The best way to experience New York City is to walk it. One of more recent additions to the city’s walking scene is the lower West Side’s High Line park, located on a former elevated rail spur that runs through the Meatpacking District.
Take a walk along New York City's High Line
Opened in 1934 to replace the West Side’s street level rail line, aka Death Alley, the High Line was unique in that it traveled down the center of the blocks, right through factories and warehouses where freight could be loaded and unloaded easily and securely. Today the walking park runs right through the Chelsea Market building.
Hardy urban native plants keep the High Line green
The line was dismantled and abandoned in pieces through the 1960s and 1970s with the last train carrying 3 cars of frozen turkeys in 1980. The remaining 1.45 length of track was gradually taken over by tough urban grasses, plants and trees during the 1990s. In the late 1990s a group of local advocates for open spaces raised awareness and built support for the city to turn it into a public park.
A view of the Hudson River from the High Line
The first third of the restored park opened for use in 2009. The next section is scheduled to open in June 2011. From the first day the park has been a hit with city dwellers and visitors alike.
Enjoy the shade on the High Line
The concrete path winds along the elevated walkway leaving lots of room for the plants as well as places to sit and enjoy the views down side streets. There is even an urban outdoor theater carved out of what was a trestle over 10th Avenue.
Urban theater on the High Line
#1 Son took these pictures while he and his classmates explored the the High Line as part of their field trip to New York City. We are pretty sure it looked and smelled a lot better than it did back in the industrial era they studied in school! Visit here if you want to see more of his New York City photos.
Looking for other great places to walk in New York City? Check out past posts on walks through Central Park, over the Brooklyn Bridge and down Broadway.
And finally, we’d like you to know we shared these photos with the Delicious Baby Photo Friday page – stop over there to see lots more fun family travel images.
The teens have been busy traveling without the parents this spring from Washington DC to service trips. Mom and Dad are getting used to them being on the road without us, although we are a little jealous. The most recent expedition was #1 Son’s 4-day American Studies junket to New York City with 15 classmates and three teachers who have been spending this school year exploring the last 150 years of American history, literature and culture. They figured there was no better way to make it real than to see it in person in the Big Apple. 
