Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release #17-051
Tuesday, July 10, 2017
Contact: Scott Gastel/Gloria Chin (DOT), 212-839-4850
NYC DOT Announces 10th Annual “Summer Streets” Along Park Avenue, Connecting Streets from Central Park to Brooklyn Bridge
Seven miles of car-free streets on three August Saturdays will include a new rest stop and completely new activities — including a water park
Citi is once again sponsoring event, which will include “Food Sessions,”, a one-of-a-kind art installation created by Daily tous les jours and Nico Fonseca with guest chef John Mooney
New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Polly Trottenberg today announced the tenth annual Summer Streets, for which DOT has curated an extensive roster of free activities. With a host of new partners, the event includes the addition of the new Central Park Rest Stop, at 71st Street and Park Avenue, which will include a water park. For the second year in a row, Summer Streets is sponsored by Citi. Citi Summer Streets 2017 will take place on Saturdays August 5th, 12th and 19th from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. along Park Avenue, Lafayette and Centre Streets from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge. To mark the tenth anniversary, DOT has curated an expanded roster of free activities and programming sponsored along the route, including several new activities and rest stops.
“DOT is thrilled once again to be joining our partners to bring Summer Streets to Manhattan for a tenth summer running,” said DOT Commissioner Trottenberg. “In its decennial year, Summer Streets will allow us to once again give back some of our most important public space – our streets – to the public with car-free surroundings and rest stops that will be bigger and more entertaining than ever. Whether you love walking, biking, dancing, mini-golf or splashing around, Citi Summer Streets makes a great excuse to never leave town this August.”
“We’re excited to return as the title sponsor of Citi Summer Streets, where this year we will offer music, food and virtual reality experiences at Astor Place,” said Will Howle, President, U.S. Retail Banking, Citi. “It’s great to help New Yorkers celebrate summer in the city.”
“We’re thrilled to bring our three-story water slide back to Summer Streets,” said Charles Van Es, Vice President of Marketing at Vita Coco. “There’s no better way to escape the heat than hydrating with delicious coconut water.”
“Citi Summer Streets is the ideal venue to make a splash with our newest dishwasher innovation with the first-ever water park modeled after a massive dishwasher,” said Peggy Ang, head of home appliance brand marketing at LG Electronics USA. “This summer, we’re launching a brand-new line of LG dishwashers with our industry-first LG QuadWash technology that stands apart from the competition because it harnesses the power of four spray arms instead of two, getting dirty dishes clean the first time without ever having to prewash or rewash.”
"We're excited to be transforming Astor Place with this giant outdoor banquet - bringing together New Yorkers of all ages to discover how a shared meal can bring a sense of collectivity in the city,” said Daily tous les jours. “All our life, people and places have been shaping our palate, and this experience celebrates the cultural power of food,” said Nico Fonseca.
Since 2008, the New York City Department of Transportation has presented Summer Streets along nearly seven miles of streets made accessible to the public for outdoor recreation – walking, running, cycling and playing, in addition to many free activities for all ages. Last year, 300,000 people attended Summer Streets, walking or biking along the event’s open, car-free streets.
The theme of Citi Summer Streets 2017 is storytelling through the five senses. Without the noise and congestion of vehicular traffic, Summer Streets participants’ sensory experience is quite different than that of an average day walking or cycling along the streets of NYC. This year’s programming explores this theme by offering the public unique moments to experience the streets in new ways – to see, hear, taste, smell and feel at a heightened state as if for the first time.
Among the highlights of Citi Summer Streets 2017:
Citi Experience: Mini-Golf and Mount Everest at Astor Place: To explore all of your senses, the Astor Place Rest Stop will for the first time feature The Citi Experience inviting the public to tap into all of their senses with a 360 degree Mt. Everest VR experience and a New York-centric mini golf course.
