The High Line – New York City’s newest green space

There’s a new attraction in New York City. If you’re going there for a visit and you have a head for heights (though there are walls), a visit to the new High Line greenway is definitely worth the time.

The High Line was originally built in the 1930s by the New York Central Railroad as a way to prevent the frequent fatal accidents that had been occurring when the railroad was at street level. The line closed in the 1980s and had been left to rot, pretty much, until the late 1990s, when the Friends of the High Line was formed to fight against plans to demolish the structure, as it had become something of a wildlife sanctuary.

On June 8, 2009, the first 1.45 mile section of the High Line was opened, running along the lower west side of Manhattan. The new park has been carefully restored, which involved the painstaking removal of large quantities of lead-based paint (which would be damaging to wildlife). New paths were constructed and the old tracks left in place – though they are not always visible beneath the beautiful semi-wild vegetation, shrubs and trees which cover the area.

Apart from the park itself, its location offers the visitor an unusual view of the streets below, and some examples of this can be found in the High Line Flickr Gallery.

Plans are in hand to extend the area open to the public as the work continues. It would be great if the whole of the old line was eventually turned into what may be the most unusual park in the world, but there are some problems with access to the northern portion which will need to be resolved first.

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