NYC: The High Line... View From Up Above!

October to now has been manic, I made it back to NYC to see something new. From Toronto to Montreal I needed to get back to the streets! This week I made It my mission to get back to NYC. There's something about this city that I'll never be able to shake away, would I want to forget New York City? Never! Jumping back on the PATH train to NYC to discover the High Line! Yes!

Taking a chance on the alternative route I chose the High Line. A once bustling network of track line that was dominated by rail wagons that carried cargo to New York City's 'Meatpacking District' and dock areas. How could a disused rail line on the banks of the 'Hudson River' be a bustling and cutting edge tourist attraction and local point of interest? The year is almost out so I wanted to seek something new because NYC is mega, so the odds of seeing a new places were on my side for sure! Looking for something completely different I exited the 33rd St bound PATH train from Newark Penn Station, getting off at 23rd St station to make my way to the High Line for I was ready to be surprised by this alternative NYC haunt, well it's more like a urban work of art! New York City has the perfect mix of city and sights, I love this place from the bottom of my heart! Yes NYC, your sleek High Line was worth the wait!

The once booming tracks of NYC's Westside are no more, a bright idea was accepted to transform the decaying elevated line. Before any intervention the High Line sort of created itself, due to nature and so on, plant life made its way onto the track bed. Along with a huge helping hand the High Line was thankfully restored into a beautiful and rustic elevated walkway. I absolutely loved the mix between the existing track line and the modern decking that looked perfect for relaxing in the summer sun, let that be for another time! I wonder if another city could recreate such a formula that the High Line has achieved? NYC is a city that has many faces and personalities that suit the changing pace of such a crazy cool place but the High Line has its own chilled out vibe, elevated on the former train tracks with its sculpted gardens and foliage, I want a UK version! I love the hustle of Times Square but the winding High Line is like the breeze compared to that crazy corner. Relax!

Stretching a little over sixteen blocks starting from Gransevoort Street in the heart of 'The Meatpacking District' right up to 30th Street. Bridging the gap between the industrial and tourist appropriate areas the High Line made me believe that its a cool and contemporary place to see New York City from a whole different view. Captured to the left is an example that shows Old and New can work well in NYC! What I loved about the High Line was that it made me feel that I was in a oasis of calm in the centre of complete mayhem, the mayhem being New York City. I loved walking along the pathway as the slow trickle of visitors didn't get in my way, for a mega-city I felt completely at ease as if I was not in NYC for the High Line's got chill. Let's go back!?

It's clear to see that 'The Meatpacking District' is undergoing a renaissance period, with the boom of several new apartments and developments being constructed all along the corners of the High Line. By this time of my placement year I had pretty much seen all the main tourist traps but had one more interesting place to discover, this being the High Line. Bearing in mind the season of winter is setting in, the frosty looking trees and under-nourished plant life looked perfect for the timing. Come on! I wasn't expecting to see the track bed full of colourful blooming flowers and healthy looking greenery, that would be simply stupid! Nonetheless, I was impressed with what I saw in the respect of plant life as they do say the autumn is one of the prettiest seasons, anyway that's what I think!

I'm definitely on the final assault of all things New York, my time living here is ticking, oh I know! the High Line is definitely a great and alternative way to see another side of NYC. If I might add the shopping just off the 14th Street exit looked exquisite, only my friend Leah could appreciate the couture on offer. If we had the money there would sure be a shopping trip on the cards! Lee let's save for Broadway! As I discovered the High Line I really got a feel for a side of New York City that I had never seen before. If you have an hour or two spare, then visit this cutting edge invention to see New York City from a whole other level. The weather was positively freezing during my time at the High Line, I wasn't alone, there was a mixture of tourists snapping photos and local New Yorkers taking a late morning jog, pushing through the December chill! New York City is magical! The High Line had me dazed.

It looks like the High Line will be steaming ahead due to a new construction program. A timeline was displayed on a notice board stating that during the 2012/2013 period, a new extension lengthening of the High Line will surpass its current end point beyond 30th Street. I don't know when I'll be visiting the High Line again but I will make time for it upon my next visit to New York City! So, I have something to look forward to when I return to New York in the future. I've done it, I saw the High Line at long last even though it took me ten months to get myself over to this side of New York City I truly believe I saved the best for last! I feel really fortunate that I got the opportunity to see such a unique thing and that I will remember for a while longer. But I still loved what I saw and what has been created out of something old. It's all about the art of reinvention. My mornings stroll along that redeveloped former railway helped me forget about the freeze, I was so feeling NYC that morning!

I Love The High Line!

Joseph Harrison