Tag: The High Line

Outdoor activities in NYC, Summer of 2020

Published on by juliebrannanLeave a comment

Since March of 2020, New York City has been fighting a war against Covid-19, and we have had to adjust many of the details of our daily lives. I am working on a post about what I witnessed during the months of lockdown (see it here), but this post focuses on what summer activities we can now do safely. Of course, our parks remain a respite from the city, as they were even during lockdown, but with so many indoor activities understandably closed now for safety reasons, what are other outdoor adventures we can still experience? In the past few weeks I have taken the ferry to Rockaway Beach, visited Governors Island, and walked the High Line park. All three experiences, while very worthwhile, are different from what they were in the past, and all have prioritized safety and continuing to keep New York’s infection rate under control.

Rockaway Beach

I have written before about traveling to Rockaway Beach (see that post here). For the trip this month, I used Citibike to get to the Wall Street ferry station and back. The ferry now has an app and you can load tickets on the app before boarding, eliminating touching paper tickets or handing them to others (find the app and instructions here). Riders keep six feet apart from each other while lining up to board, and masks are required at all times. In fact, even on the top deck with the wind blowing, mask wearing was constantly enforced by the ferry staff. When you get off the ferry, you are a few blocks’ walk to the beach. While I did see people take off masks at the ocean, mask wearing was required on the boardwalk. There are a few places to eat open on the boardwalk, and although I didn’t try any, I did see social distancing was being enforced while waiting on line. The trip back involved a walk back to the ferry, a very pleasant ferry ride back to Manhattan, and then a Citibike home. For $2.75 each way, it’s a relatively easy way to get out of the city during these days when traveling is not recommended.

High Line Park, blissfully uncrowded

For months, the High Line Park was closed. Anyone who had been on it before the pandemic knew why – the park, while exceptionally lovely and unique, was always crowded. You can see a post from when the High Line had recently opened here. The park is only open now from Gansevoort Street to 23rd Street, reservations are required (get yours here), the park is only open from noon to 8 PM, and attendance is kept very low. That last difference is what makes it possible now to walk the High Line and almost experience it as a solitary stroll, delightful and unheard of before!

The dots show six feet of distance as a reminder

The sign above sums it up: masks are required, you only walk the park in one direction, and you should keep 6 feet of distance from others. There are dots everywhere demonstrating what six feet is. However, I had no problem keeping many multiples of six feet away from others. As you will see in the photos below, quite often it felt as though I had the High Line to myself.

The peaceful expanse of the High Line when nearly empty

Finally, I also went to Governors Island this month, which I have enjoyed many times before and blogged about here. Again, I took a Citibike to the ferry terminal. Reservations are required in advance and tickets were loaded to my phone (find out how to reserve here). If you are an IDNYC holder, the ferry is absolutely free. Reservations are limited to prevent crowding on the ferry, and you are required to reserve both your time to leave and your time to return. We waited for the ferry in designated circles six feet apart, and masks were required at all times. The ferry ride is short (unlike the one to the Rockaways). Once you get there, the island is huge compared to how many people they are allowing to visit at this point. Citibike stations exist at three places on the island, including one very close to the ferry terminal, so it is easy to bike to different places on the island as well as walk. When there, you truly feel as if you have gone far out of the city, even as you see extraordinary views of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

Wonderful Governors Island

New York City has gone to extraordinary lengths to control this novel coronavirus – and to keep ourselves safe, we will likely need to adapt for some time yet. However, it is important to remember that while we miss so many things about our city, there are also many delightful summertime experiences that still beckon to us.

The High Line

Published on by juliebrannan3 Comments

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In previous blog posts I have discussed the concept of a dérive, an unplanned walk through an urban environment, and also mused on why city dwellers might be willing to pay a premium for a view of nature. This week’s derive is a little less unplanned, but might be one of the best examples of the value of being able to experience a taste of the countryside within the heart of Manhattan. The High Line is a one mile long park built along a previously abandoned railway line on the West Side of lower Manhattan. Beginning in the Meatpacking District on Gansevoort Street three blocks south of 14th Street, and continuing through Chelsea to 10th Avenue and 30th Street, this unique city park opened in 2009, with a northern expansion opening in 2011. It has spurred real estate development in this area, and many of the newer buildings specifically incorporated the High Line into their building plans.

In the mid-19th century, there was a non-elevated railroad along 10th Avenue, leading to so many accidents the area was called “Death Avenue.” The creation of an elevated railroad along 10th Avenue eliminated many of these dangerous crossings, and the trains could stop and deliver goods inside of the buildings without disrupting traffic. However, by the 1960’s the railway was no longer used and much of the elevated area fell into disrepair.  Scheduled for demolishment in the Giuliani years, it was saved by the creation of a non-profit organization, Friends of the High Line, in 1999. By 2004 NYC had earmarked $50 million to create a public park along sections of the remaining elevated track, and the first section opened in 2009. A huge success, the High Line has been virtually crime-free, in part because of the high visibility the park has from the surrounding buildings.

Starting at the southernmost end of the High Line, you can see the site of the new Whitney Museum of American Art, scheduled to move from its Lenox Hill location next year. Walking up to begin a tour of the High Line, you are struck by the wild beauty of the flowers and plants surrounding you, and the contrast of that with the gritty urban buildings rising on either side. The High Line seems an organic part of the neighborhood, with buildings seeming to grow around it. Walking along the High Line, it is interesting to see the railroad tracks appearing on occasion, sometimes recessed within the pathway and other times raised above it. The texture of the path itself changes over the course of the walk, echoing the changes in plants and flowers along different sections of the High Line.

As you pass 15th Street, look east and imagine the first Oreo cookie being made, in the same year that the Titanic sank. In New York, the layers of history are interesting to learn, this trendy neighborhood having seen many different incarnations over the years. When you get to 16th Street, consider popping downstairs to visit Chelsea market, in the former factory of the National Biscuit Company. Fruit, bread, wine, cheese, desserts, or prepared meals – there are a multitude of interesting shops to provide you with something to eat. At 18th Street, your eyes are drawn west to the fabulous Frank Gehry IAC building. Completed in 2007, it looks a bit like a huge glass bee hive. At 27th Street, look west to the south side of the street, and try and spot the McKittrick Hotel, not a hotel at all, but rather the home of the immersive theater piece, Sleep No More, created by British Punchdrunk Productions. I recently wrote a blog post  about immersive theater in general, so for now, just note that it is an enormous theater/art installation/dance piece in which you choose which parts of the story to follow. Consider stopping by the Heath, a restaurant on the top floor of the “hotel,” or having drinks at Gallows Green on the roof during warmer months.

I recently went to a presentation of a new residential building being built a block from the High Line; although it is about 18 months away from being completed, it launched sales a month ago and is already a third sold. The High Line can’t take credit for the radical changes in Chelsea, but it is certainly a unique injection of nature into this quintessential downtown neighborhood.