Almost one month has passed since I arrived in the city that never sleeps. I can still not really believe I live in New York now, but I am settling in slowly. One day at a time.
I feel like arriving at the end of summer was perfect as I got to experience summer New York at its best. I was a bit scared as many people warned me about the heat, but I was lucky. The weather has been perfect, and I have had time to enjoy some of the summer activities that New York has to offer.
Until Labour day, which is beginning of September, New York offers quite a few summer activities focused on enjoying culture outdoors such as movies in the park, outdoors concerts at SummerStage or performances at Shakespeare in the park etc. It is all great. My favorite activity though, might not really be part of the cultural experience in the basic sense of the word, but it has given me the opportunity to explore New York in a way that I haven’t really done before.
So what is this activity I am talking about you might wonder. It is called Summer Streets. Still not very clear, I know, but I will tell you more about it. Summer Streets is the name of a car-free event that takes place every weekend during the month of August where they close off Park Avenue for car traffic all the way from Brooklyn Bridge to East Harlem.
Now what is so great about this? I can only tell you what I really enjoyed about this event. In a busy place like New York, I felt it was amazing to be able to pick up a Citi Bike and enjoy Manhattan by bike, from the middle of the road. It gave a whole new perspective of the city. Not just literally, but without the cars it really felt different. Like a slower, more calm city, which feels like the opposite of what New York usually is. Also the fact that we made it into a weekend tradition and always ended with tacos for lunch didn’t really make it any worse. That’s for sure.
Anyways, I think this is where I will leave you for now. It’s high time to go out and enjoy a bit more of the city.
Till next time.
