The Big Apple already has plenty of attractions to offer visitors: the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center, that Sex and the City Tour. And this summer, it’s getting one more: a zip line. Yes, the exit route of choice of villains and inadvertent vector for flesh-eating bacteria is taking up residence in New York City’s Union Square this summer as part of the annual Summer Streets Festival.
The zipline sits 30 feet above the mean streets of New York, at East 17th Street and Park Avenue South, and runs for 160 feet. According to NY1, the local news station, most people testing the ride out found it scary, but immediately went back for more. “It’s a great idea for a bit of a good rush in the morning, great way to wake you up,” one zip line user said. “I don’t have to have a coffee this morning, I’ve done this.”
(MORE: College Student Battles Flesh-Eating Bacteria After Zip Line Accident)
This Annual Summer Streets event will be held on August 4, 11 and 18. It’s billed as the city’s biggest block party, in which seven miles of city streets are blocked off, from the Brooklyn Bridge all the way to 72nd Street; instead of being filled with gridlocked taxis, the roads will feature exhibitions and activities ranging from yoga to dance classes, a 25-foot climbing wall, and, of course, the zip line.
While a zip line over Manhattan is for thrillseekers only, New Yorkers will most likely agree: It’s no scarier than the L train at rush hour.