Summer Streets encourages New Yorkers to use more sustainable forms of transportation.

According to the New York City Department of Transportation, the goal of Summer Streets is to provide healthy recreation and encourage New Yorkers to use more sustainable forms of transportation.

At the Uptown rest stop, New Yorkers can take a Tai Chi class or a quick salsa lesson, while at the Astor Street stop, Crunch Fitness provided outside classes that ranged from an abdominal workout to a quick cardio session. At the Midtown rest stop, Whole Foods set up a city picnic area and participants could rent a bike or rollerblade for free. Down at the SOHO rest stop, REI set up a rock climbing wall, free bike rental and even hosted quick workshops on bike repair. Foley Square is at the end of the event, which includes a free zip line, bike rental and a GoGo squeeZ Mobile playground.

Even though it was over 90 degrees out on Saturday, it was great to see the whole city get involved! Last year the event drew out more than 250,000 people so let’s hope this year has an even larger crowd. If you missed this weekend’s kickoff, you can still participate on August 11th and 18th, from 7:00am to 1:00pm. One tip, if you want to do the zip line in Foley Square, arrive before 11am, since spots are limited.

+ Summer Streets