After countless bloody accidents between freight trains and street-level traffic on 10th Avenue (also known as “Death Ave”), the city of New York decided to build an elevated train called the High Line. It served the city of New York until 1980, when it made its final trip down the tracks carrying a three carloads of frozen turkeys. Unused and facing threats of demolition, High Line neighborhood residents founded Friends of the High Line in 1999 to petition for the preservation and reuse of the line. The group’s hard work paid off and it received funding to create an elevated public park with the space.
On Tuesday, a few of us interns ventured to the High Line for its opening. After being told we can only enter at Gansevoort Street, our long trek through the wet blocks quickly turned into a relaxing stroll through the new park. After climbing a few flights of stairs, we discovered sidewalks and gardens that currently extend all the way down to 20th street. We were only able to explore the park’s first section, but upon completion, the High Line will be a mile-and-a-half long situated above the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea, and Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen. For now, however, people can walk along the rustic tracks and view the picturesque New Jersey skyline…if you could call it picturesque.
Posted by Sarah Dumoff