GRIDLOCK SAM
FRIDAY, MARCH 3 – SUNDAY, MARCH 5 ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE IN EFFECT FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
NYC traffic is getting to be like a circus with numerous demonstrations, parades, street and sporting events, and finally, the circus itself.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey
Circus performs its final show on Friday at 7 p.m. at Barclays Arena. I went to my first circus at the old Madison Square Garden probably 65 years ago; it’s sad to see the end of this institution. Expect a sell-out crowd and more than the usual evening peak traffic at Flatbush and Atlantic.
On Saturday, the People’s March for Education Justice from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will bring thousands to Trump International Hotel, on Central Park West
at 61st St., and causing Eighth Ave. delays. They plan to march to Cuomo’s office on Third Ave. between 40th and 41st Sts., marching down Broadway and cutting across 42nd St., right through Times Sq. and heading to Third Ave, causing slowdowns throughout midtown. The Queens-Midtown Tunnel will experience delays, so avoid the Third Ave. exit.
Later Saturday afternoon, thousands more demonstrators will March 4th for Standing Rock meeting at 1 p.m. at the New York Public Library at Bryant Park,
on 42nd St. and Fifth Ave. Then, at 2 p.m., they’ll make their way up Fifth Ave. to Trump Tower, where they’ll gather until 4 p.m. This will impact Fifth, as well as cross streets between 42nd and 59th Sts.
On Sunday, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz will host the Unity in
Diversity rally at 4 p.m. at Queens Borough Hall, on Queens Blvd. at 80th Rd.
St. Patrick’s Day festivities will get going Sunday in Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. First up, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Washington Heights Salsa
Blues and Shamrocks 5K Run will close Ft. Washington Ave. between 169th St. and Cabrini Blvd., at 190th St., as well as Margaret Corbin Dr.
In Staten Island, from noon to 3:30 p.m., the Richmond County St. Patrick’s
Day Parade will close Forest Ave. between Hart Blvd. and Jewett Ave.
Finally, in Sunnyside, Queens, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. the St. Patrick’s Day for All parade will close 43rd St. between Skillman and Barnett Aves.
Alert: Live between Bushwick and Middle Village? Forget the M train. Starting 11:45 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday, service ends between Myrtle and Metropolitan Aves; this change will occur weekly through June.