 Good morning. Welcome to Fifth Avenue for all. I'm Ed Hogan, the chairman of the Fifth Avenue Association. For over 100 years, our Association has promoted and preserved Fifth Avenue as a place for all New Yorkers and visitors to come together and enjoy. Today, we begin a new holiday tradition, transforming Fifth Avenue into a pedestrian-only experience for the three Sundays in December. There's no better way to partake in the magic of the season than to walk this great avenue with world-class shopping, dining, and cultural institutions. Today, Fifth Avenue will be free of cars and vehicles. Visitors will have unfettered views of the most incredible holiday window displays. It is our hope that everyone will spend more time on the avenue, forge new experiences and memories of this storied street. This great feat is because of Mayor Eric Adams' forward-thinking vision and his administration's dedication to Fifth Avenue, the front door of our city. In addition to Mayor Adams, Deputy Mayor Mayor Yoshi and their dedicated teams, I'd like to thank Bob Lawet, the retiring president of the Fifth Avenue Association. Bob's dedicated team has been working hand-in-hand with our city to make today possible. A special thanks to those who are part of our program today, including Deputy Mayor Mayor Yoshi, Borough President Mark Levine, Department of Transportation Commissioner Yandas Rodriguez, Chief of Staff to Mayor Adams Frank Carone, Vice President of the Food Bank for New York City, Janice Robinson, President and CEO of New York and company Fred Dixon, and the incoming president of the Fifth Avenue Association, Marie Booster. It's my pleasure to introduce Deputy Mayor Yoshi. Good morning, and thank you, Ed. Also, thank you for the long list of thank-yous, so I don't need to repeat them all. It is a real pleasure to be here this morning, 12 days of Christmas, 11 blocks of open streets. So we know New Yorkers love their open space, and today is another example of how the Adams administration is committed to keeping that love alive. 50 years ago, Mayor Lindsey tried this. He closed Fifth Avenue. It was an experiment to test, to see if New Yorkers really enjoyed an open, pedestrian-only Fifth Avenue. But today we don't need to test. We have plenty of examples around our city about the positive economic and social benefits we get when we let people enjoy the streets of New York City. We have our Summer Streets program, which has been thriving for years, and this year attracted more people than ever before. And with three Sundays in December, we're having winter open streets, too. So I can't think of a better way to celebrate the holidays. But another thing about open streets, there's a recent report that came out about the economic benefits of open streets. More people means more activity, more vibrancy, which helps the economy for the entire city. So for those who enjoy shopping, you'll have not just online experiences this holiday season. You can get the true retail experience and do it casually with the customer service that is the hallmark of Fifth Avenue. And for those that are interested in the eye candy that Fifth Avenue brings, there's plenty of holiday windows. There'll be public seating so you can sit back and people watch. There'll be vendors on the street, and there'll be programming. So today marks the first day of a long effort to bring boulevards back to New Yorkers, and we're happy to be here for the launch. Next, I'd like to bring up Chief of Staff for our Mayor, Eric Adams, Frank Carone. Thank you, Deputy Mayor Yoshi, and for all that you do, and for, of course, putting the mic in the right place for me, finally. So anyone who walks around the city knows and feels the energy and the vibe that New York is certainly back. And today, New York continues to make history, and this administration is dedicated to doing just that. This section of Fifth Avenue hasn't been open to the people for half a century. I invite New Yorkers on behalf of the Mayor and millions of visitors alike to come out and see history being made. So bring someone special, take a stroll right down the middle of Fifth Avenue, grab a warm drink, take pictures in front of Rock Center, and as the Mayor always says, please spend money. Feed into our ecosystem. An open Fifth Avenue is good for people, and it's good for New York City businesses alike. We know that people spend money when they shop on our streets, and this year, we're helping New Yorkers spend money locally. If you don't have to travel, you certainly don't have to travel to Paris or London to experience world-class shopping, restaurants, pedestrian-free streets, and just interact with one another and feel the energy. It's all a short walk or train ride away or a taxi camp. Open Streets is one part of New York City's plan to support local businesses this holiday season. Local businesses are our lifeblood to our economy, and this administration stands in lockstep with them. New Yorkers work hard, but the holidays are a time for everyone, no matter what your age or income, to come together