Celebrating Baseball’s Opening Day With New NYC Sign Drop, Curb Enthusiasm Features Professor Anne Goodchild

Celebrating Baseball’s Opening Day With New NYC Sign Drop, Curb Enthusiasm Features Professor Anne Goodchild

Editor’s note: We’ve covered several of NYC DOT’s previous sign drops, including Stan Lee Way, Beastie Boys,  and Cornelia Street. The Curb Enthusiasm podcast has featured other City Planning experts in the past, including Donald Shoup and Professor Wes Marshall. 

NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced a limited number of authentic street signs commemorating East 161 Street and Shea Road are for sale in celebration of the start of baseball season. As part of the agency’s monthly ‘sign drops’, these New York City baseball team street signs are hand-made at the NYC DOT Sign Shop, which produces over 70,000 signs each year.

Signs Replicate Existing Street Signs Near Baseball Stadiums in the Bronx and Queens. Image Credit – NYC DOT

“Springtime in New York means one thing: baseball is back, baby! Whether you have always looked great in pinstripes or are a crosstown fan who is stoked about the new additions to the lineup, all New Yorkers can root for the home team they love with one of these commemorative street signs,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “These signs will go faster than a blazing two seamer, so go get yours before it is one, two, three strikes sold-out!”

“New Yorkers show love for their favorite baseball teams year-round, but there’s nothing like when the season is back in session! If you’re going to bat for a New York City team this season, cover all the bases of support with one of these limited-edition signs that our partners at DOT truly hit out of the park,” said DCAS Commissioner Louis A. Molina. “Don’t hesitate, step up to the plate and celebrate baseball’s rich history with exclusive memorabilia that is as timeless as the game itself.”

East 161 Street stretches for 1.5 miles from Jerome Avenue to the west and Prospect Avenue to the east, passing outside the world-famous baseball stadium in the Bronx. As the street that most fans use to access the ballpark, it is also home to the crosstown Bx6 bus, which since 2017, has used an innovative offset bus-lane design to quickly connect Bronxites to the MTA’s B, D and 4 subway trains near the stadium. Shea Road, named for the iconic big-league ballpark built in 1964, is a street near the current home of baseball in Queens where many fans often pick-up rideshare after a game.

A limited release of 100 signs, 50 of East 161 Street, and 50 of Shea Road, will be sold online for $75 each and are available one per customer. All signs will be sold via the CityStore, the Official Store of the City of New York, and proceeds will benefit the city’s general fund. Like going from the dugout to the drawing room, fans can give these pieces of modern memorabilia a showcase in their own designated home or office space. Anyone can go on an intentional walk down memory lane and be singled out as a New York baseball fan extraordinaire. These signs are going quickly, so scoop them up fast like a hot corner grounder.

Monthly sign drops from NYC DOT feature signs for iconic New York City streets, commemorations of famous New Yorkers, celebrations of special occasions, and other custom releases. NYC DOT began its monthly drops in June 2024, with the release of Christopher Street/Stonewall Place street signs to commemorate Pride Month.

Other recent sign drops include:

• Love Lane to recognize Valentine’s Day
• Broadway in celebration of Broadway Week.
• Beastie Boys Square to honor the 35th anniversary of the group’s Paul’s Boutique album.
• Cornelia Street to honor the street’s prominence among pop music fans.
• Stan Lee Way to honor the comic book legend as comic fans from around the world descended upon New York City.

About the NYC DOT Sign Shop

The New York City DOT Sign Shop is in Maspeth, Queens and manufactures over 70,000 signs each year. A team of 32 Sign Shop employees hand-make street signs, highway signs, directional signs, parking signs, and more. There are about one million NYC DOT signs in use across the 6,000 miles of streets in New York City.

The monthly sign drops are the latest iteration of sales that have historically been available from the Sign Shop.

About the CityStore

CityStore is the Official store of the City of New York. CityStore is operated by the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services. 100% of sales benefit the City of New York.

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CityStore is similar to a museum store, which complements the museum by highlighting the treasures within while serving as a stand-alone retail entity for wonderful gifts, collectables and research materials. A museum store is a revenue source for the museum and reinforces and protects the integrity of the museum brand. CityStore is the ‘museum store’ for the entire City of New York.

