Thursday, April 26, 2012

HIGH LINE PARK - AN ELEVATED EXPERIENCE



HIGH LINE PARK in New York is one of the most interesting parks in the world.
Only a city with resources like New York could pull it off - turning an abandoned, elevated  railroad meandering through Manhattan, into a much loved park. Photo Wikipedia
This is  the way the line used to look; trains on the elevated railway on their way to and from the "Meatpacking District". Why an elevated railway? The trains used to be on street level, but the many accidents  could not be tolerated. Watch a slidedeshow of the old days.
(Here are more historical pictures)
People enjoy their walks in the new park.
Garden designer Piet Oudulf, was engaged. He likes to plant all sorts of hardy grasses and perennial, in large groups. Have a look at his work elsewhere.
All the tracks and dirt were removed and the structure, which was basically very sound (having been built for large trains), was renovated. The tracks were replaced as they had been, and walkways and plants surround them, retaining the old feeling of the railway. Very clever. Have a look at the planting process.
The railway ran close to the buildings and was very convenient to the warehouses.
To really appreciate this park, one should watch more pictures in the following slideshows:
1. Start with this one.
2. Follow with this one showing the most popular pictures.
3. And finish with all these 245 pictures.

Photo Wikipedia
More of interest:


The HIGH LINE BLOG tells of volunteers who help out.

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