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Photo of the Week: Early Bird

April 12, 2013
Author: 
Erika Harvey
Categories: 
Photo of the Week
Photography
Spring
Birds
wildlife
A red-breasted American robin perches on historic rail tracks along the High Line. Photo by Juan Valentin

The signs of spring are all around us at the High Line. Trees are budding and new spring blooms are popping up daily. And, if you look carefully, there is also a renewed flurry of feathered activity returning to the park.

High Line Photographer Juan Valentin captured this photo of an American robin, Turdus migratorius, during a visit this past weekend. Most American robins migrate to warmer climates in the winter, literally flocking to Florida and Mexico, and then return north in the early spring to breed. You may catch these early risers pulling up worms from lawns, eating berries, and gathering twigs or grass for their nests.

Even if the birds are out of sight, you may recognize their distinctive call which is characterized as cheerily, cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up – a nice reminder that sunnier spring days are coming soon.

Learn more about other birds you may see at the High Line.

New Video Series: My High Line

April 10, 2013
Author: 
Erika Harvey
Categories: 
Volunteers
My High Line
Community
Spring Cutback


Our new video series My High Line highlights the many uses of the High Line, and the people who call it their own.

The inaugural video portrait features Gammy Miller, a High Line Volunteer and long-time resident of the West Village.

Join us after the jump to discover her High Line.

Plant of the Week: Toyo-Nishiki Flowering Quince

April 08, 2013
Author: 
Erika Harvey
Categories: 
Plant of the Week
Horticulture
This beautiful ornamental is popular in Japan due to its plentiful blooms where it’s also common in bonsai form.

The High Line’s planting design is inspired by the self-seeded landscape that took root on the elevated rail tracks after the trains stopped running. The High Line includes more than 300 species of perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees — 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.

Photo of the Week: "Falling" in Love

April 05, 2013
Author: 
Erika Harvey
Categories: 
Photo of the Week
Photography
A young couple embraces in front of High Line Art’s newest billboard commission, Blue Falling, by artist Ryan McGinley. Photo by Timothy Schenck

This week, a new HIGH LINE BILLBOARD was installed next to the High Line at West 18th Street. April’s installation features a cool-hued photograph by artist Ryan McGinley of a figure floating effortlessly through a vast blue background.

The levity of being and freeness evoked in the new installation complement the spring spirit at the park. As weather warms – slowly, but surely! – and new spring growth appears to the delight of visitors and High Line staff alike, the park is infused with the spirit of a new season ahead.

Photographer Timothy Schenck captured this photo of visitors in front of the new billboard earlier this week. Stop by before April 30 to see it yourself.

Learn more about Blue Falling.

Share your photos with us in the High Line Flickr Pool, or tag @highlineartnyc on Instagram or Twitter.

Meet the Staff: Jennette Mullaney, Digital Communications Manager

April 04, 2013
Author: 
Kate Lindquist
Categories: 
Staff
In the Office

We are pleased to introduce you to Jennette Mullaney – social media guru, literary buff, art enthusiast, cat lover, and the latest addition to our staff at Friends of the High Line. As the new Digital Communications Manager, Jennette is working to share the High Line story and engage the park’s fans around the world on our social media channels.

We asked Jennette to answer a few questions about herself and her plans for the High Line.

High Line Food 2013 Season Starts April 19

April 04, 2013
Author: 
Jennette Mullaney
Categories: 
food
High Line Food
BBQ
pretzels
desserts
wine
beer
Photos by Nicole Franzen, Jason Scott courtesy of The Taco Truck, and Patricia Wancko courtesy of Sigmund’s Pretzels

If you, like us, salivate over the glossy deliciousness found in the food section of New York magazine, then you saw this week’s exciting announcement about spring eats at the High Line.

Lamb ribs, brisket sandwiches, and a delectable selection of pies are coming to the park this season—and that’s just at the SmokeLine, the latest outpost of BrisketTown’s Daniel Delaney. Beginning Friday, April 19, there will be nine food vendors on the High Line, offering tasty treats for your next al fresco breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Follow us after the jump for a quick, hunger-panic-inducing introduction to this season of High Line Food.

Plant of the Week: Lucile’s glory-of-the-snow

April 02, 2013
Author: 
Erika Harvey
Categories: 
Plant of the Week
Horticulture
This brightly-colored perennial is native to the mountainous regions of Turkey, where it will often pop up through a layer of snow in early spring.

The High Line’s planting design is inspired by the self-seeded landscape that took root on the elevated rail tracks after the trains stopped running. The High Line includes more than 300 species of perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees — 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.

FeLine Friends of the High Line Cat Festival

April 01, 2013
Author: 
Jennette Mullaney
Categories: 
feline friends of the high line
cat festival
cats
Internet Cat Video Festival
Cats enjoy the sunshine, fresh air, and conspicuous lack of annoying dogs at our first FeLine Friends of the High Line cat festival.

Meow! The fur flew this Saturday during FeLine Friends of the High Line, the first annual cat festival on the High Line. From the Rail Yards Gate to the Gansevoort Woodland, hundreds of fuzzy felines and their human companions spent the day purring, napping, gossiping, and then napping again.

A bubble blowing machine, several dozen laser pointers, three 10-foot-long “Fun Tunnels,” and all kinds of cardboard boxes kept the frisky felines entertained from morning till dusk. Volunteer Lucy Redoglia marveled at the high turnout as she flicked a feathered cat teaser for a clowder of mesmerized calicos. “After the Walker Art Center’s Internet Cat Video Festival last August, I thought, ‘New York should be doing something like this!’” she said.

Spring Hours to Return on Monday, April 1

March 29, 2013
Author: 
Kate Lindquist
Categories: 
Spring
Operations
Hurricane Sandy
Stop by the park next week for an evening stroll, and enjoy the views from the 26th Street Viewing Spur. Photo by Iwan Baan

It’s official: the High Line’s spring hours will begin on Monday, April 1.

Beginning on Monday, the park will be open daily, from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Summer hours will begin on Saturday, June 1, with the park remaining open one hour later, until 11:00 PM.

That’s a Wrap: Spring Cutback Is Complete!

March 29, 2013
Author: 
Kate Lindquist
Categories: 
Spring Cutback
Horticulture
Community
We did it! Despite the unseasonably cold weather, two snowstorms, several days of rain, and yesterday's hail shower, we completed this year's High Line Spring Cutback in record time. These horticulture enthusiasts from REI were among the 80 volunteers who helped get the job done. Photo by Liz Ligon

We have just completed the fourth and final week of High Line Spring Cutback!

The High Line’s plants are not trimmed back at the onset of cold weather in the fall. Instead the landscape is left intact to provide structure, beauty, and habitat throughout the winter. As spring arrives, Friends of the High Line staff and volunteers work together to cut back the plants to prepare for the new growing season. This horticultural effort, called High Line Spring Cutback, takes place throughout the entire month of March.

See photos from our last week of Spring Cutback after the jump.

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