NEW YORK CITY: THE HIGH LINE

In the 1930s New York City city planners designed an innovative elevated railroad called the "High Line" for shipping freight throughout the city. It eliminated 105 street-level railroad crossings that had caused many accidents and deaths. Thirteen miles of track were laid  at about third-story level, allowing trains to connect with warehouses and factories and virtually eliminating the impact of industry on city traffic.

As interstate trucking grew in the 1950s, the use of the High Line began to decline, and over the next 30 years, use of the elevated trains gradually diminished before finally grinding to a halt in the 1980s. While still structurally sound, the tracks fell into disrepair and became an eyesore, and so they were slated for demolition. In the late 1990s, however, a nonprofit organization called for repurposing the tracks as an elevated park or greenway, following the model of the Promenade Plantée in Paris.

Construction began in 2006, and the first section opened in 2009. Two more sections have since been completed and opened, with a fourth section to open in 2018. Almost all of the High Line's substantial annual operating expenses come from private donations.

The southernmost entry to the High Line can be accessed from the Whitney Museum, which makes the pathway almost feel like an extension of the museum. Strolling along the 1.45 miles of redesigned railroad track seemed like the perfect way to cap off our visit to the Whitney.

We couldn't have made a better choice for our Thursday evening (in spite of the +90° temperatures). The High Line is one of my new favorite things in New York City. I think I could spend a whole day walking its planks, sitting on its benches to do some serious people watching, exploring its vegetation, checking out its plethora of unique art and architecture, and admiring its creative landscaping.

In order to best capture our experience in New York City's most unique park, the pictures in this post are presented in the exact order that I took them rather than grouped by topic.

The High Line is far from being a straight walking track lined with plants. It has some of the most interesting landscaping I've ever seen. For example, strips of greenery poking up between long slashes in the concrete give the feeling of grass growing between tracks:

What I assume are original rusted metal railings and rotting wood ties from the original railroad form boundaries for various garden plots:

Buildings bordering and reflecting the park create an interesting intersection of natural and man-made environments:

The variety of plants and the upkeep that must be involved is mind boggling:

The High Line provides bird's eye view of cross streets:

A turn off that allowed the trains to connect directly with a warehouse or factory has also been landscaped:

In the ultimate NYC reality show, stadium-style seating allows visitors to watch the street as if it were a television show of unending episodes:

More blending of natural and man-made materials:

There is no trash. There is no tagging. There is no loud music. There are no scary people loitering in the bushes. It was hard to believe we were in the heart of Manhattan!

From sculptures to murals, High Line is filled with public art, some permanent, some not. "Mutations" is a free open-air exhibition that runs on the High Line from April 20, 2017, to March 30, 2018. It's purpose is to explore the relationship between man and nature, and to examine how that relationship is changing. Rest In by Chinese artist Guan Xiao includes dinosaur-like cast footprints and vertebrae topped by . . . ? something black:

I wish I had gotten a better picture of this mural entitled the floaters by Henry Taylor, whose work I had so admired at the Whitney.  It shows Taylor and a friend relaxing in a swimming pool in Palm Springs:

I have no idea what this one is called or who created it, but isn't it awesome? It reminds me of the series of symbols used in cartoons to replace swear words:

Even an ordinary restaurant becomes extraordinary when seen from the High Line (and suddenly, it's prime real estate):

This residential tower is named HL23 (HL for High Line) and is actually wider on top than bottom, maximizing its expensive NYC real estate footprint:

In the early evening, the streets of this part of the city don't look too crowded:

Here is another piece in the temporary art show "Mutations," The Swallower Swallowed by Jon Rafman:

This creepy food chain includes a whale, a pig, a lizard, a dog, and a human:

Another piece in the "Mutations" show are these bronze high-heeled, pointy-toed, extra large shoes by Sascha Braunig entitled Giantess. To me, they look like shoes left behind by a witch:

Polish artists Joanna Malinowska and C. T. Jasper installed two gramophones sarcastically entitled The Emperor's Canary. One plays a recording of the Great Pacific garbage patch (a Texas-sized pile of discarded plastic and other rubbish caught in a vortex in the Pacific Ocean), and the other plays a recording of a person with black lung disease. Thankfully, when we were there, the gramophones were silent and we could continue to live in denial of these environmental and human catastrophes:

The variety and beauty of vegetation on the High Line is astounding:

. . . as is the surrounding architecture:

How is the High Line kept in such pristine condition? I didn't notice a huge security presence. There are rules posted, but these rules posted in other places don't keep them from being vandalized or abused. It's a mystery.

As we neared the end of the road tracks, our path took a sharp left turn to circumvent the Penn Station Rail Yards. This is the northernmost phase of the park and features more natural, self-seeding plantings. (Is that just a euphemism for "We haven't gotten around to pulling the weeds"?)

This section provides a panoramic view of the Hudson River on the west and the busy city to the east.

Information on the ambitious plans for this neighborhood is posted on the High Line fence:

We could see that the transformation is well underway:

The diversity of sights on the High Line is mind boggling. Who knows what you might see next? Maybe even somebody famous, like Mozart and his sweetheart, for example:

Step off the High Line, and you're back to NYC ground level, which isn't so bad either.

What an awesome place.  I'll be back.