The High Line is a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side. Saved from demolition by neighborhood residents and the City of New York, the High Line opened in 2009 as a hybrid public space where visitors experience nature, art, and design. The best way to experience the High Line is to simply wander, though as you explore, you may want to linger at some of the park’s most distinctive and magical spots listed below.
Pictured above: THE VESSEL. Comprised of 154 intricately interconnecting flights of stairs -- almost 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings – the nearly one mile of vertical climb offers remarkable views of the city, the river and beyond. This interactive artwork was imagined by Thomas Heatherwick and Heatherwick Studio as a focal point where people can enjoy new perspectives of the city and one another from different heights, angles and vantage points. It was made in Italy and sent by boat to Manhattan in 100's of pieces.
Pictured above: CROSSROADS. In this section—the widest of the High Line—the path makes a pivot from its north-south orientation to one running east-to-west. There are a wealth of furniture options here, including the signature High Line peel-up X benches, making this section of the park an open, social hub and an area for art installations.
Pictured above: GANSEVOORT WOODLAND. In warm months, vines cascade over the railings here to form a lush curtain visible to passers-by. On the street below is the red brick building of the Meatpacking District’s last operating meatpacking plant, and the dramatic glass hotel, The Standard High Line, is directly north.
Pictured above: CHELSEA THICKET. Here, the original steel train tracks run along the pathway between the dogwoods, bottlebrush buckeye, hollies, and other dense shrubs and trees—a magical convergence of the industrial and the natural.
