High Line Blog

A nighttime view from West 23rd Street, looking north toward Hudson Yards, where Coach will be an anchor tenant in a new tower under construction at West 30th Street and 10th Avenue. Photo by Iwan Baan

We are pleased to share exciting news: Coach has made a $5 million gift to the Campaign for the High Line, a fundraising effort to open the High Line at the Rail Yards and build an endowment to sustain the park’s long-term maintenance and operations. This generous gift, made by Coach’s philanthropic foundation, marks a major step toward opening the entire elevated railway to visitors and sustaining the park for future generations to enjoy.

The company will be the anchor tenant in a Hudson Yards tower that will straddle the High Line at the Rail Yards, resulting in a new semi-enclosed passageway that will be the High Line’s largest covered area when the park opens in 2014. In recognition of Coach’s essential contribution to the High Line and the neighborhood it has served for over 70 years, this passageway will be named the “Coach Passage.”

View the press release, or read about it in The New York Times

When you read about inspiring acts of generosity like this one from Coach, it is easy to assume that your own gift may no longer be needed. But please don't forget: We still depend on all of our friends and supporters to maintain and operate the High Line.

Coach’s extraordinary gift will support the expansion of the High Line and help ensure its security for the future, but the day-to-day operations of the park continue to depend on the sustaining support of our neighbors and friends.

As part of our agreement with the City of New York, each year we raise the essential private funding to support 90% of the High Line's operating budget. Custodians, gardeners, educators, mechanics, rangers, technicians—every person you see in the park in a High Line uniform is employed by Friends of the High Line. The City of New York provides for security and utility services, while the rest of the park’s operations budget, as well as the entirety of its administrative budget, are supported by donations secured by Friends of the High Line.

That means when you give to Friends of the High Line, you are helping us make sure that this special public space is always maintained and operated at the high standards we have come to love. We thank all of our members and supporters for their vision in building the High Line, their wisdom in securing its stability for the future, and their ongoing generosity in sustaining it today.

Johnny, our Manager of Horticulture, demonstrates proper penmanship for his son Ansel using our HL Logo Notebook + Pen Set. “Awwwwwww,” said everyone in the High Line office.

For Father’s Day, we invited a few of the dads at Friends of the High Line to test out our bestselling High Line merchandise—and the photographs have melted the hearts of everyone in the office. You can find these items at the High Line Shop at 16th Street or in our web shop, but for online purchases please order by Sunday, June 9, to receive your items by Father’s Day.

Prepare yourselves, because these photos are very adorable.

Popping up from the High Line’s planting beds are the deep red blooms of Mars Midget pincushion plant. This long bloomer will be on-view through the fall. Photo by Beverly Israely

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.

“Growing up, unlike most families who plan the day around attractions in the area, mine planned the day around where we were going to eat,” says Amanda Meister of Sigmund’s Pretzels.

Whether she’s discussing what makes the best pretzel or how to build the best boat, Amanda Meister, manager of Sigmund’s Pretzels, brings a sense of joy to her work. Meet Amanda in our second 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?)

I stumbled upon Sigmund’s Pretzels a year ago at a local beer festival where I tasted what was the most amazing pretzel of my life. A couple months later, I joined the company. I am a total foodie and couldn’t turn down the offer to work this great business. Growing up, unlike most families who plan the day around attractions in the area, mine planned the day around where we were going to eat. We penciled in other activities in-between meals. I love good food! I also have a love of sailing, which is why I like our location on the High Line that overlooks the river.