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.
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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