The High Line park debuted itself to the city of Manhattan last week — the perfect opportunity to investigate this long (1 1/2 mile) elevated park on the West Side of the city. This reprieve from the city streets below is surprisingly calm — one genuinely feels a bit smoother on the inside upon arrival. And I know this wasn’t just me — the pace of the people walking the length of the park (that spans through the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea, and Clinton’s/Hell’s Kitchen) on opening weekend was that of a meander. A rare pace in the (great!) madness that is Manhattan.
The original “High Line” was built in the 1930′s when the city decided that sending speeding trains through Manhattan was not an all-together safe idea — apparently, when the tracks were still at street level, their path was referred to as “Death Avenue” — men on horseback rode in front of the trains (West Side Cowboys!) to alert people that a train was coming. So cool! (And yet logistically frightening!)
(Image from the High Line Website– click through to see more or visit the High Line Blog for more info.)
Anyway, today they integrated the original train tracks into the design… mixing horticulture and history. A great addition to the city indeed!
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June 15, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Isimma
This is so adorable! I totally get what you mean though, about being in the city but not feeling like you are. I feel the same way when I’m on Toronto Island, a short 10 minute ferry ride from the city.