As Greg and I walked through the Upper West Side on our way to dinner and then to see John Oliver and Seth Myers at the Beacon Theater, we passed through the Columbia Avenue Business District. We soon learned about Open Streets, a concept where the streets are closed off to motorized vehicles and allow people (and their pets) to replace automobile traffic for a few hours. Without cars, streets become a massive public space where people of all ages, abilities, and economic backgrounds can come together to exercise, and play

Columbus Ave was full of families and individuals walking and cycling,

playing Chess and Badminton,

And generally enjoying community on a beautiful evening. What a concept!