One of my favorite places to go to in New York on a sunny afternoon is the NYC Highline. This completely unique place always inspires me, and makes me happy and proud to be a New Yorker. The Highline used to be a train line, but the trains have not run on it since the 80′s. There was some talk of demolishing it, and at last New York City decided to turn it into an elevated park and I am so glad they did. These days, the Highline is considered one of the most unique urban parks in the world.
Walking along the Highline park and checking out the funky plants and the fresh and modern design of this unique urban park, you also get to see an entirely different perspective of Manhattan, the West Side, the city’s architecture and the skyline. I just love the plants here – they were especially selected to evoke the feel of the overgrown tracks. There’s such an urban perseverance feel to it – the tiny green shrubs breaking through the concrete and looking up at the sky. These plants will survive and thrive in the coldest of New York winters.
People watching on the Highline is one of my favorite pastimes. Here you will find the hippest of NY hipsters, tourists from all over the world, uptowners, downtowners and everyone in between. And somehow everyone seems unusually relaxed for New York City. Maybe it’s the air up here.
There are some great New York staples for dining nearby, so whether you are in the mood for a meal or an incredible dessert, you are in luck. One great option and an all time New York staple is Pastis French bistro, which is right around the corner from the Highline on Little West 12 street. The food here is fantastic, fresh, with classic choices such as Salad Nicoise, and Steak Tartar. Being that this is one of the trendiest daytime spots in downtown Manhattan for many years, it is almost always packed, so prepare for a pretty long wait. But if you score a table outside on a nice day consider it your lucky day and enjoy every moment. This is the ultimate in New York daytime fare.
La Bergamote is my favorite pastry shop in the world. It’s so quaint here, with hand-painted Parisian pastel murals on the walls. The pastries are fresh and flaky and are simply little pieces of heaven. They also serve fresh, delicious sandwiches on crunchy baguettes, and really good coffee. I love going to La Bergamote after coming off the Highline as a well-deserved prize for all the walking – like I worked off the calories from the pastries in advance. It’s completely self-deceptive of course, but I fool myself every time! 🙂
So make sure to visit the Highline when you are in New York City, and experience this unique urban park’s beauty for yourself.
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About this week’s guest writer
Gina Gorelik is a travel writer, a freelance wardrobe stylist, “ants in the pants” traveller, sarcastic New Yorker, a Muse, a friend of jet setters, a non-meat eating foodie (NOT an oxymoron) and someone who has a pretty quirky sense of humor. Having travelled to 26 countries, and lived in 5, some of the most memorable and amazing experiences have occurred to Gina while she was on the road, and she wants to share them with the world, one funny story at a time.
Read other ‘Places That Inspire’ posts:
- Rome, Italy
- Yosemite, USA
- Multnomah Falls, Oregon, USA
- Krak des Chevaliers, Syria
- Karekare beach, New Zealand
Great post. I’ll definitely check out the highline when I get back to NY! Someday:)
This is a great post! One of the things I love the most about the High Line is its contemporary design. As an architect myself, I can say that this park, designed by Diller+Scofidio, has been one of the most innovative parks in the city for the last 80 years. It has a great scale, great sensibility, and a good city vibe.
Actually, I don’t think it’s not all that much like Promenade plantée in Paris at all 🙂
Highline is modern, new and fresh. Promenade plantée is beautiful, but pretty rustic, it’s a lot more narrow, and has an old charm that is quite lovely with the overgrown plants and trees. I do love it there 🙂 I think the main similarity is that they are both above ground parks built on the old train tracks, but they both have completely different beauty about them that is very much their own.
Thanks for your comment. The Highline runs along a section of Manhattan’s Lower West Side. For more info, please refer to the Wikipedia pop-up in the first sentence of the post.
Cheers,
Keith
This sounds like the perfect copy of the Promenade plantée in Paris. Where is it?
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