The Strand has made it a lot easier to get what you need without having to dig for it in the store. Just order what you want online and pick it up at the store a couple of days later. You’ll save the shipping fee and all the time it takes to poke through the stacks. Of course, if you’re an inveterate browser, as many of us are, feel free to keep exploring. That’s what makes the Strand so much fun.
Cafe Spice will become Jackson Diner, an Indian import from Queens.
It doesn’t look like much now, but a new bar, Everything’s Jake, is coming to 13th St. between University and Broadway. It’ll be your place to go for a nightcap after dinner at PF Chang’s.
Serafina is expanding its chain of quick in-and-out shops by being the first retailer to arrive in the new apartment building on University between 12th and 13th. It’s been about five years since those spaces were ready for occupancy. Now we’ll have yet another spot to buy overpriced coffee.
According to this NY Times story:
The city’s Department of Transportation has declared its pedestrian plaza on the north side of Union Square, the fourth such major street revamping along Broadway, an out-and-out success, despite some early qualms from residents.
The redesign, implemented about a year ago, banned most cars from the block of Broadway north of Union Square, between 17th and 18th Streets, and closed a traffic lane on Union Square North. Tables and chairs were placed on the closed-off areas, and the neighborhood’s green market was able to expand.
The idea was to simplify a particularly tricky intersection where a confusing jumble of traffic signals and two-directional car lanes had resulted in a string of pedestrian injuries.
But the plan initially met stiff opposition from residents and businesses in the area, who complained about traffic jams on residential streets and problems for delivery trucks. A raucous community board meeting resulted in outcry and a mass walkout from protesters.
One year later, the city’s traffic engineers say that the improvements, for cars and pedestrians alike, have been palpable. (Here’s a pdf link to the report.) And no businesses or store managers appear to have registered complaints with local officials.
Radar samples found that about 12 percent of cars on Broadway between 20th and 19th Streets were now exceeding the 30 mile-per-hour speed limit, down from 28 percent of cars before the changes. Pedestrians can navigate a shorter crosswalk at the north end of Union Square, and they are waiting a shorter time for a “walk” signal.
Bicycle riders, who benefited from an additional protected lane along East 17th Street, also appear to be enjoying the changes: the agency found a 16 percent jump in cyclists in the area on weekdays, and a 33 percent increase on weekends.
Still, automobile drivers now appear to be avoiding the stretch of Broadway south of Madison Square, where the street was reduced to a single lane of car traffic and the direct car connection through Union Square was severed.
The number of cars traveling on that stretch has dropped by about half since the plaza was installed, the report said. Some of those drivers may be choosing to take Fifth Avenue or Park Avenue South for southbound trips through the area, slightly slowing those routes. The average speed of taxis along Fifth Avenue fell slightly after the plaza was installed, and southbound trips on Park Avenue South took longer.
But the Transportation Department noted that average speed along West 18th Street, where residents were most fearful of jam-ups, rose by about 14 percent, to 7 m.p.h. from 6 m.p.h. And average speeds on Park Avenue South stayed relatively unchanged.
The Union Square Partnership, the neighborhood’s economic development group, conducted a door-to-door survey of area businesses, and 60 percent of those who responded said they were happy with the new traffic configuration. About 35 percent had no opinion.
Still to be determined: some illegal left turns at the always-dangerous perpendicular intersection of Union Square West and 14th Street. (Initially, the agency had hoped to close off parts of Union Square West entirely, but some businesses objected.) The city said it was working on new street adjustments to tackle the problem.
Looking for an authentic New York City experience for the whole family this summer? Union Square Partnership says Union Square is the perfect destination for summertime city fun with the kids. Check out our curated kids’ itinerary for the top picks on how to spend the very best kids’ day out in Union Square NYC. Spend your day browsing local toy and book stores, eating at kid-friendly restaurants, and seeing must-visit spots in Union Square Park. Plus check out insider tips on the coolest photo-op spots along the way.