High Line Blog

Plant of the Week: Pallida Witch Hazel

February 02, 2012
Author: 
Erika Harvey
Categories: 
Horticulture
Plant of the Week
Pallida witch hazel produces vibrant yellow flowers early in the year. Photo by Joan Garvin.
 

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.

An elevated park à la française

February 01, 2012
Author: 
Erika Harvey
Categories: 
Community
The Standard
New York vs. Paris
Promenade Plantee
Vahram Muratyan
An illustration by designer and author Vahram Muratyan comparing the Promenade Plantée, or Coulée Verte, and the High Line. The illustration is part of his new book, Paris vs. New York: A Tally of Two Cities. Image courtesy of the author and Penguin Books.
 

Paris and New York — two cultural centers an ocean apart have a friendly rivalry that’s older than time. Whether you prefer shopping the Champs Elysées or 5th Avenue, spending a rainy day reading Le Temps Retrouvé or The Catcher in the Rye, or snacking on a macaron or a cupcake — you will appreciate designer Vahram Muratyan’s witty side-by-sides of these two iconic cities.

Vahram’s comparisons of Paris and New York, and the Promenade Plantée and the High Line, give us yet another reason to celebrate the Parisian park for its inspiration. Here we take a closer look of at the High Line’s predecessor.

Photography: When Night Falls on the High Line

January 27, 2012
Author: 
Erika Harvey
Categories: 
Photography
Flickr
Night
joan garvin

With more than 1,500 contributors, the High Line Flickr Pool gathers some of the best photographs of the park. The images are displayed in a rotating gallery on our Web site, giving High Line fans from afar, or those stuck in the office, a great way to keep track of park life. On the blog, we like to recognize the talented photographers who share their unique perspectives of the park.

A Play on Voyeurism

January 26, 2012
Author: 
Erika Harvey
Categories: 
West Chelsea
Community
Neighborhood
Public Art
Hyemi Cho
Hyemi Cho’s portraits peek out of the windows of neighboring apartment buildings and playfully engage High Line visitors. Photo by Meg Kinney.
 

High Line visitors are often surprised to see smiling faces gazing back at them, and even waving, from the windows of neighboring buildings toward the northern terminus of the park. After the initial double-take, it’s easy to realize that these amusing locals are not flesh-and-blood people, but rather a playful ruse.

Plant of the Week: Jelena Witch Hazel

January 25, 2012
Author: 
Erika Harvey
Categories: 
Horticulture
Plant of the Week
This particular cultivar of witch hazel blooms in the winter when most other plants are dormant.
 

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.

Video: Black-Out on the High Line

January 24, 2012
Author: 
Erika Harvey
Categories: 
Operations
Winter


What is going on in this video?

You might think the light show is part of a public art installation or ambiance for a dance party, but this is what it looks like in the moments before a black-out on the High Line.

Managing one mile of park built on an elevated freight rail line presents unique operational challenges. Like any building in the city, the High Line has millions of dollars worth of mechanical systems – lighting and electrical infrastructure, plumbing and irrigation, and more – and it’s all connected to the city’s utility lines. When the power supply is cut nearby, it can affect the lighting system at the High Line.

Season’s First Snow and Heads Up on Snow Sculpt-Off

January 23, 2012
Author: 
Erika Harvey
Categories: 
snow
kids
Horticulture
Operations
Public Programs
Maintenance
The first snowfall of the year was an opportunity to take some great photos of the High Line. Photo by Joan Garvin
 

The first winter storm arrived in New York City on Saturday, blanketing the High Line with a light coating of snow. Our maintenance and operations staff arrived before dawn to begin clearing the pathways, making the park safe for visitors to enjoy the High Line’s winter landscape.

Plant of the Week: 'The Blues' little bluestem

January 19, 2012
Author: 
Erika Harvey
Categories: 
Horticulture
Plant of the Week
Present throughout the park, ‘The Blues’ little bluestem is a wispy grass that produces fluffy silver seed heads that remain beautiful through the winter months.
 

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.

A New Mulch for the High Line

January 18, 2012
Author: 
Kate Lindquist
Categories: 
sustainability
Horticulture
Falcone Flyover
Mulch
On the Falcone Flyover, visitors can walk through lush foliage at canopy-level during the warmer months of the year. Current mulching efforts will mean healthier and more robust plants this upcoming summer. Photo by Iwan Baan
 

We are always looking for unique ways to minimize waste, cultivate sustainable operations, and keep our discarded plant material closer to home. That is why we are excited about a new opportunity for closed-loop recycling with the introduction of our own organic mulch below the Falcone Flyover, on the High Line between West 25th and 26th Streets.

The Falcone Flyover contains an elevated walkway that carries visitors through a canopy of sumac and magnolia trees. Below the pathway, a gently rolling topography creates soil depth to accommodate shrubs and trees, but it is also prone to erosion.

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A new experiment is underway to prevent the erosion and increase the soil’s fertility. Using a test area, the High Line Gardeners recently introduced an application of organic mulch created from discarded plant material from the High Line, with the goal of increasing use of compostable material on-site and reducing the frequency of visits to off-site composting locations in the future.

Request for Offers for a New Restaurant Below the High Line

January 13, 2012
Author: 
Kate Lindquist
Categories: 
Restaurant
High Line Food
RFO
High Line Headquarters
Image by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and Beyer Blinder Belle
 

High Line visitors will have a new place to share a meal next year.

Friends of the High Line is now seeking an operator to run a new full-service, year-round restaurant to open directly below the High Line at Gansevoort and Washington Streets in October, 2013.

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