The High Line is one of those places where you almost forget you're in NYC…read more
Last night, after dinner with about 20 coworkers, we wandered up a staircase and found ourselves on this beautiful elevated walkway winding through the city. Gardens, benches, public art, apartment windows close enough that you're practically making eye contact with the people inside... and somehow, despite being in Manhattan, it all feels surprisingly peaceful.
At night, it's especially beautiful. Couples cozy up on patches of lawn and stare out at the city lights. Others are taking photos, selfies, or just people-watching. I found myself doing a little of everything while wandering farther and farther south.
Before you know it, you've walked 20 blocks and suddenly realize... well... I guess I have to turn around now.
Along the way, you might notice remnants of old railroad tracks running through the gardens and think, "What the heck are those doing up here?" That's when the curiosity really starts.
The High Line wasn't originally built as a park. It was an elevated freight railroad completed in the 1930s as part of the West Side Improvement Project. Before that, freight trains ran at street level along Tenth Avenue, so dangerously that the road became known as "Death Avenue." Yeah, who knew??
Cowboys on horseback (apparently nicknamed the West Side Cowboys) would ride ahead of trains waving flags to warn pedestrians.
The tracks were elevated, which spared pedestrians, while also transforming the neighborhood. Decades later, after the railroad was abandoned, New Yorkers saved it from demolition and turned it into one of the city's most unique public parks.
It's free, beautifully landscaped, and one of those attractions that's just as much about wandering as it is about reaching a destination. Don't rush it. Stop, look around, enjoy the history beneath your feet... and for a little while, forget you're in New York.