High in the Sky: A Walk on the High Line

Finding ourselves down in Chelsea yesterday, right at the foot of one of the entrances to the new High Line Park, we decided to ascend and see what all the hubbub was all about.




Beside the crowds, one is immediately struck by the lovely, open airiness of the park. This Saturday was particularly hot and its was deliciously refreshing to catch the breeze off the Hudson River. It also provides you with some nice alternate views of some of downtown's architecture (most notably Frank Gehry's IAC building). We found it refreshing to get a perspective on the skyline that isn't street level.

The boundaries of the park restrict its width (its a converted railway freight line) thus making it a bit perilous on a crowded afternoon. Concrete pathways rise up to your left and right providing protection for the plant life growing along the long stretch of the park (it currently runs from Gansevoort St up to 20th St; it will ultimately head up to 30th St, then navigate west to Twelfth Ave, then back north), causing wonderful opportunities to trip and fall. A sort of railway tie theme runs throughout the park, which was designed by the landscape architecture and urban design firm James Corner Field Operations with architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro. "Peel-up" benches rise up out of the diagonal pathway design allowing visitors a spot to relax and people watch. Venturing south there is a wonderful stretch of shaded area, illuminated with long strips of tube lights graduate through shades of blue, which also acts a food court area for snacks, drinks and the every popular gelato. Just past this shelter from the intense sun, a stretch of chaise lounges provide the sun-addicted an excellent opportunity to work on their tans and melanomas. Around the 16th Street entrance (which provides elevator access to the park) there a sweet set of tiered benches in the vein of amphitheater seating which provides an interesting cutaway view of the traffic running below on Tenth Avenue.

The plantings which blend a mix of wild and deliberate species is a pleasant blend of exotic and mundane, though I question the inclusion of the insidious century plant. Perhaps exotic to a Manhattanite, they are the pernicious devil to anyone with a real garden.

For a more detailed slideshow of park plans, architectural sketches and construction views, you can check out High Line sponsored presentation at Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/friendsofthehighline/sets/72157605739397352/show/)

PS: Friends of the High Line take note. Get your commerce site up and running quick. According to the nice young woman who thanked us for visiting as I exited at 20th Street, the hottest question of the day was 'where can I get one of those cool t-shirts'. You have a guaranteed money-maker there!! Can't wait to buy mine!!