Spring On the High Line

Within just a few short blocks from Penn Station on Manhattan's West Side, you can elevate yourself from the chaos of the street noise and escape into a picturesque mile-and-a-half long nature trail on the former High Line railroad tracks.   In the 1930s freight trains were elevated thirty feet off of the industrial district's streets.  The elevated freight trains no longer operated after about 1980, and in the late 1990s, the City considered demolishing the elevated structure.  A community conservancy formed to preserve this historic structure, and it became a beautiful public park that runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues. See  http://www.thehighline.org/about/high-line-history.  These pictures were taken on Section 1 of the High Line, which opened to the public on June 9, 2009; the remaining sections running north are currently under construction and renovation. 

This beautiful trail offers public artwork, gardens, nature, city vistas, and history.  Remarkably, this peaceful public oasis exists amidst the busy noisy streets of downtown.  This green space reminds me that a little creativity and collaboration can rejuvenate something outdated. Sometimes we discard that which is no longer useful to us, and other times we can recycle what we have into something else beautiful to share.  With the advent of spring today, the idea of renewal and revival feels abundant and possible.  No matter how busy and chaotic life seems, the possibility exists to create a beautiful, peaceful, elevated space to give your life a whole new perspective.

Happy spring and may creativity continue to bloom in your life.