{"id":522086,"date":"2022-12-06T02:21:37","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T23:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/eric-adams-fifth-avenue-promenade-shows-promise-but-its-a-long-way-from-making-midtown-xmas-tourist-friendly\/"},"modified":"2022-12-06T02:21:37","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T23:21:37","slug":"eric-adams-fifth-avenue-promenade-shows-promise-but-its-a-long-way-from-making-midtown-xmas-tourist-friendly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/eric-adams-fifth-avenue-promenade-shows-promise-but-its-a-long-way-from-making-midtown-xmas-tourist-friendly\/","title":{"rendered":"#Eric Adams&#8217; Fifth Avenue promenade shows promise \u2014 but it&#8217;s a long way from making Midtown Xmas-tourist-friendly"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25701e84bd2\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a25701e84bd2\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/eric-adams-fifth-avenue-promenade-shows-promise-but-its-a-long-way-from-making-midtown-xmas-tourist-friendly\/#%E2%80%9CEric_Adams_Fifth_Avenue_promenade_shows_promise_%E2%80%94_but_its_a_long_way_from_making_Midtown_Xmas-tourist-friendly%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Eric Adams&#8217; Fifth Avenue promenade shows promise \u2014 but it&#8217;s a long way from making Midtown Xmas-tourist-friendly&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CEric_Adams_Fifth_Avenue_promenade_shows_promise_%E2%80%94_but_its_a_long_way_from_making_Midtown_Xmas-tourist-friendly%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Eric Adams&#8217; Fifth Avenue promenade shows promise \u2014 but it&#8217;s a long way from making Midtown Xmas-tourist-friendly&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--columnist inline-module--author\">\n<div class=\"inline-module--author__img\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"76\" height=\"69\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/nicole-gelinas.png?w=76&amp;h=69&amp;crop=1\" class=\"attachment-nyp_columnist size-nyp_columnist\" alt=\"Nicole Gelinas\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/nicole-gelinas.png 76w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/nicole-gelinas.png?w=38 38w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 76px) 100vw, 76px\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Ghost-town Midtown is a thing of the past. Christmas tourists are back, clogging up the streets and sidewalks. But New York has had\u00a0<em>years<\/em>\u00a0to make a more pleasant environment for our hordes of visitors on foot \u2014 and is still making only baby-step progress.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Baby-step progress is better than none. So Mayor Eric Adams gets two cheers \u2014 OK, even 2\u00bd \u2014 for giving walkers more room in Midtown this holiday season. <\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s continued the de Blasio-era policy of closing 49th\u00a0and 50th\u00a0Streets around Rockefeller Center to car and truck traffic through early January. And he\u2019s added his own\u00a0<em>new\u00a0<\/em>protocol: closing Fifth Avenue to traffic altogether on three December Sundays, to create a pedestrian promenade.<\/p>\n<p>A walk around this past Sunday afternoon during the first street closure showed how critical this extra space is.<\/p>\n<p>Rockefeller Center itself \u2014 that is, the privately owned plaza surrounding the tree \u2014 is jam-packed, so crowded it\u2019s difficult to walk.\u00a0It doesn\u2019t help that Rockefeller Center has closed off much of what used to be pedestrian space in favor of private dining huts and a commercial gift shop.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So keeping the side streets and 11 blocks of Fifth Avenue open to pedestrians is an important safety valve for the crowds, as was on full display this weekend.<\/p>\n<p>With the streets closed, pedestrians can take good photos of \u201cthe tree\u201d from further away, without obstructing sidewalks for people just passing through the area and without having to brave the dangerous mosh-pit scrum right on the plazas if they\u2019re not in tip-top battle shape.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>People can also fan out and watch the competing Saks Fifth Avenue light show across the street without being shoulder-to-shoulder stock-still with strangers.<\/p>\n<p>But closing off a few blocks can\u2019t distract from Midtown\u2019s increasing shabbiness and disorder.<\/p>\n<p>Standing in the middle of Fifth Avenue should be a great vantage point for looking at architecture, but a good half of the building fa\u00e7ades are obscured by \u201ctemporary\u201d sidewalk-shed scaffolding.<\/p>\n<p>Metal pedestrian barriers, crash-preventing garbage trucks and \u201csugar cubes\u201d \u2014 those white cement blocks stamped \u201cNYPD\u201d \u2014 are strewn everywhere, sometimes several deep, where they impede foot traffic despite the closed streets.<\/p>\n<p>If one point of closing the avenue is to encourage window shopping, placing metal barriers along the outside of sidewalks to impede people from flowing from the street to the sidewalk and back makes no sense.