New York The High Line

The High Line is a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. It’s incredibly Unique!  It runs between West 34th Street and Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District between 10th and 12th avenues. It’s owned by the City of New York and operated by both Friends of the High Line and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.  

The High Line opened to the public in 2009, of course just after we moved away from the area, and is in my opinion a must-see when visiting New York!  It offers great views, beautiful gardens, interesting art, tours, quite a few food choices, and many lovely places to sit and relax.  Although it is elevated there are railings on both sides and the pathways are surprisingly wide. Considering that I am a self labeled Over Protective Mother these are very important points for me!!

I’ve visited both in the daytime and at night, its open until 11 pm in the summer time, and loved it both times! On this most recent visit we found ourselves in the park at night and even the boys, who I admit can occasionally get tired of our desire to wander endlessly, really enjoyed it!  We started on the Gansevoort side as we were already in the area for dinner.  A great way to add a little something to an already lovely evening and as a bonus we had great views of the Empire State Building which was all lit up for the 4th of July!

My idea of a perfect New York outing would be to start with a High Line journey at the West 34th Street entrance and then wander along until the very end of the line which puts you right at the entrance to the new Whitney Museum of American Art.  If you’re not with kids I would also suggest that there are many lovely shops and galleries to visit in this area as well. Dinner or a drink at any of the wonderful restaurants or bars in the very trendy Meatpacking District would top it off!