RSS
Home
Meandering along Manhattan's new High Line, in a New York state of mind
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Hudson River from the High Line photo by C. Canter
Meandering along the High Line, Manhattan’s new elevated park, visitors can ease on into a New York state of mind.
When Billy Joel craved it, he crooned:
“I'm just taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line
'Cause I'm in a New York state of mind.”
Well, High Line Park, which opened June 9, is a different kind of Hudson River line. It parallels the river, on elevated tracks where freight trains ran for 50 years until 1980.
The abandoned tracks are incorporated into the park’s calming and elegant design. They emerge from wild grasses and gardens of multicolor flowers edging walkways of graceful concrete planks. Wood-slatted lounge chairs allow respite from the bustle of the city below.
A park built three stories high puts one at eye-level with seductive billboards, art installations and buildings old and new. It allows the chance to peer over flowering rooftops and down at the dynamic street life below, while gaining sweeping vistas across the city and onto Hudson River piers, both active and abandoned.
It’s a floating feeling to rise above the city’s once mean streets, now increasingly gentrified. The markets of the Meatpacking District that supplied the freight trains have turned into trendy restaurants and watering holes along Gansevoort Street, the park’s southern boundary.
The first phase of High Line Park, which opened June 9, extends from Gansevoort north to West 20th Street, in Chelsea, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues. Design is by landscape architects James Corner Field Operations, with architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro,
When all sections are complete, the mile-and-a-half-long High Line is expected to extend to 34th Street.
The park is open daily from 7am to 10pm.
Access to the High Line is possible via any of the following access points:
Gansevoort Street
14th Street (elevator access will be available later this summer)
16th Street (elevator access)
18th Street
20th Street
Visit www.thehighline.org, the official website of the High Line and Friends of the High Line for park information including its fascinating history, the preservation struggle, design insights and more.
Here are some suggestions for buying picnic supplies in the neighborhood, for al fresco dining on the High Line with its ultimate views:
Bottino, 248 Tenth Avenue at 24th St., great sandwiches and salads
Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Avenue between 15th and 16th Streets – Chelsea’s ultimate food concourse offering the best of everything to go or stay – seafood, breads, gelato – you name it!
When a picnic won’t work, there are countless wonderful nearby restaurants. Here are a few favorites, for a glass of wine or a meal:
Cookshop, 156 Tenth Avenue at 20th Street
The Red Cat, 227 Tenth Avenue at 23rd Street.
The John Dory, 85 Tenth Avenue near 15th St.
Del Posto – ask for a look at the Enoteca menu
Related Articles:
Comments