NEW EPISODE OF NYC DOT’S CURB ENTHUSIASM PODCAST FEATURES PROFESSOR ANNE GOODCHILD

Goodchild is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Founding Director of the Urban Freight Lab (UFL) at the University of Washington

The Conversation Focuses on the Impact of Freight Policy on the Costs on Goods, Size of Freight Vehicles, the Value of Front-Line Workers, and Prioritizing Safety in the Delivery of Goods

NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced the release of the seventh episode of the agency’s Curb Enthusiasm podcast. The episode features Anne Goodchild, PhD, a professor of civil engineering, the director of the Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Center, and founding director of the Urban Freight Lab (UFL), all at the University of Washington in Seattle. The conversation focuses on the impact of freight policy on peoples’ lives via the size of freight vehicles and impacts of costs on goods, the importance of communication and connectivity between stakeholders to balance safety and the delivery of goods, Dr. Goodchild’s motivation to start the Urban Freight Lab, the role of government policy and the influence of geography and infrastructure on freight, and the value of front-line freight workers.

“This seventh episode of our Curb Enthusiasm podcast really takes a weighty look at the impact of freight policy on peoples’ lives,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Anne Goodchild, a world-renowned expert on supply chain and urban freight, delves deeply with our co-hosts into her mission to improve the safety, sustainability, and livability of the urban freight system as it relates to public space in communities with competing needs, even at the micro-distribution level.”

The Curb Enthusiasm podcast focuses on issues at the local, national, and international level and features guests who discuss the most consequential transportation work happening all over the globe.

The episode is co-hosted by Emily Weidenhof, assistant commissioner of public realm at NYC DOT, and Diniece Mendes, assistant commissioner for transit development at NYC DOT.

Curb Enthusiasm is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, BuzzSprout and other major streaming platforms. More information is available at nyc.gov/CurbEnthusiasm.

About Anne Goodchild, PhD

Anne Goodchild leads the University of Washington’s academic and research efforts in the area of supply chain, logistics, and freight transportation. She is professor of civil and environmental engineering, director of the Supply Chain Transportation & Logistics Center, and founding director of the Urban Freight Lab (UFL), all at the University of Washington. Goodchild is an international expert in the area of public/private collaboration, and her approach to research has resulted in almost 100 novel publications. She is the recipient of the 2021 PacTrans Outstanding Researcher Award, the 2021 ITE Transportation Education Council Innovation in Education Award, and the 2021 Transportation Research Board Urban Freight Committee Best Practical Implications Paper award.

Anne earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of California – Davis (BS), as well as both a Master of Science and PhD from the University of California – Berkeley.

About Emily Weidenhof, Episode Co-Host

Emily Weidenhof is assistant commissioner of public realm at NYC DOT. Emily works closely with community organizations throughout the five boroughs to transform their streets as public space. For over a decade, she has focused on strengthening communities through the creation of plazas and shared streets and retooling the curb lane for innovative programming. She’s also played an integral role in NYC DOT’s Broadway Vision Plan, which employs a range of tools to reimagine the famed Manhattan corridor from Union Square to Columbus Circle, which now prioritizes pedestrians and cyclists. Emily has worked as an architect and urban designer in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, including at the NYC Department of City Planning.

Emily received her bachelor’s degree in architecture from Pennsylvania State University and her master’s degree in architecture and urban design from Columbia University.

About Diniece Mendes, Episode Co-Host

Diniece Mendes is the newly named assistant commissioner for transit development at the New York City Department of Transportation, where she oversees the management, planning, and implementation of many complex bus lane projects and beyond.  Prior to that as the agency’s freight mobility director, Diniece spearheaded transformative programs rooted in Delivering New York and Delivering Green, enhancing the safety, efficiency, and resilience of New York City’s supply chain to bolster urban livability and economic vitality. In addition to her role at DOT, Diniece serves as Vice President on the Board of Governors for ASCE’s Transportation and Development Institute, where she champions the engineering profession and promotes diversity in STEM careers, inspiring the next generation of changemakers.

Diniece received her master’s degree in civil engineering with a specialization in transportation from University of Texas – Austin and her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from City College CUNY.

Banner Image: Sign Drop. Image Credit – NYC DOT

NYC DOT

The New York City Department of Transportation’s (NYC DOT) mission is to provide for the safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible movement of people and goods in the City of New York and to maintain and enhance the transportation infrastructure crucial to the economic vitality and quality of life of our primary customers, City residents.