UPPER WEST SIDE — Yoga-lovers, moms and kids, office workers with tight muscles, and even construction workers have been flocking to a lunchtime yoga and music series that kicked off last week in Lincoln Square, according to local officials.
The Lincoln Square Busines Improvement District launched the free event in Richard Tucker Square, a tiny public park on West 66th Street nestled between Columbus Avenue and Broadway that was once just a "a deserted little park," said BID president Monica Blum.
"The only thing you had there were cobblestones," she said.
The series, held on Wednesdays through Sept. 25 from 12 to 2 p.m., saw 160 people turn out during the first session last week — its biggest turnout since starting six years ago.
"We had to bring extra chairs," Blum noted.
Without room to spread out mats, YogaWorks, which hosts the yoga lessons, has participants do what Blum characterizes as "great limbering exercises" from their chairs.
"It’s very cute," she said of the crowd of people who twist and turn in their seats.
The stretching starts around 1 p.m. in between the sets by bands known for their ability to broadcast and entertain a crowd above the din of honking horns and ambulances.
Musicians are drawn from the MTA's Music Under New York program and range from Catahoula Cajun Band to The High & Mighty Brass Band, with two bands performing each session.
"People are looking for things to do in the neighborhood that are free," she said, noting that arts-loving visitors also want less-expensive entertainment.
The series also includes free brownies and lemonade from P.J. Clarke's, as coupons for free eats from the Wafels & Dinges cart nearby.
For a full schedule, click on the Lincoln Square BID's events page.
