Perhaps New York's best worst kept secret, the High Line didn't exist when I lived in Manhattan. The concept was simple enough: convert disused railway lines and viaducts into an elevated park. Cities like Paris have done just that. And so in 2005, the idea was sprung; in June 2009, the first section of the park was opened.
We picked up the trail at its start, just three blocks south of my old school at 14th Street and Gansevoort Street. The path winds its way around buildings, apartment blocks and above lanes of traffic up to 34th Street. This idea charmed Paul immensely. He loves a cityscape and he loves a green space. The High Line does both immense justice.
We caught glimpses of graffiti.
Communist flags and art:
And fancy touches to remind you that you're in the greatest city in the world.
Buildings loomed up ahead:
And the river opened up to the West. Magnificent.
Central ParkThe city's other big open space loomed large in Paul's imagination too. Because the weather was so good, we took several strolls through various parts of the park. In a final jaunt, we tried to find the ice rink made famous by lots of films. This proved more difficult than we expected but we were greeted with more blue sky views:
Weather earlier in the week wasn't nearly as sunny but that didn't stop us from seeing: a Castle!
In the lower part of Central Park, we took our time to enjoy the many buskers singing and dancing their way through the park. Paul doesn't particularly appreciate the sublime beauty of our world travels but every time I caught him looking up, he had that look of confused joy on his face. How could this place be real? How could he have never been here before?
And not that I needed to be reminded to stop and appreciate my surroundings, but seeing this place through Paul's eyes made you appreciate it that little bit more. This is where I fell in love with city living. How could I ever forget it?
No comments:
Post a Comment