<\/p>\n<p>And the few food trucks selling tacos and hot chocolate were fine enough, but they were sparse and haphazard.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, though the official entertainment \u2014 a marching band and a choir singer \u2014 was nice, it wouldn\u2019t be a bad idea to have official programming for kids, like <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>s or chalk drawings (or a background-checked Santa). <em>Without<\/em>\u00a0such activities, fake Elmo will show up.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/fifth-avenue-1.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"A marching band providing entertainment on Fifth Avenue.\" class=\"wp-image-24904478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/fifth-avenue-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/fifth-avenue-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/fifth-avenue-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>A marching band providing entertainment on Fifth Avenue.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">G.N.Miller\/NYPost<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Indeed, disorder lurked on the perimeter.<\/p>\n<p>At 44th\u00a0and 5th, a three-card-monte scammer openly hawked his illegal \u201cgame\u201d to the spillover crowd,\u00a0months after\u00a0a dispute over a similar game led to an afternoon shooting near St. Patrick\u2019s Cathedral.<\/p>\n<p>Dozens of counterfeit Louis Vuitton and Chanel pocketbook vendors laid their wares on the sidewalks south and west of the pedestrian promenade, Canal Street-style.<\/p>\n<p>This is not to say Adams\u2019 pedestrian Fifth Avenue wasn\u2019t a worthy first effort. The demand for the car-free space \u2014 and the relaxed time strollers were having \u2014 is a signal to Adams to plan some\u00a0<em>permanent<\/em>\u00a0improvements.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/fifth-avenue-2.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"A food truck set up for pedestrians on Fifth Avenue.\" class=\"wp-image-24904477\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/fifth-avenue-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/fifth-avenue-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/fifth-avenue-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>A food truck set up for pedestrians on Fifth Avenue.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">G.N.Miller\/NYPost<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Why not invest in\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.herculeshighsecurity.com\/pop_up_bollards.php?ID=pop_up_crash_rated_bollards_maryland_virginia_dc_nc_md_va\">retractable crash barriers<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 pop-up bollards \u2014 to separate cars from people, like European cities have done, to finally get rid of the \u201csugar cubes\u201d and metal gates? They\u2019d be useful for parades, as well.<\/p>\n<p>Then permanently widen Midtown\u2019s Fifth Avenue sidewalks, taking one of the three car lanes away and leaving the two bus lanes, just as the city has done on Eighth Avenue near Times Square. More pedestrian space would make for a more pleasant environment year-round.<\/p>\n<p>Rethinking 50th Street, too, would make room for outdoor dining during the warmer months on this little-trafficked side street. Retractable barriers would allow room for a bus lane, quick drop-offs of cab passengers and truck <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>s into and out of the Rockefeller Center loading docks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And: Get rid of all the scaffolding and illegal card tricks.<\/p>\n<p>Sunday felt slap-dash thrown together because it was. But the crowds show a real demand to beautify (or at least de-uglify) Midtown.<\/p>\n<p><em>Nicole\u00a0Gelinas is a contributing editor to the Manhattan Institute\u2019s City Journal.<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/12\/05\/eric-adams-fifth-avenue-promenade-shows-promise-but-its-a-long-way-from-making-midtown-xmas-tourist-friendly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Eric Adams&#8217; Fifth Avenue promenade shows promise \u2014 but it&#8217;s a long way from making Midtown Xmas-tourist-friendly&#8221; Ghost-town Midtown is a thing of the past. Christmas tourists are back, clogging up the streets and sidewalks. But New York has had\u00a0years\u00a0to make a more pleasant environment for our hordes of visitors on foot \u2014 and is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":522087,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/fifth-avenue.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[136779,81020,66147,4952,75297,71726,81023],"class_list":["post-522086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-12-5-22","tag-christmas-in-rockefeller-center","tag-eric-adams","tag-manhattan","tag-midtown","tag-pedestrians","tag-rockefeller-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522086\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522087"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}