line. Inspired by the Promenade Plan- tée (“tree-lined walkway”) which had opened on an abandoned elevated rail- way in Paris in 1993, the group hoped to create a similar greenway park in New York City. Support for the project continued to
grow and was bolstered by a $50 mil- lion commitment from the city in 2004. The STB ruled on the abandoned rail line, inherited by CSX, and in 2005 granted a “certificate of interim trail use,” which cleared the way for con- struction of the park to begin in 2006. The first section from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street opened in 2009, and the second section from 20th Street to 30th Street opened in 2011. The final section of High Line Park wrapping around the old 30th Street Yard is slat- ed to open in the next few years, thanks to a donation from owner CSX. Railfans visiting the park will be dis- appointed to learn that all of the tracks were removed in the process of building
High Line Park. As part of the remedi- ation process, the structure was stripped and cleansed. Tracks were re- installed along the route, as a reminder that this was indeed an industrial cor- ridor. Rails are used as a visual motif throughout, though don’t try to make sense of them. The rails that have been put down are not standard gauge and are fastened to pressure treated lum- ber using garden nails. Still, if you poke around you’ll find where switches and even a diamond have been placed on the rebuilt decking. As you walk the line, you cannot escape the fact that this was once a working railroad line. High Line Park presents spectacular urban vistas and towering canyons, making for a surreal “hiking” experi- ence. It is an unusual feeling to be walking on the elevated structure, in the quiet setting of the park, while the city hustles and bustles just 20 feet be- low. Food carts dot the route and con- tribute to the festival atmosphere.
Some old buildings along the line have been repurposed, including the old Nabisco bakery (now the Chelsea Market complex) and the Merchants Refrigerating warehouse (now used as a federal office building). New develop- ment has flocked to the park, including several condominiums and the striking new Standard Hotel that straddles the High Line at 13th Street. An expansion of the Whitney Museum of American Art is slated to open in 2015 at the Gan- sevoort Street entrance to the park. The High Line is easy to access, as its north end is just a few blocks from Penn Station (By next sumer, the MTA expects to open its West Side extension of the No. 7 subway line, very close to the northern end of High Line Park). While one could hoof the 2.4-mile round trip over the High Line in under an hour, you’ll find that if you stop to smell the roses (or poke around for rails un- der the flora), you can easily spend a few hours in the park. In fact, bring along your appetite and enjoy a lunch break at one of the food vendors along the trail at the Chelsea Market. Mr. Obletz passed away in 1996 be-
fore his dream of preserving the West Side Line could be realized. While trains no longer run south of 30th Street, he probably would have ap- proved of the new life breathed into his old neighborhood.
LEFT: The West Side Line once pierced through the National Biscuit Co. (Nabisco) complex, directly serving the bakery at the sec- ond floor. Today the buildings are home to the Chelsea Market, and many food vendors set up shop on the High Line the sheltered area un- derneath. A trickle of water through this area provides welcome relief in the summer, while others choose to lounge on reclined chairs with wheels built into the siding (No, they don’t roll, we checked). STEVE BARRY PHOTO BELOW: Rails installed throughout the park are a constant reminder of the path’s indus- trial roots. OTTO VONDRAK PHOTO
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