Upper West Side Streets Renaissance

On Saturday, November the 10th, an enthusiastic group of cyclists met up at 72nd and Central Park West for a fortifying dose of bagels and history before setting out on a relaxing bike tour of the Upper West Side.

As the riders pedaled sedately through the neighborhood’s scenic landscape, they passed many historic and contemporary points of interest; the ride paused at three of them for brief but edifying talks by Upper West Side advocates. Many questions were asked and answered, friends were made, and fingers were chilled nearly (but not quite) to the bone.

Though this ride is over and done, we’re looking forward to hosting several more in the spring, so keep your eyes peeled for updates!

For those of you who missed it, last night’s event with Jan Gehl was a great kick-off to the Upper West Side Streets Renaissance campaign. The JCC on the Upper West Side hosted a full house to hear Gehl talk about what could be for NYC’s streets, and he outlined a vision for turning Manhattan into one of the world’s most bike- and pedestrian-friendly cities. DOT commissioner Jeanette Sadik-Khan was on hand to introduce Gehl, and City Council member Gail Brewer was there as well.

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The event made the front page of this morning’s metro, and StreetFilms has already put out a short video from the event. For more detailed coverage, check out this morning’s post on StreetsBlog.

Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make this event happen — it was great to see such a large, enthusiastic crown interested in improving NYC’s public spaces.