Summer Streets happens in New York three Saturdays each August. Park Avenue and Lafayette streets are closed for a combined almost seven miles to allow New Yorkers to bike, run, walk, roller blade, and generally enjoy not having to worry much about the cars. Of course it is New York, so there were an estimated 300,000 people who participated last year over the three Saturdays, so there is still the constant obstacle of people. You can’t escape them in New York. Since we were actually in town for once, I was excited to be able to ride bikes with all the other crazies out for the day. Riding bikes across the Park Avenue viaduct, down the ramp around the building is my favorite, and also riding up Park avenue up in the 60’s and 70’s where there aren't quite as many people and strangely empty streets.

This year, we (I) managed to mess up the times and thought Summer Streets went on into the afternoon, so after getting a late start, we were rushing to get in as much riding as we could before the unfortunate opening of the streets at 1:00. We made it up to 72nd Street and into the Park by the time the streets were re-opened. We rode through the park, cursing those hills that never made sense to me on this island. We stopped for photos at the Reservoir, shockingly somewhere I had never been.

It is nice to explore our own city and have fun days close to home.

Flip Flops & Passports