Monday, March 26, 2012

Found Art – The High Line


You may argue that a park is not art, but in the case of the High Line I think you’d agree with me that it is.  It has outdoor sculpture and artistic plantings, ghost signs, views of  the Hudson river and even a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty in the distance.
Live birds were checking out this sculpture for real estate
 And, in the other direction, you can gaze at cityscapes including the Empire State building. 
 Even the billboards and graffiti seen from the High Line seem like art.
I’d been hearing raves from New Yorkers about this newest park.  I finally got to visit it on March 13th, when one of the first really spring-like days brought Manhattanites out to stroll, visit, photograph or just soak in the sun.
Originally—in the 1930’s-- the High Line was an elevated freight rail line above the streets of Manhattan’s West Side. The trains carried freight from docked ships into warehouses, where it was stored.  
In the mid-1980’s a group of property owners lobbied for demolition of the entire structure, but the Friends of the High Line was founded in 1999 and ultimately won the City to their point of view—to “reclaim the High Line” by turning it into an elevated park (accessible by elevators as well as stairs).
The High Line runs on Manhattan’s West Side from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street between 10th & 11th Avenue.  The first section of the High Line opened on June 9, 2009 and the second section, which runs between West 20th and West 30th Streets, opened June 8, 2011.  Now they’re talking about a third section.
On the High Line there is room for picnicking, sunbathing and people-watching, and in the summer, street vendors sell food and drink, all made from local ingredients.  Soon The Green Table—an open-air café—will open as well, featuring food from environmentally friendly farms. 
On March 13 there were no food vendors, but everyone was luxuriating in the promise of spring.





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