Senior Shopping and Walking Trails

Seniors  Shopping and Walking  Trails

 Benches are very important for them to be able to walk farther distances and to be able to be outside near their homes.


 -Summary of Findings :Creating an Age Friendly NY One Neighborhood at a Time 

Chelsea seniors need places to sit on our streets to be able to walk further and  more easily do their shopping. 

I live on 25th and 8th ave. I have a neighbor who doesn't shop at the supermarket next to where we live, because of the high prices. Instead she goes to the NSA supermarket on 28th and 9th where the prices are better. She has a great deal of trouble walking and needs a walker to get there. It has no seat. She sits at the bus stop bench at 28th and 9th to rest on her journey. This bench is the only sidewalk seating between where she lives and the NSA.

Another older  neighbor who has trouble walking  lives on 26th and 9th and  shops at Western Beef on West 16th off 9th Avenue.  She uses her shopping cart for stability  and the benches between 26th and 16th street to rest on her journey there and back. Her daughter told me there are long stretches with no place to sit.


Another of my neighbors shops at the Trader Joes on 6th at 21st. I'd seen her walking home down 23rd st  with two heavy bags and no place to rest.


To solve this problem and make it easier for seniors to shop/walk in Chelsea, benches have been added to key thoroughfares, turning them into Shopping/walking  trails for seniors.

9th Ave is an important senior throughfare with Western Beef, the  Fulton Senior Center, the  Elliott Chelea Norc ,  Penn South Norc ,  Penn South Senior Center,abd the NSA Supermarket  all located   on it. You'll now find  6 Citybenches have been installed on the west side of the street.

On 6th you'll find Fairway and Trader Joes,   3 Citybenches have been installed on the east side of 6th Ave.

23rd St is Chelsea's main east west throughfare. Here you'll find 5 new Citybenches have been isntalled.

 More seating is needed to enhance these new Senior shopping/walking trails. Ideally  there should be a bench on every north south  Shopping trail   and 2-3  benches on each east west shopping trail.  You can  request a bench at  nyc.gov/citybench‎

The  Moonstruck Bench at 9th Ave and 23rd streets is at an important seating  location for Chelsea seniors traveling to the Fulton Senior center.   Merle Levine who goes to the center regularly told us that while waiting for the 9th Ave bus to go to the center, there was no place for seniors  to sit at this bus stop.



 
 As  I walked past the new Moonstruck bench, I noticed an older woman walking in the opposite direction. I thought "here's a person that can use this bench" Sure enough she and her companion had a seat there.