Summer Streets initiative kicks off as New Yorkers try to find ways to keep cool outdoors
NEW YORK -- New Yorkers spent their summer Saturday looking for relief from the heat.
This also happens to be the first day of the Summer Streets initiative, encouraging New Yorkers to enjoy outdoor activities.
It was a sizzling summer Saturday many still chose to spend outside.
"So everything is working out fine, yeah," Long Island resident Qasif Reedwan said.
"You're saying it's fine because you're in the shade, though," CBS New York's Kristie Keleshian said.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's true. I mean, we don't want to be out in the sun," Reedwan said.
But some people didn't hide out in the shade. The city's Summer Streets initiative drew large crowds.
For the next five Saturdays, 20 miles worth of streets will close to biking, skating, other outdoor activities and live performances.
The Department of Transportation website posted a notice about the excessive heat warning, offering water and misting stations.
"It's amazing. There's very few things like this in New York where you can cool off, so yeah, very grateful for it," Brooklyn resident Karl Rozemeyer said.
"This is a typical summer. We know that heat is something that we all have to be careful and that's why my team at DOT, being coordinated with the fire department and DEP," DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said.
- CLICK HERE for the latest forecast and weather alerts.
Five hundred cooling centers, some pet-friendly, have also opened up citywide, including at all of the city's public libraries.
"It's worse than Brazilian summer for sure because in the city, the heat doesn't go away," said Sofia Haidar, who was visiting Brazil.
The nonprofit Climate Central considers the city an "urban heat island." Some neighborhoods feel about 10 degrees hotter due to the pavement, high population density and lack of tree cover, and that had many taking advantage of Central Park's Sheep Meadow.
"I think it's a bit refreshing to be here," Haidar said.
"So you'd rather be here than in the air conditioning," Keleshian said.
"Yeah," Haidar said.
Raela Petersons and her friends couldn't fit in her small apartment to celebrate her birthday, so they had a picnic in the shade, doing what's recommended to stay safe in the scorching heat.
"Fans, we're drinking ice cold beverages and sitting in the shade, staying hydrated, sunscreen," Petersons said.
- CLICK HERE for our Summer Safety Guide.
Summer Streets runs through Aug 26.
On Aug. 5, 12 and 19, it will be held at the following locations in Manhattan:
- Lafayette Street and Park Avenue between Brooklyn Bridge and East 109 Street
- East 109 Street between Park Avenue and 5th Avenue
- 5th Avenue between East 109 Street and Central Park North
- Central Park North between 5th Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard
- Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard between Central Park North and West 125 Street
On Aug. 26, Summer Streets will take place in Brooklyn on Eastern Parkway between Grand Army Plaza and Buffalo Avenue, and in the Bronx on Grand Concourse between East Tremont Avenue and Mosholu Parkway.
For more information, click here.
