Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good morning, New York City and welcome to "The Morning Pitch." You give us five minutes, and we'll give you the World Cup. But first, the energy in our city right now is incredible. Against all odds last night, the Knicks made the largest comeback in finals history. Twenty-nine points. Time and again, people have doubted the Knicks, and time and again the Knicks have proven the doubters wrong. OG Anunoby with the greatest outstretched hand since Diego Maradona. We are one game away from winning it all. I have just three words for my fellow New Yorkers: "Knicks in five."
This is an incredible time to be a sports fan and, frankly, an even greater time to being a New Yorker. Today, the Mexican and South African national teams will kick off the World Cup just as they did in 2010. And beginning this Saturday, June 13, New York-New Jersey Stadium will host eight matches just across the Hudson River, culminating in the most-watched sporting event on the planet: the World Cup final. This is a big city. And we know how to put on big events. The World Cup will be no exception. Over the next five and a half weeks, we will implement longstanding plans to ensure that our infrastructure and transportation networks run smoothly and that every New Yorker and visitor is safe. Agencies across government have been preparing for this event for months, frankly, some even for years.
And before every match held in the Tri-State Area, I will speak directly to the people, just as I am now, to share weather forecasts, transit information and World Cup updates. As we look ahead to Saturday, where Brazil will play Morocco at 6 p.m., I want to encourage match-going fans to plan ahead. Official transportation services are the best way to get to the stadium. There will be no general spectator parking at New York-New Jersey Stadium. Please purchase your NJ Transit Rail or stadium shuttle ticket in advance. Demand will be high. For those who plan to rely on rideshare, drop-off is more than one mile away from the stadium. Your best bet is to use public transit.
New Yorkers should plan for increased congestion and traffic delays, especially in Midtown Manhattan, where there will be some altered street and bus routes. On match days, there will be dedicated bus and shuttle lanes: two on both 5th and 6th Avenues, from 42nd Street to 59th Street; 42nd Street from 1st Avenue to 12th Avenue; as well as West 40th Street, between 8th and 11th Avenues; and West 41st Street, between 8th and 10th Avenues, will be bus and shuttle blocks.
Access on these blocks and lanes will be limited to New York-New Jersey Stadium shuttle busses [and] MTA busses as well as official World Cup vehicles and emergency vehicles. No passenger vehicles will be allowed. For New Yorkers lining up to take NJ Transit, we will close 33rd Street between 6th and 8th avenues as well as 32nd Street between 6th and 7th avenues on match days. These blocks will be closed to traffic, and they will be at least six hours before each match.
If you are traveling into Midtown, save yourself a headache. Park your car at home and take a bike, ride the subway, walk or take the ferry, which we have expanded to the highest level of service in city history. And please beware of taxi hustling, which is much less cool than it sounds. Our Taxi & Limousine Commission has thousands of licensed and authorized taxis, including our city's iconic yellow cabs that will take you where you need to go without ripping you off. I also want to urge every New Yorker, even those who aren't attending the matches, to prepare for extreme heat.
A combination of high temperatures and humidity means the heat index may hit 100 degrees today and tomorrow. Severe thunderstorms may also bring in strong winds and heavy downpours. These conditions are extremely dangerous. The city is activating hundreds of free public cooling centers across the five boroughs. Find the location nearest to you by visiting nyc.gov/beattheheat or by calling 311. Drink lots of water. Wear sunscreen. And look after our older neighbors who are more vulnerable to this condition.
And finally, for the many New Yorkers who are so excited to watch this tournament across our city, I encourage you to take advantage of the many opportunities to do so, because the World Cup belongs to you. There are free fan fests in all five boroughs, including our official FIFA Fan Fest in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which opens today. There are also $26 food and drink options at more than 488 restaurants across the city, tons of free events and soccer exhibits [and a] mini-pitch in Central Park where you can practice your skills.
