Urban parklands

We were once a nation tied together by rail. Those rails -- now abandoned -- often remain in place, reminders of that earlier era. In some places, such as Seattle's Burke-Gilman Trail, the rails themselves have been torn up, but the right of way deeded over to the public for use as bike and hiking trails.

I've just returned from several days in New York, a visit prompted initially by articles I read in June celebrating the opening of that city's High Line Park. The High Line, built in the 1930's, was an elevated freight train track that ran up the west side of Manhattan from the Meatpacking District north to about 34th, beyond which it went underground. The line was abandoned in about 1980, but the elevated tracks remained in place. The new elevated park is now complete as far north as 20th, in Chelsea, with plans to extend it farther north in the future.

The High Line runs parallel to and just west of Tenth Avenue, through the middle of the block. In places, it actually passes through buildings that have been built around it. The park emphasizes extensive plantings of wild grasses and shrubs, through which the pavement snakes its way. In places, the tracks have been left in place, rather hauntingly overgrown with tall grass, as reminders of the park's origins. The High Line is clearly an urban park, with assorted art work and places for pedestrians to sit and relax, allowing them to look out over the cityscape and the nearby Hudson River.

I walked the full length of the elevated park, which did not take that long, and then followed the remaining stretch of the High Line by walking along Tenth Avenue below, north to the point where the elevated disappears amongst the rail yards west of Penn Station. It's a nice park, and an interesting urban use of abandoned railway -- walking some 30 feet above street level gives the stroller a nice perspective on the city -- but I was less impressed than I'd anticipated. Maybe (I say condescendingly to our New York friends) because of the high quality of urban recreational land use with which I'm already familiar here in Seattle.

I was more impressed, actually, by New York's excellent development, still on-going, of the formerly industrial Hudson River shoreline from Battery Park north. Beautifully designed, and exciting to explore -- even in the rain, as I did yesterday!

All in all, a short but enjoyable visit to the Big Apple, which included watching the Yanks lose to Texas in the brand new Yankee Stadium, and viewing the excellent Broadway production of Tony-winning Billy Elliot. I return home to a house still in chaos and still undergoing recovery from its recent use as a Hollywood set. Reality, like the cold Seattle rain that was falling when I landed last night, returns and splashes me in the face!