Almost Forgot Huge "Summer Streets: Turnout--locally, on Park Avenue/Park Avenue South

Saw these hordes of people walking in both directions over on Park Avenue South...wondered if it were a charity walk or something..

Found two young women dressed like hall monitors from a school..they told me it was just part of the "Summer Streets" program.

 I had never heard of Summer Streets before...shows how you can live here and there is always so much going on in this town that you don't know about...if it were in Brooklyn, then the chances of my knowing about it would be nil!

This is from the internet about Summer Streets:

About Summer Streets

Summer Streets is an annual celebration of New York City’s most valuable public space—our streets. On three consecutive Saturdays in the summer, nearly seven miles of NYC’s streets are opened for people to play, walk, bike, and breathe. Summer Streets provides space for healthy recreation and encourages New Yorkers to use more sustainable forms of transportation. In 2012, more than 250,000 people took advantage of the open streets.

Summer Streets is modeled on other events from around the world including Ciclovía in Bogotá, Colombia and the Paris Plage. The event is part bike tour, part walking tour, part block party--a great time for exercise, people watching, or just enjoying summer mornings.

Running from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm, Summer Streets extends from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, along Park Avenue and connecting streets, with easy access from all points in New York City, allowing participants to plan a trip as long or short as they wish. All activities at Summer Streets are free of charge, and designed for people of all ages and ability levels to share the streets respectfully.
Summer Streets is a project of the New York City Department of Transportation.

NYC DOT thanks the other City agencies and organizations who provide vital support for Summer Streets, including:

• Department of Environmental Protection
• Department of Sanitation
• Department of Buildings
• Department of Parks and Recreation
• Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• Mayor's Community Affairs Unit
• Mayor's Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management
• Mayor's Volunteer Center
• New York Cares
• NYC & Co.
• NYPD

A special thanks also to the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City and to the sponsors of Summer Streets.