The High Line - Manhattan's Newest Park

On my way home from the Law School, this afternoon, I took a detour in the West Village in order to experience The High Line, Manhattan newest park.  And this is, quite literally, a park.  The structure is under the ownership of the New York City Parks & Recreation Department, although it is being directly constructed and maintained by a specially-formed non-profit corporation.  The first section, stretching from Gansevoort Street in the West Village up to West 20th Street, Chelsea, has just been open a few weeks, and I was eager to see for myself what all the excitement is about.

The excitement is justified.  This is a terrific amenity, a brilliant addition to Manhattan's distinguished collection of public places.  The High Line is an old elevated railroad track that used to run down the far West Side from midtown deep into Greenwich Village.  The trains were strictly freight, making deliveries from goods that came across the Hudson River to the midtown docks.  Given its utilitarian purpose, the High Line actually ran through some warehouse type buildings, and some buildings were constructed around it.  As trucks replaced trains as delivery mechanisms in Manhattan, its use decline until trains stopped running entirely several decades ago and it was abandoned and fell into disrepair.  Some sections down in the Village were dismantled to make way for development of the far West Village, but preservationists got their act together and stopped further dismantling.  Then some visionairies proposed turning it into an elevated park for a neighborhood that doesn't exactly have a surplus of park and recreation land, and with help from many generous donors and some government money, they have begun to turn their dream to reality.

This first completed section is a marvel.  Beautiful plantings, conveniently placed benches, a little amphitheatre constructed in a boxy bend of the bridge, conveniently placed access steps (and an elevator at 16th & 10th Avenue for those who need assistance to get up there), marvelous views of the Hudson River and the industrial landscape of the far West Side.... even at just about ten blocks for now, it is an absorbing adventure to walk it.  And, unlike the foot traffic on the street, up here almost everybody seems relaxed, smiling, basking in the quietude of no cars.  I can see this becoming a favorite hangout for some, a place to sunbathe, a place to contemplate, a place to meet friends...  I think this is going to be a big hit with natives and tourists alike.  And I can't wait for the rest of it to be completed.  Everybody, donate!

The best place to access the High Line is at either end, Gansevoort Street or West 20th Street.  Each end is a bit inconvenient to the subways - a bit of a hike - but worth the effort.  Open hours during the summer are 7 am to 10 pm.  I was there around 6 pm and there was a nice crowd without it being oppressively crowded.  I imagine it is truly spectacular after dark!  And it will probably be thronged for the 4th of July....