High Line Blog

The Hula Dancer pale purple coneflower blooms on the High Line at 15th Street and between 27th and 28th Streets.

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.

From meeting one of President Obama’s daughters to shaving a two foot-long block of ice that draws huge crowds of curious customers, Darren Fiorello of People’s Pops has had many adventures serving sweets on the High Line. Meet Darren in our latest installment of Faces Behind the Food. 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?)

From tasteful nudes to tasty (risotto) balls, there are many different ways to celebrate Pride Week on the High Line.

Due to large crowds anticipated in Chelsea for NYC Pride festivities, the New York City Police Department and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation ask us to close early the day of the parade—at 6:00 PM on Sunday, June 30. Until then, however, we invite you to try out special Pride Week dishes at our food vendors. And if you don’t feel like spending any cash, it’s always free to sit on the steps at 10th Avenue Square and watch the fabulously diverse crowd strut their stuff.

Rainbow Salad with Sausage & Balls at Terroir

In celebration of Pride Week, our open-air café at West 15th Street will be serving a “Loud and Proud Rainbow Salad.” Available through June 30, the colorful salad consists of mixed baby lettuce, radish, carrot, golden beets, snap peas, red onion, and lemon vinaigrette. Terroir is also getting a little saucier with a “Sausage and Balls” special for the weekend, so be sure to leave room for this dish of house-made sage leaf lamb sausage with beet and Gorgonzola risotto balls.

Francesco Realmuto, owner of L’arte del Gelato, talks about his knack for cooking the particularly tricky eggplant, beloved in Sicily, and his favorite employee memory of a couple who left their home country to create a new life here in New York City. Meet Francesco in our latest installment of Faces Behind the Food. 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?)