Garden In The Sky! High Line Phase Three Is Go!

Years ago, Manhattan had raised subway lines. Lifted above the streets, they carried trains that clattered atop cavemen and horse-drawn buggies down below. Now, one of the last relics of this bygone era sleeps on the West side of Manhattan around Chelsea and Union Square. And for decades, it was just that, a relic. It was the bones of a long-gone, faded, rusted memory. Then, after community support, fervent volunteers, and successful fundraising, the hulk of this abandoned train line was transformed into an above-ground park. It's called the High Line.

To get just a wee bit nerdy, it's kinda like the Shire.

The High Line opened to the public on 2009, its entrance at Gansevoort Street at 10th Avenue. It stretched from Gansevoort to 20th St, creating a carpet of grasses and wildflowers in the sky. Last year, the park expanded ten more blocks, bringing its North terminus to 20th Street. The old rail line it's built on runs all the way to 34th Street, and approval has now been given to convert this last stretch of train tracks into an extension of the park.

There are still a number of steps before it's built, but this'll mean one can walk from up Manhattan's Western side surrounded by flowers and grass all the way up to the Javits. Really. This last length of tracks ends across the street from the Jacob Javits Center, and once it's complete, it's going to offer New Yorkers a new way to get to the building. It's gorgeous and fantastic and, at a macro level, is part of Manhattan expanding to meet the Javits. No longer in the Wild West of NYC, there are condos being built right up to meet the Javits Center, and while neither you or I'll live in these condos, on their ground floors will be restaurants, bars, and community. It'll take some more time, but we'll eventually get to what you see in Boston, San Diego, or so many other cities. Before the end of the decade, if you take a foot outside the Javits, you'll be in the thick of cosmopolitan Manhattan.

Oh, yeah, and the Seven Train will get there eventually, too.

In summation, the High Line is an awesome thing. Check it out, and I look forward to walking it to NYCC 2016.