Manhattan’s 5th Avenue, the Big Apple’s most famous shopping strip, has aged well.
Home to the most landmarks in one strip in the United States, 5th Avenue turned 200 years old and celebrated its bicentennial on Sunday with a public birthday bash.
The third annual Fifth Avenue Holiday Open Street was in effect for the celebration, titled “You’ve Arrived on Fifth: 200 Years of Icons and Dreams,” and thousands of tourists and locals floundered up and down the strip between 48th and 57th Streets, shopping for presents, taking in the sights of the stores decked out in holiday decorations, or posing for a photo in front of Milton Glaser’s iconic I LOVE NY sculpture.
The LaGuardia High School Show Choir, the New York Belles, and the Juilliard Jazz Duke Ellington Assemble, to name a few of a plethora of music acts, showcased their talents while Grey’s Donuts, Mao’s Bar, Raclette Street, and Alain Ducasse’s Benoit NYV were among the food establishments providing culinary delights.
Madelyn Wils, interim president of the Fifth Avenue Association, told amNewYork Metro that the bicentennial birthday bash celebrated Fifth Avenue’s past, present, and future.
Wils touched on Mayor Eric Adams’ recent announcement to make the world-famous thoroughfare more pedestrian and bike-friendly. The proposed makeover of Fifth Avenue includes reducing the number of traffic lanes from five to three and widening the sidewalks between Bryant Park and Central Park.
“[Fifth Avenue] is arguably the most iconic street in the world, and Fifth Avenue is about to have a new makeover and a new redesign. It’ll be the first redesign in 200 years,” Wils said.
The official part of the festivities included speeches by Mayor Eric Adams, Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and Council Member Keith Powers — all of whom touted the $150 million investment in Fifth Avenue’s redesign as a pedestrian paradise — and concluded with a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” performed by the Sing Harlem choir.
Mayor Adams described Fifth Avenue as an “economic powerhouse,” providing 300,000 jobs and $44 million in wages. He told the crowd that the planned redesign was a win-win for all, boosting the economy while creating jobs.
“At peak times, more than 23,000 people walk this corridor in an hour during those peak times. Anyone who has been on Fifth Avenue recently knows that our sidewalks just can’t keep pace with the number of people who are walking up and down and looking at the beautiful shops and businesses that are here,” Adams pointed out. “We’re committed to seeing this project through to the end, especially because once it’s finished, it will pay for itself in five years through increased tax revenues.”
Levine pointed out the importance of widening 5th Avenue’s sidewalks to make room for pedestrians toandkeep up with other famous commercial streets like Paris’ Champs-Élysées.
“We have got to do better here. We’ve got to prioritize the pedestrians that give this street its lifeblood, that shop in these stores that make Fifth Avenue the center of the world,” Levine said.
Friends Yaneth, Ruvy, and Patty from Long Island channeled the holiday spirit wearing Christmas sweaters and declared that the holiday season in New York was “the best.”
“Just to see everybody around, it’s part of sharing the spirit of Christmas. Let’s get everybody together and bring this joy to your hearts and families and home,” Yaneth said.
Pamela McCarthy Bamva and Audrey Williams from the “Boogie Down Bronx” told amNewYork Metro that New York City was “magic” during the holiday season.
“So many beautiful and wonderful and interesting things to do,” McCarthy Bamva said. “The Lincoln Center, the tree lighting ceremony. If you go down to 125th Street in Harlem, you see they had a [Holiday Lights Celebration] a week and a half ago. There is just so much to see and do.”
“New York, this time of the year, nothing beats it,” Williams added.
