visitors to explore alternate forms of mass transit.
August is a busy time for New York accommodations and New York City tourism in general. Anyone looking to rent an apartment before the leaves start changing color should act fast. Below are a few attractive accommodations to get your search started.
-This Studio Vacation Rental in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (NY-12839) will place visitors on the east side of the Brooklyn Bridge, just a short walk or bike ride from the Summer Streets events on the other side of the river.
-This 3-bedroom Accommodation also in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (NY-12637) is a great option for families. The apartment can house 5 guests at a time and features a large outdoor deck, hardwood floors and a renovated kitchen all at a very attractive price.
– This Murray Hill 1-bedroom Vacation Rental in Midtown West-Chelsea (NY-14286) is just a few blocks away from the Summer Streets festivities and accommodates up to 4 guests.
If you enjoted this article check out another Summer past time: visiting New York City’s Bryant Park.
All those summers activities are really good and originals. This is true that it is a real experience to be able to bicycle in the middle of Manhattan. Love New York City
There are so many reasons to love New York City in the summer, but this humidity and not having A/C in my apartment are killing me!
I agree about the humidity, and it seems more so than usual this year, but New York City has so many other things ot offer, like runs in the park, street fairs and my favorite, free concerts and movies almost every day of the week!
It’s amazing to see how much has change since I last did a summer vacation to New York City sometime ago. I really love these summer activities.
The vacation rentals look awesome! I would love to leave my current apartment in the Upper West Side for a “vacation rental” in downtown.
This was my first summer in New York City and it has been awesome so far! I will definitely be back next year, and hopefully I am able to get the same apartment.
What a nice blog you have..thanks for all this information.
This explaines why the streets of New York is starting to look like the streets in European countries.
I’m sad that summer is coming to a close ending, but I did enjoying these street clossing activities.
Why is New York City barrowing from other countries? Won’t it lose all the uniqueness that has propelled it to the number one city in the world? Rather than looking and feeling like another European city?