Dates: Thursday, September 15 – Wednesday, September 21
ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE IN EFFECT ALL WEEK
Just because Summer is winding down doesn’t mean it’s quite over. Between music, sports, and festivals, we’ll have plenty of chances to enjoy the rest of the season. But this week also brings the U.N. General Assembly, which means plenty of gridlock for much of the city outside of Midtown, where it will take place.
This Thursday, Little Italy closes to cars for the San Gennaro Festival from 11 a.m. to roughly midnight. This will cause delays in areas including Chinatown, Nolita, and parts of Soho. Because of closures on Mulberry St. between Canal and Houston Sts., as well as Grand and Hester Sts. between Mott and Center Sts. I suggest taking Bowery for downtown traffic, Lafayette for uptown, Bleecker for eastbound and E. 1st for westbound. (E. Houston might go both ways, but it’ll be crowded!)
Friday, the Avenues for Justice Pop Up Festival will close Warren St. between Broadway and Church St. I recommend taking Chambers St. instead for two-way traffic. You can also take Murray St. westbound or Park Pl. eastbound.
The Stuyvesant Park Neighborhood Association Fair will take over Third Ave. between 14th and 23rd Sts. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. You can take Fourth Ave. for uptown traffic and Second Ave. for downtown — though I strongly recommend transit.
The first-ever Astor Alive! Festival, hosted by the Village Alliance will close Fourth Ave. between E. 8th and 9th Sts. and Cooper Square West between Astor Pl. and Third Ave. from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.
From noon to midnight Saturday, New York will begin its three-weekend celebration of German beer in Lower Manhattan for Oktoberfest! The festivities will take over at Pier 15 on South St. between Fletcher St. and Maiden Ln. (at the FDR). The festival may bring delays to the area, so I recommend taking the 2 or 3 trains to Wall St.
The Giants will play the Saints at MetLife Stadium at 1 p.m. Sunday, so look out for traffic headed to Jersey beginning around 11:30 a.m. through the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, as well as post-game traffic in the late afternoon hitting Manhattan around 5 p.m.
The U.N. General Assembly continues with a visit from President Obama on the agenda starting Tuesday. Wall St. Heliport is his usual landing pad so expect closures along South St. and the FDR. Follow me on Twitter @GridlockSam to stay tuned for precise dates and times.
