Project Parks- High Line

Among the remnants of railroad tracks, green springs forth in the resilient way that only nature can. It gives off a feeling of disuse, of time left to slowly reclaim what mankind had once taken hold of. Leaves nestle against steel. Linear planks of wood make room for trees to stretch their branches.

This is the High Line. It's a perfect example of an urban park. The old West Side Line had been recycled into a beautiful greenway and this was the amazing result. When walking through it, I was aware of how fluidly man and nature integrated itself into the design of this space. Around me, the city hummed. Cars below sped by without care. However high above, in the place I inhabited, the sounds seemed farther away. It was as if by entering the High Line I had discovered a place still on the verge of industrial creation. Or at the beginning of nature's takeover on our modern world. It was unlike anything I had ever seen.

I took the A train to 14th street and walked the distance to Gansevoort street. The park stretches from Gansevoort to 34th street in a long expanse of wood and carefully tended plant-life. Taking in the sights around me, the budding trees, the boardwalk below my feet, the plants growing contently in this space I felt calm.

There were vendors selling food along the path and at the edge of each side, buildings sprang up like great steel behemoths, temporarily bringing me back to reality and subsequently leaving me in awe of how such a space arrived here in the first place.

It truly is a unique experience, simple yet worthwhile. I'd recommend giving the High Line a visit. Enjoy a moment of peace before leaving it behind and walking those city streets. It's definitely worth it.