11 blocks of NYC’s Fifth Avenue become ‘car-free’ holiday shopping plaza

A main vacation buying stretch within the metropolis — Fifth Avenue between forty eighth and 57th streets — went “car-free” for the primary of the days Sunday, outraging cabbies whereas delighting pedestrians,  human or in any other case.

“Ruby loves it!” Higher East Sider Robin Lempel, 32, mentioned of her canine because the pair strolled down the makeshift buying plaza. “She doesn’t like sitting nonetheless, however she likes strolling round outdoors with out vehicles round.”

Lempel mentioned she felt the road closure had improved the experiencing of buying and window-shopping alongside the busy business strip.

“Particularly for the vacations I believe it’s good for folks to have the ability to go see the shops and the home windows with out vehicles being in the way in which,” she mentioned.

The closure was in impact from midday to six p.m. and can also be on faucet for the following two Sundays on the similar time.

Crowds on Fifth Avenue for the primary day of the 11-block road closure.

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In the meantime, the streets round Rockefeller Heart — West forty ninth and West fiftieth — can be car-free from 11 a.m. to midnight seven days per week for the remainder of the season.

Ellen and Jeremy Longley, each 30, and their two youngsters got here to the realm from the Higher East Facet — however mentioned they had been dissatisfied by what they felt had been scant Christmas decorations.

“We needed to see the decorations and to have the ability to stroll down the center of Fifth Avenue. When else do you get to try this? By no means, proper?” Ellen mentioned.

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The streets round Rockefeller Heart — West forty ninth and West fiftieth — can be car-free from 11 a.m. to midnight seven days per week for the remainder of the season.

G.N.Miller/NYPost

The closure was in impact from midday to six p.m. Sunday and can also be on faucet for the following two Sundays on the similar time.

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“She doesn’t like sitting nonetheless, however she likes strolling round outdoors with out vehicles round,” a canine proprietor mentioned of her pooch.

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“I do want there was extra Christmas decorations. I’m like, if we’re going to do that, let’s go actually large and [do] like [a] Christmas explosion, or only a vacation ornament explosion, on the whole.”

Some drivers had a much less rosy tackle the closure.

Kwabena, a taxi driver for 15 years, mentioned the brand new coverage was “inflicting issues” for him and his driver colleagues who usually decide up passengers among the many vacation buyers strolling alongside Fifth Avenue.

“That’s the place we get extra passengers,” Kwabena mentioned.