and to relax. And now you can do that right here on Fifth Avenue. Thank you, everyone. Cross New York City and our partners for making history on Fifth Avenue, and I may get in trouble for saying this, but stay tuned. More announcements are to come in the weeks ahead. This is what happens when we collaborate across agencies and get stuff done for New York City. Happy holidays, everyone. I look forward to seeing everyone on our streets this holiday season. Thank you so much. Thank you. Next, I'd like to introduce our DOT Commissioner, Yadonis Rodriguez. Thank you, the Premier Chief of Staff, Fran Corone. On behalf of Mayor Eric Adams, we are here to tell all New Yorkers that we heard what most New Yorkers want loud and clear. We want administration that continue working to reimagining the use of public space. I was born and raised in a beautiful island in the Dominican Republic. Nice weather, but back there, we are only 48, 45,000 square mile where 10 million people live. In New York City, we are only 350 square mile, where we have 8.6 million residents, where this year, even coming after COVID, we have received more than 45 million tourists. So it's a big responsibility that we have in New York City to continue reimagining the use of public space. So as you are sitting today, as New Yorkers and visitors, they will be coming to the Lincoln Center and Lincoln Plaza and enjoy this avenue. What we are telling New York City is we're working so hard to reimagine the use of public space. And this is what we have done. We did car free day from Union Square to 46th Street, Washington Night in different area across the five worlds. We did the Summit Street, as you heard from the Deputy Mayor, not only starting at the Brooklyn Bridge and going through Park Avenue to 72nd Street, we went to El Barrio to 109th Street. And this year, we are still in conversation with leaders from Queens and Brooklyn that want for the city to expand the Summit Street. But also, we've been expanding bike lane. We've been expanding bus lane. We have created and expanded the pedestrian plazas. We put together the open restaurants who save 100,000 Joe, with 12,000 open restaurant in the city of New York. We have started for the first time this year, the Halloween Trick or Street. And today, we are saying New York is, yes, we can do Fifth Avenue. So on behalf of Mayor Adam, together with the Deputy Mayor and the Chief of Staff, we are saying to all New Yorkers and Visitors, in these three Sundays, there's enough space for New Yorkers and Visitors to come and enjoy the Fifth Avenue. Thank you. Hoy estamos aquí para decirles a la ciudad de Nueva York, el liderazco de Eric Arring, the Deputy Mayor Yoshi, el Chief of Staff Frank Corone, estamos reimaginando el uso de los espacios públicos en esta ciudad para que haya más espacio para los peatones, para los ciclistas, para los New Yorkinos y los visitantes. And thank you to the men and women, YPD and the Fire Department to be also great partners in this initiative. Thank you. Thank you. And next we'll hear from NYC and Company President and CEO Fred Dixon. Thank you so much, Deputy Mayor. Good afternoon, everyone. It is great to see you on this Sunday as we kick off New York City's largest ever holiday season open street. It is such an exciting time and we represent the tourism industry, of course, on behalf of all of the workers and the businesses that represent the travel industry of New York City. We are thrilled that the streets are buzzing with the continued return of visitors. And with the holiday season in full swing, the energy and excitement is just going to continue to grow. The enduring appeal of New York City is once again drawing visitors from around the globe. In fact, we expect approximately six and a half million visitors between Thanksgiving and New Year's alone. Bringing our year in total to 56.4 million travelers or about 85% of our 2019 record visitation. International visitation in particular is expected to triple this year, which is important because they stay longer and they spend more and they definitely come to shop and they're going to welcome an open Fifth Avenue. Interesting fact, one international traveler equals the spending of four domestic. So they are incredibly important and we are thrilled to have them back. Hotel demand in terms of total room nights sold citywide is now pacing 94 to 95% of the 2019 benchmark showing that travelers are returning in a big way and New York remains in the top 25 for hotel occupancy and ADR. As visitors continue to travel in to enjoy the holiday season, shopping and the iconic experiences of Fifth Avenue will be high on their list. So making this popular thoroughfare car free on Sundays will enhance the experience while also improving safety. Now Fifth Avenue, it's no surprise, of course, is one of the most iconic streets in our city contributing to the dynamism and the vibrancy that makes this city the greatest destination in the world. On behalf of my colleagues in government and thanks to Mayor Adams for his leadership. We encourage visitors