THE HIGH LINE: New York Railway Turned Into An Incredible Park (SLIDESHOW)

High Line park finally opened to the public last week. A formally elevated railway 30 feet above the city's West Side that was built in 1934 for freight trains hauling dairy products, produce and meats, has been transformed into a public park.

From the High Line's site:

When all sections are complete, the High Line will be a mile-and-a-half-long elevated park, running through the West Side neighborhoods of the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Clinton/Hell's Kitchen. It features an integrated landscape, designed by landscape architects James Corner Field Operations, with architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, combining meandering concrete pathways with naturalistic plantings. Fixed and movable seating, lighting, and special features are also included in the park.

Access points from street level will be located every two to three blocks. Many of these access points will include elevators, and all will include stairs.

CHECK IT OUT:

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Comments

[dm10003]

here's some of my pictures and videos taken on day 2:
http://s635.photobucket.com/albums/uu76/dm10003b/High%20Line%20Photos/?albumview=grid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQHCm_roDMU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16nfh14fOmA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcaCfpjkn4U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGG7UdEmKp0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U9TodUuknc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCvtsrG3gjA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dHWOrYbQYk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSw9mc74KKY

here's official high line videos and related videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTSldaSFGPk&feature=related

[blaharumph]

they're also doing this in houston!

[Nyland8]

The High Line is a fantastic space and a huge resource - but it was quite short-sighted to not include a bike path. It is a natural linear park, existing in the inner-city interstitial spaces, but for a city that's been striving for years to increase hpv traffic (human powered vehicles) it was profoundly stupid to omit a bike path from the design by buckling to the moneyed interests that lie alongside the tracks, making it for their almost exclusive use. There are now expensive apartment buildings that have a dedicated elevated park running right through them - quite a selling point.

The Northwest terminus of the High Line is right at the Southwest corner of the Javitts Center - just across the street from the bike path that circumnavigates Manhattan - and it fades down to grade level at that point in a natural ramp, descending into the West Side rail yard - a space that, up until recently, had been planned for the NY Jets football stadium. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to dedicate some portion of the substantial width of the High Line to hpv traffic, effectively extending both itself, and the Hudson River green-way. Instead, the sanest and smartest possible use of the High Line has been outlawed.

Better than nothing, perhaps. But an enormously missed opportunity for Bloomberg and the City of New York. I hope they come to their senses.

[pokemon]

Roads are for bikes.. it is short sighted to think there will be any gas powered vehicles in 30 years.

[Roguer]

Very good. In a time when we need public transportation and freight shipments by rail rather than truck, we build parks and nature walks...

Why was the elevated railway not converted to passenger rail system? Chicago is famous for its EL.

[pokemon]

To old.

[Roguer]

ah... I retract my comment as written

my area they are converting miles of old Rail Road grade to nature trails... While this is wonderful, people still have to drive to get town to town, and trucks still need to haul good... Re-establishing America's rail system should be tantamount for energy conservation. Rail used to serve almost every town in the US. The grades still are there all that needs to be done is to lay new rail and rebuilt some bridges. Turning them into nature walks seems counter productive.

[orangepetal]

Very nice, great to see the people already enjoying it.

[GrannyPants]

It seems the High Line has a magical element! I spotted it by accident on a recent trip to NYC. A week later, I heard a radio interview about a new children's book inspired by the place, The Curious Garden by Peter Brown. Now, I see it is all the rage of Chelsea. Urban meets Nature pragmatism works!

[BushBites]

Why'd they keep the tracks?

[vickskat]

Character?

It's NYC! Why WOULD they remove them? Then the park would have no personality.

[jbeach]

I'm so glad this project actually happened. I remember living in New York and looking up at the abandoned railway, and hoping this would go through. It seemed like such a no-brainer, but you never know what will actually happen until it does.

[dm10003]

the feds only want nyc money to keep, not give back. people think nyc gets fed money like alaska. but we get back only like 75 cents per dollar paid. we're considered unworthy!

[eldeppNYC]

I have been waiting with excitement for the opening of the High Line... I walk the city every day, 3, 4, sometimes 5 miles a day and was looking forward to this new park... but I will not be on the High Line any time soon as I take my walks with my dog. To my disappointment, dogs are not allowed... With 5 million pets in New York City, I do not understand why politicians think policies like this are good for the city.. or good for them in the polling booth.

[DRaymond]

I suspect that the park planners may have their reasons other than just being dog-haters. The high line is a narrow, and even more importantly, shallow park. There are no deep-rooted plants or trees. Canine activity might play havoc with the shallow pots that make up all of the landscaping.

[dm10003]

jeez, what damage dogs could do to that place!!!