A New View On The Big City
As our short break between summer classes and the start of the fall term began this past weekend, my wife and I decided to enjoy some of our free time with a trip to New York City. When I was growing up in rural Missouri, if someone said "We're going to the city" you knew they were making a trip to Kansas City. Here in Princeton "the city" almost always refers to NYC, and the trip is always of a whole different magnitude than the car rides of my childhood.
Since my arrival a little over a year ago in Princeton, I have visited NYC about half-a-dozen times. During these visits I have started to understand the subway system, learned about navigating Manhattan on foot, and gained a great appreciation for food pricing in the midwest. However, I am sure I still look like quite the tourist as I gaze in awe at the amazing buildings and the even more amazing number of people streaming through the city.
Our recent trip was no different in that regard. After worshiping at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian, we made our way to brunch near Central Park - walking along Fifth Avenue was like being carried along in a river of people, broken only by the hot dog vendors and the aggressive men wanting to sell us tours of the park. Following brunch, the river took us to the Apple store on Fifth Ave. The design of the store is simply amazing, even if walking down a spiral staircase made of nothing but glass made me a little dizzy. However, there certainly was no calm in the store. Every available spot was taken with someone checking out the latest iProduct and the staff were working full time just to keep up. As fun as it was to visit Apple's "flagship" store, I have to say I prefer a bit more calm.
Following our trip to Apple, we decided to visit somewhere different, and different it was! A fifteen minute subway ride and a five minute walk brought us to The High Line, a 20 block long, elevated park. Running from 10th to 30th, along Manhattan's west side, The High Line gives a whole new view on the city. Originally built as an elevated freight rail line, The High Line moved tons of cargo in and out of factories, warehouses, and businesses along 13 miles of Manhattan's west side. For almost half a century (1934-1980) trains ran along the track, which were elevated two stories above street level. When rail service finally was suspended in 1980, the structure was abandoned. It was not long before an entire eco-system developed on the structure, with grass, bush, trees, and wildflowers reclaiming the industrial artifact as a place to thrive. While many developers wanted to demolish the structure over the years, there were others who saw the potential for something wonderful to come out of the abandoned relic. (Read the entire history of The High Line)
Through a public-private partnership, The High Line has been transformed from an abandoned piece of NYC's past to an amazing part of its future. For 20 blocks you can walk along this amazing structure, enjoying stunning views of the city and the river, all the while being surrounded by a lush landscape of wildflowers, trees, and grasses. This is no ordinary landscaping, either. Many sections of the original track have been preserved and incorporated into the park itself, maintaining the link between the past and present of this beautiful place. In addition, the planing is based around the self-seeding that originally brought life to The High Line after the trains stopped running, and most of the species now found in the park are native to the area. (Read about the gardens on The High Line)
In short, if you ever are NYC and have an afternoon to explore, I strongly recommend checking out The High Line. It is filled with beauty, from its gardens to its history. It is most easily accessible from the 14th Street subway station (E Line), then walking. Alternately, the current uptown terminus is at 30th Street, which is a fairly easy 15 minute walk from Penn Station. There is another section of the park scheduled to open sometime in 2014 which will bring The High Line through the rail-yards surrounding Penn Station, so if all goes as planned I should have more to share with you!
Peace!