Sunday, Nov. 20 – Saturday, Nov. 26
SUNDAY PARKING RULES ARE IN EFFECT THURSDAY, THANKSGIVING DAY
Happy Thanksgiving, and welcome to the busiest travel week of the year! Every day leading up to the holiday will be slow-going, with peak get-away traffic on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.
Here’s a day-by-day breakdown of what to expect:
Tuesday, Nov. 22: Sleeper Gridlock Alert Day ties up major roadways in the city. Airport Gridlock as well, making the Van Wyck, Belt Parkway, GCP, BQE, and NJ Turnpike all more sluggish.
Wednesday, Nov. 23: An official Gridlock Alert Day, and perhaps the heaviest traffic day of the year. Airport Gridlock Day as well. The balloon inflation for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade closes most of Central Park West from 1 p.m. until about Thursday 1 p.m.
Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 24: Best time to drive is before noon, and between 5 and 7 p.m. (when others are having dinner). Best time to fly is in the morning. The parade kicks off at 9 a.m. The floats will glide south down Central Park West from 77th St., turn onto Central Park South (59th St.), then onto 6th Ave., concluding at 34th St. between 6th Ave. and 7th Ave. wrapping up by noon.
Friday, Nov. 25: Black Friday is the biggest day for parking tickets! Biggest shopping day of the year, but also the day the most summonses are issued. That’s because many people mistakenly think it’s a holiday and parking rules are suspended. Ticket agents are often not too happy to be working and are eager to issue tickets.
Saturday, Nov. 26: The better day to drive and fly.
MAILBAG
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Dear Gridlock Sam,
What would be the best use of the Park Ave. tunnel when it re-opens?
Kristin
Dear Kristin,
Wouldn’t it be great to have an underground version of the Highline? But that’s not in the cards. What is possible is restoring the beautiful parks that adorned the avenue a century ago. Think of the Ramblas in Barcelona but even wider and greener with serpentine paths and benches. N.Y. lost that by the late 1920s. There’s a great book that will show you that and more of what was destroyed in “Lost New York” by Nathan Silver, first published in 1967.
The city is currently planning to restore the green space for several blocks north of Grand Central. I’d like to do the same with the rest of the malls (which run north to 97th St.), including the short stretch south of Grand Central Terminal, with car traffic diverted into the tunnel.
Gridlock Sam
Read More: Avoid getaway day and Thanksgiving traffic