Walking on the High Line

Saturday, July 11

The High Line is a new public park that just opened this week in lower Manhattan. It is the result of a massive movement of businesses and residents in the area who wanted to make use of the elevated train tracks that were built in the 1930s to move freight trains above the busy streets of the city. The train lines have not been in use since the 1980s and a variety of trees, plants, and wildflowers have naturally grown around and between the tracks. The designers used what was there already as the basis for expanding the gardens and creating walkways that mimic the tracks. You can read more about the High Line park here.

We took the bus downtown on Saturday evening to walk along this really interesting city park. Grace loved the bus as much as she did the horses on Thursday. She held on tight, looked out the window, and sang "The Wheels on the Bus" which now has more meaning to her since she has experienced bus rides. When we got off and the bus pulled away Grace said, "Bye bus". Too cute.

The man-made paths were really well done - artistic, geometric, and planned to mirror the lines of the original tracks. They also had built-in lounge chairs to take in the sun and the views of the city on one side and the Hudson River on the other. This is definitely a place for a city stroll on a summer evening. Eventually, the park is going to extend further uptown and will have stores and places to eat. but until then, if you are planning to visit, I highly recommend one of my favorite NYC restaurants called "The Park" right at the corner of 18th Street and 10th Avenue. We stopped there for iced lattes and a cheese platter. Mmmmmm....

Near the end of our walk, Grace got a little case of the "terrible twos" and decided she didn't want to take another step. I had to laugh as people just walked around her!