and locals alike to make the most of these car free Sundays and to support the small businesses in this area. Thank you, everyone. Happy holidays. Thank you, Fred. And behind the glitter and all of the wonderful windows are a host of men and women that work for the city of New York that make this possible. So I do want to take a moment to call them out. The men and women of New York City Department of Transportation, the men and women of New York City Fire Department and the men and women of our New York City Police Department that ensure that we have safe public space to all of us to enjoy. Two other partners, the Small Business Services, over here. Thank you very much. And Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, both vital partners in making today and every other Sunday to follow a reality. Next we'll hear from our Manhattan Borough President, Mark Levine. Thank you. Don't sleep on small business services. They're out here rolling deep this morning. We appreciate you and all the city agencies. Thank you, Madam Deputy Mayor. Thank you, Chief of Staff, my brother, Commissioner Irano Rodriguez. Let's just take a moment to appreciate we're in the middle of Fifth Avenue. We're not dodging cars. We're not dodging trucks. We're standing. We're sitting. We're walking in this incredible iconic place. Is this amazing? It's awesome. Absolutely awesome. All over Manhattan, all over New York City, we are proving that when you open up streets to people, you open up a world of possibilities for recreation, for exercise, for entertainment, for commerce. You make our city safer and more vibrant. And that is definitely true right here. There is no place in the world like Fifth Avenue for the holidays. Am I right? It's amazing. And there's no better way to enjoy it than on foot. You have to walk this street to feel it, to experience it. And you shouldn't have to be dodging traffic to do that. So today is an incredible opportunity for all of us as New Yorkers. And I want to make it very clear, make no mistake, this is economic development. This is good for business. There are people who will come here because they know they can walk Fifth Avenue. This is good for tourism. Am I right, Fred Dixon? This will be good for this shopping district. This is not just about healthy recreation. And if you enjoy today, you have two more opportunities. Next Sunday, the 11th of December, and one more chance on the 18th of December. And while you're here, you can enjoy the entire Rockefeller Center area, which has been fully pedestrianized every day. There's never been a better time to be here on Fifth Avenue for the holidays. Midtown is back. New York City is back. Enjoy Fifth Avenue. Happy holidays, everybody. Thank you. Thank you, Barrow President. And now Food Bank Vice President Janice Robinson. Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. I'd like to first of all thank Ed Emery and the Fifth Avenue Association for inviting Food Bank for New York City to be a charity partner for this year's first Fifth Avenue for all. We are very excited to be part of this event. And we want to remind you all that in the midst of the festivities, there's still a tremendous need here in New York City. There are about 1.6 million New Yorkers who are food insecure. So that is one in every six New Yorkers. We at Food Bank remain undeterred and really here to provide support, but we invite you to join us in our effort. We have a goal to raise 40 million meals by the end of 2022. You can help us with that effort along Fifth Avenue. You'll notice signs by the toys that have our QR code. We invite you to support us. And again, if you have any questions about our effort, please do go to our website, www.foodbanknyc.org. But again, we thank the Fifth Avenue Association for inviting Food Bank for New York City to be the charity partner this year. Thank you. Thank you, everyone. We have now an opportunity to cut a ribbon, I believe, right? Oh, a huge shout out for the Fifth Avenue Association and President Marie Boster. Hi, I'm Marie Boster, the President of the Fifth Avenue Association. Another huge welcome for being here today. I want to give a special thanks to the board members of the Fifth Avenue Association who support the important work to promote to promote this most iconic and beautiful street. There's no better place to experience the holidays than Fifth Avenue. And not only is it a beautiful place to be, it's a critical economic engine for New York City. Fifth Avenue represents five percent of the workforce of the entire city. A quarter of a million people call this place their workplace. And it's also a critical part of the economic ecosystem for the city. Five percent of the tax revenue come from Fifth Avenue. So spend money, enjoy the avenue. And I am now couldn't be more excited for us to cut the ribbon. And then here from New York's most dynamic, most wonderful, and most exciting marching band, Brooklyn United. And when we cut the ribbon, if you have a bell, please ring that bell to welcome all of the people to Fifth Avenue for all.