The High Line Blog

  • Partner Spotlight: REI

    April 11, 2017
    Today, we are shining a light on REI, one of our longest-standing corporate partners, who has supported the High Line's Volunteer Program since 2011. If you haven't had the chance, we encourage you to read this op-ed on the New York Times about the passing of Mary Anderson, co-founder o... read more
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  • Plant of the Week: Eastern skunk cabbage

    By EM Rodriguez April 10, 2017
    Tucked into a boggy, wetland bed of the towering graceful cattail ( Typha laxmanii) and winter scouring rush (Equisetum hyemale), a curious new addition has been added to the High Line's diverse plant collection. Eastern skunk cabbage, Symplocarpus foetidus, is native to Eastern North Americ... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Upright European hornbeam

    By Ayinde Listhrop April 3, 2017
    As early spring bloomers are popping up, it's easy to overlook the Carpinus betulus. Native to Europe and Asia, the Carpinus betulus is a medium sized hardwood tree than can often be seen around the city being used in a wide range of situations. A slow growing tree, the Carpinus features a com... read more

  • High Line Named #7 Most Extreme Hiking Trail in New York State

    April 1, 2017
    Following the announcement on the Today Show that the High Line was voted one of the state's top 10 most extreme hiking trails, we've received numerous emails, tweets and phone calls from prospective visitors asking how to best prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Here are a few ... read more

  • How the NEA Helped Jump Start the High Line

    By Robert Hammond, Friends of the High Line Co-Founder and Executive Director March 31, 2017
    Today it's easy to look at the High Line and see an almost inevitable success. But back in 2002, it was a crazy idea, and not even I or Friends of the High Line's other co-founder, Joshua David, really thought it was going to happen. One of the many important steps from unlikely dream to vibrant ... read more
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  • Composting on the High Line at 30'

    By Annik LaFarge March 30, 2017
    We are pleased to share this guest blog post by Annik LaFarge, author of On the High Line: Exploring America's Most Original Urban Park, which originally appeared on Livinthehighline.com. Five years ago I tagged along with a High Line gardener on what was then a weekly trip to Staten Island, wher... read more

  • Participatory Budgeting: Grassroots Democracy at Work

    By Myrna Cabán Lezcano March 28, 2017
    How would you spend $1 million? That's the question New York City's Participatory Budgeting (PB) process asks residents in more than 30 districts all around the city. PB is a democratic process in which community members discuss and develop proposals for local needs—and, for some of those needs, ... read more

  • Gardening in the Sky: Cutting Back on Winter

    By Erin Eck March 23, 2017
    We normally think of cutting back last season's perennial growth as a preparation for spring, but this year spring began before we even started our annual Spring Cutback. In New York City, plants were about twenty-five days ahead of their normal schedule and many scientists believe spring's ea... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Christmas fern

    By Rachel Hokanson March 22, 2017
    Polystichum acrostichoides provides green ground cover through winter. The evergreen plant is adaptable and hardy. Its common name, "Christmas fern," denotes its year-round greenery. It is easy to grow and requires little care. P. acrostichoides grows best in full to part shade and prefers wel... read more

  • Plant of the Week: Graceful cattail

    By Rachel Hokanson March 16, 2017
    One of my favorite memories of Spring Cutback on the High Line occurred two seasons ago. Our team was working in the bog with our annual group of Google volunteers. As we cut back the area, the densely packed seed heads of the cattails exploded everywhere, mimicking snowfall on that sunny Marc... read more