“Food Sessions”: Participatory Public Art: To hone in on your sense of taste and sound is a participatory public art installation—Citi presents Food Sessions by Daily tous les jours and Nico Fonseca with guest Chef John Mooney –presented for the first time at this scale in the public realm in partnership with the DOT Art Program. As part of Food Sessions, two hundred and sixteen participants are ushered through a guided meditation—a shared journey in the form of a meal—in the format of a silent disco. Together, participants explore ways to eat with all their senses, opening up their imagination, calling on their memories and sharing their own culture. Food Sessions stages a series of exercises that challenge and enrich participants’ relationships with the food they consume and the people they share it with. Five sessions will be offered each Saturday on the hour. Online pre-registration is required. Tickets will be released each Tuesday before the respective Summer Streets’ Saturday. More information regarding registration will be made available at www.nyc.gov/summerstreets the week of July 24th. Food Sessions is made possible by Citi and generous donations from noosa and Nature’s Path.
“Smellwalks”: For those interested in experiencing New York City ‘nose-first’, participate in ‘smellwalks’ at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. around the Astor Place neighborhood led by designer Kate McLean as part of her smell research project entitled Smellmapping Astor Place. Participants are asked to explore the environment primarily through their sense of smell using techniques such as smell catching, smell hunting and free smelling. Smellwalks are open to a maximum of 30 participants and slots are filled on a first-come-first-served basis. Visit the tent at any point throughout the day to take a look at the smell visualization produced by McLean based on data collected during smellwalks held earlier this summer with DOT Art and the Village Alliance.
LG QuadWash Water Park at New Central Park Rest Stop: Completely new this year is the Central Park Rest Stop, located at 71st Street and Park Avenue. The LG QuadWash Water Park is a first-of-its-kind installation – a giant inflatable water attraction measuring 30’ wide by 50’ long modeled after both the exterior and interior elements of the LG QuadWash dishwasher. The water park will feature obstacle courses continuously soaked by powerful jet streams, massive slides in the shape of cutlery, and hanging glide rails for kids of all ages to zoom down into pools of water. Participants will be able to hang from the “3rd Rack” or use the “Glide Rail” slide, zones that were modeled after the LG QuadWash EasyRack™ Plus system, which adjusts to just about any load of dishes. LG will also set up cabañas where people can sit, relax and watch the water park action.
Vita Coco Beachside Slide: Returning to the Foley Square Rest Stop this year is Vita Coco’s Beachside Slide, a 270-foot water slide based at “Vita Coco Beach ” where participants can slide down and cool off during the hot summer mornings. Online pre-registration for the slide is required at www.nyc.gov/summerstreets. Registration to slide on August 5th will go live on July 31st. For August 12th and 19th, register the Monday leading up to the event (August 7th and August 14th , respectively). Also, relax courtesy of Vita Coco at the Beach Bar, listen to some music while sitting in beach chairs adjacent to a makeshift beach or play some corn hole toss with a friend or get focused over a large-scale game of jenga.
Interactive Dance: New this year at the Foley Square Rest Stop are three distinctive, interactive dance performances, Around the World and Back Again (August 5th) , Boomerang (August 12th), and Lost Art (August 19th), choreographed by Artistic Director Tiffany Rea-Fischer of Elisa Monte Dance and performed by the EMD company. Around the World and Back Again will feature live music from Chris Brubeck’s band Triple Play; Boomerang will encourage the audience to document their performance experience through social media; and Lost Art responds to the missing sculpture, Titled Arc. Performances will be held at 11 a.m. each day.
Adaptive Basketball and more at Foley Square: Returning this year will also be the Wheelchair Sports Federation’s Adaptive Basketball activation and the DOT Hand-Cycle Demonstration.
“Smell Synth”: To continue activating the sense of smell, the DOT Art program is partnering with the Museum of Food and Drink to present Smell Synth, an interactive exhibit highlighting the art and science of flavor within the Sampling Zone at the Midtown Rest Stop. Participants can smell their way through a variety of flavors, such as: cherry, almond extract, grape, coffee, nail polish remover, smoke, alcohol and much more and be immersed in a wave of aromas. Using the Smell Synth, visitors will be able to compose and discover over 500,000 different flavor combinations.
“Pulse,” Soho misting sculpture: To activate your sense of touch, new to Soho is an ambient, interactive, and experimental sculpture titled PULSUS. Curated by the DOT Art Program and designed/produced by Allen Sayegh and the INVIVIA team, PULSUS hums and mists to fluctuations in urban activity gathered from sensors and social media in the city. Come sit and cool off to the mist, press your ear against the concrete, and listen to the beat of New York.
