Vanderbilt Avenue's open street is the most successful version of the idea in New York — a full commercial corridor handed back to people, where the restaurants set tables in the roadbed, bands play in the intersections and kids ride bikes down the center line. It runs from midday into the night, which makes it a whole day rather than an errand. If you want to see what a Brooklyn main street looks like without cars, this is the reference implementation.
What to expect
Expect the avenue closed to traffic with dining tables, planters and programming filling the roadway, plus live music, games and pop-up vendors at intervals along the corridor. The crowd is neighborhood families early and a bar-and-restaurant crowd later. Walking the length of it from Atlantic Avenue toward Prospect Park is the way to do it.
Good to know
- Take the 2/3 to Grand Army Plaza or the B/Q to Seventh Ave, then walk to Vanderbilt Avenue.
- Free and open — no ticket, no registration.
- Restaurants along the avenue set up outdoor tables; reservations still help at the popular ones.
- Great for kids early in the day, more of a bar crowd as the evening goes on.
- Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Museum are both a short walk from the southern end.
- Flat street-level access the whole length of the corridor.
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Common questions
What is an open street?
A New York City program that closes a street to through traffic and opens it for walking, dining, programming and play.
Where is the Vanderbilt Open Street?
Along Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.
Is it free?
Yes — the street and its programming are free; food and drink from the avenue's restaurants are not.
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