High Line Blog

Incorporating elements of the emerging microbrewery scene in New York City and drink traditions from Hong Kong, Brooklyn Soda Works has revolutionized the conventional soda. In this week's installment of Faces Behind the Food, co-owner Caroline Mak tells us about her internationally-inspired flavors like the popular lemongrass and lime. Caroline also shares how working as an installation artist has informed her new food career in helpful ways. For hours and locations of all of our vendors, see High Line Food.

Tell us about yourself and your passion for food and drink, including any fun or unusual facts that we might not know. (Any secret talents, perhaps?)

I’m from Hong Kong, a city with endless food offerings that have inevitably informed my own palette choices. In Hong Kong, many people brine lemons, which gives them a distinct taste. In diners, it's common to get a wedge of brined lemon in your soda. Inspired by this Hong Kong custom, we brine our own lemons every winter, and every spring, we have a salted lemon & ginger sparkling soda. We brew the brined lemons with fresh ginger juice. The result is a salty, gingery, fizzy drink with a hint of sugar.

The negative spaces between the thin and airy stems of this grass create a curtain-like effect, providing a mysterious effect.

The High Line’s planting design is inspired by the self-seeded landscape that grew up between rail tracks after the trains stopped running in the 1980s. Today, the High Line includes more than 300 species of perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees — each chosen for their hardiness, adaptability, diversity, and seasonal variation in color and texture. Some of the species that originally grew on the High Line’s rail bed are reflected in the park landscape today.

This week we share with you one of our gardeners’ current favorites.

At Arty Hours, held Saturday mornings, kids are encouraged to think creatively about the artistic process in relation to the art on view at the High Line. Photo by Elena Bernstein

Ever dream of memorializing yourself as a sculpture in a public park? These lucky kids transformed dreams into reality on July 15 by creating personalized monuments as part of Arty Hours on the High Line. In this innovative weekly program, kids create their very own masterpieces in response to different sculptures in the group exhibition Busted, currently on view. Inspired by Frank Benson’s Human Statue (Jessie), kids were encouraged to create a sculpted self-portrait as a monument using clay-like materials. Benson’s bronze statue is a life-size sculpture of a standing female dancer dressed in haute couture, with her arms gently open in an oval shape and a shield-like disc resting at her feet.

In this week's installment of Faces Behind the Food, New York City’s friendliest barista, Caitlin McGinn of Blue Bottle Coffee, keeps us wired with fun stories about serving coffee weekly to thousands of people. Caitlin tells us about “life-changing coffees” like the New Orleans, and meaning of coffee for people from different parts of the world who visit the High Line. For hours and locations of all of our vendors, see High Line Food.

Tell us about yourself and your passion for food and drink, including any fun or unusual facts that we might not know. (Any secret talents, perhaps?)

I grew up in New York City, which means I've been exposed to all kinds of amazing cuisine and culture. I have also worked in restaurants since I could walk (sort of!). As such, being around delicious food, drink, and the people who create it is second nature to me. I have found an amazing community in Blue Bottle, and I am proud to represent it on the High Line. We share a common interest and passion for coffee. You can find us tasting new coffees back in our Williamsburg, Brooklyn roastery regularly. We also have education sessions where all the baristas learn about the countries where the coffee comes from, places like Brazil, Mexico, Ethiopia and Uganda.