Midtown Health and Fitness Zone. Fitness classes will be offered on the hour from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with local studios. Also, a number of NYC’s premier hospitals and nonprofit organizations will offer demonstrations on establishing a more healthy, active and balanced lifestyle. As a reminder, if you don’t make it to the Midtown Rest Stop, another Fitness Zone is available at the Soho Rest Stop, where visitors can participate in a variety of fitness classes led by Walk at Home between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. and Crunch Gym from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Uptown Adventure Zone: This year for the first time, an Adventure Zone will be positioned at the Uptown Rest Stop. Learn wilderness survival skills or tackle an Adaptive Obstacle Course and Bouldering Wall presented by Brooklyn Boulders Foundation. The I♥NY Pod will offer the public opportunities to discover unique sights and destinations right in New York State. Also at the Uptown Rest Stop, an Environmental Zone will host demonstrations on going green and saving our planet. In addition, a distinctive street seat entitled, Permaculture Parkway, designed by Josh Sarantitis will be positioned in the curb lane reclaiming a parking spot as public space. Participants can join in planting workshops alongside the designer to learn more about growing food and other multi-purpose plants in urban areas. The workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Uptown Zip-Line: Returning to the Uptown Rest Stop for the second year in a row is the popular 165-foot-long, 30-foot-high zipline. All interested participants must register on-site for a timeslot and are encouraged to arrive by 8 am to secure a spot to zip. While waiting on line, listen to music by the Honk Project, watch tricks and acrobatics by the Bryant Park Jugglers or participate in a Hula Hoop performance with The Hoop Movement all three Saturdays.
Arts and Culture Hub: Returning to Rudin Plaza Uptown is the DOT Arts and Culture Hub that features a variety of fun, kid-friendly, interactive workshops presented by some of the City’s most coveted cultural institutions. Culture NOW will also be positioned within the Arts and Culture Hub this year to hand out the updated self-guided public art walking tour and self-guided architectural walking tour. The public can also register to join guided walking tours with historians along the route organized in partnership with the Municipal Art Society. For more information on registration, visit www.nyc.gov/summerstreets. Also, the dance, theatre and music stage will return to Rudin Plaza with performances by New York Violinist, Triad Brass, BumbleeBee Jamboree, Inti and the Moon and many more. Thanks to Rudin Management for providing access to this space.
“Taste of Summer Sampling Zone”: Returning to the Midtown Rest Stop is the Taste of Summer Sampling Zone featuring a number of favorite food and drink brands – Cabot, Nuun, Yasso, Purity Organics, Noosa, Nature’s Path, as well as others. New to the Sampling Zone this year is a host of workshops and demonstrations hosted by Citymeals on Wheels, Local Roots, the South Bronx Farmers Market and the Coalition for Healthy School Foods. In addition, catch cooking demonstrations and diverse musical performances on the same stage by Phone Home, Moondrunk, Backtrack Vocals and many more. Also at the Midtown Rest Stop, DOT Safety Education will provide free bike helmet fittings for adults and children, and at the Uptown Rest Stop, will host a Safety Zone, which features the popular “Truck’s Eye View” and other safety education activities. Honest Tea will be bringing its Mobile Tea Garden, an immerse brand experience highlighting the impact of Fair Trade Certified and organic ingredients, to Summer Streets, as well as sampling its new organic sports drink, Honest Sport. The Citi Bike Squad will be on-site at the Midtown Rest Stop to answer questions about becoming a member and will offer a limited membership discount for new customers. Recycling programming and information will be provided on-site by GrowNYC as well as the NYC Department of Sanitation.
Paws and Play Dog Park and more: Returning this year to the Astor Place Rest Stop on 4th Avenue and 9th Street is the popular Paws and Play Dog Park. Bike rental will also return to the Uptown Rest Stop, Midtown Rest Stop and the Foley Square Rest Stop, along with bike repair at the Midtown Rest Stop and Soho Rest Stop, and bike valet at the Central Park Rest Stop, Uptown Rest Stop, Midtown Rest Stop and Foley Square Rest Stop. Clif Kids is returning with the Clif Kids Pump Track at the Soho Rest Stop on Kenmare Street for kids to test their skills on a pump track. Ride over a number of obstacles, either with your own bike or one provided by Clif, and as a reward, grab a Clif bar as proof that you overcame this challenge.
At Foley Square, the Wheelchair Sports Federation’s Adaptive Basketball activation and the DOT Hand-Cycle Demonstration.
Interactive Map/Flipbook/Selfie Activation: Building on the success of the historical self-guided maps of years passed, DOT Art collaborated with the New York Public Library and the Museum of the City of New York to produce 2000 historical flipbooks highlighting six signature locations along the Citi Summer Streets route that will be available to the public at the Uptown Rest Stop. As you peruse through the book, you will see how transportation infrastructure and the built environment have evolved in New York City over the past century. Before picking up a flipbook, step back in time at the selfie photobooth and share your own personal story about the City and Citi Summer Streets through the DOT Art’s community oral history project.
"What makes Manhattan unique is its unparalleled, walkable streetscape -- but it is still so often dominated by cars and traffic," said Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer. "Programs that transform our streets into walkable public spaces offer a truly special opportunity to experience the city in a whole new way."
“As New Yorkers, we relish in the opportunity to utilize our public spaces to bring together families and communities,” said Congress Member Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez. “In its tenth year, Summer Streets has provided a car-free public setting so that locals and visitors alike have more space to unwind and enjoy the season. With an ever-growing array of programming, I look forward to what this year’s event has to offer for people of all interests and backgrounds.”
"I'm pleased to join the Department of Transportation in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Citi Summer Streets program, and excited that this year's programming includes an extended route that will stretch from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge,” said Assembly member Deborah Glick. “Constituents like mine are starved for open space, and the Summer Streets program offers a creative alternative for the community."
“Summer Streets brings New Yorkers from every background together to celebrate our public space,” said Assembly member Dan Quart. “Promoting sustainable forms of transportation is vital for the health of our city and I applaud the many organizations and agencies involved in creating this wonderful event.”
“I’m happy to welcome back Summer Streets for its 10th year giving residents and visitors the experience of a car-free City,” said Council Member Margaret S. Chin. “As we celebrate this milestone, I would like to thank Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Trottenberg for supporting Summer Streets, and for including new rest stops and activities for everyone along the route to utilize and enjoy.”
"Summer Streets has become a highlight of summer in Manhattan," said Council Member Dan Garodnick. "What a joyful celebration of the City's biggest public space -- our streets -- and a delightful reminder of how engaging streets can be when pedestrians take over. Removing cars from this nearly-7-mile stretch promotes cleaner air, allows New Yorkers to come together for fun and culture, and brings new customers to support the local businesses."
"In its tenth year, New York City's Summer Streets celebration will be bigger and better than ever," said Council Member Ben Kallos. "Over 300,000 people are expected to hit the streets to walk, run, bike and just hang out on car-free streets. This is a wonderful New York City summer tradition, and whether you are enjoying one of the new activities or one of the classics, just make sure you come out and join the fun. Thank you to Commissioner Trottenberg and the New York City Department of Transportation for ensuring this event's success over the past ten years."
“Summer Streets is a celebration of New York and all New Yorkers,” said Janette Sadik-Khan, Department of Transportation Commissioner under former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who launched the first Summer Streets event in 2008. “It’s more than fun and games, it’s a 10-year tradition that’s reunited people with their streets and shown that the streets of the city belong to everyone.”
Many City agencies will be participating at Citi Summer Streets throughout the various rest stops. In addition, DOT will showcase a number of our signature programs: DOT Adopt-A-Highway, DOT Street Ambassadors, DOT Select Bus Service, DOT Energy Management, and DOT Green Infrastructure.
DOT offers its thanks to The Mayor’s Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management, NYPD and FDNY for their support.
For more information about Citi Summer Streets, including a route map and street closure information, visit nyc.gov/dot or nyc.gov/summerstreets.
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