''Miracle Above Manhattan:'' High Line Featured in National Geographic

This month, over eight million readers will open the April edition of National Geographic magazine to find a lavishly photographed, insightfully written essay about the High Line. The vivid images by photographers Diane Cook and Len Jenshel are the result of nine months of shooting at the High Line. Paul Goldberger, architecture critic for The New Yorker, and author of Why Architecture Matters, contributes an elegantly composed essay that captures the essence of daily life on the High Line and the unique story of its creation:

''New York is a city in which good things rarely happen easily and where good designs are often compromised, if they are built at all. The High Line is a happy exception, that rare New York situation in which a wonderful idea was not only realized but turned out better than anyone had imagined.''

You can read the article, view the photographs, and take a virtual tour of the High Line on the magazine's Web site. If you are an iPad user, there are even more photographs featured in the digital edition. The magazine hits newsstands on Tuesday, March 29.

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Video: Preparing the Plants for Spring

If you have visited the park recently, you may have noticed our gardeners and volunteers busily working. It's all part of High Line Green-Up, the annual preparation of the planting beds for spring.

In keeping with Piet Oudolf's vision for the High Line, plants are left in their natural state throughout the winter, rather than trimmed back at the onset of cold weather. That means when spring arrives, the High Line gardeners must work quickly to cut back last season's perennials and grasses and make room for the new growth in the gardens.

High Line Green-Up began on March 1. Thank you to the more than 100 dedicated volunteers who are joining our High Line gardeners to complete this tremendous task. Watch a video of the crew in action.

Have you visited the High Line yet this spring? Please share your photos with us by sending them to info@thehighline.org, or posting them to our Flickr pool.

High Line Green-Up is supported by REI.

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Summer Hours Begin April 1

Starting Friday, April 1, the High Line will be open daily from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Summer hours will continue through the fall.

Evening is a great time to visit the High Line—the sunsets are spectacular over the Hudson River, and L'Observatoire International's lighting system casts a gentle illumination on the High Line's spring plantings to create a warm and welcoming mood for visits after dusk.

Please check our Web site or Twitter for the latest information about park conditions and operational updates.

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Partner with High Line Food: Proposals Due April 14

Please help us spread the word to the food community about a wonderful opportunity at the High Line.

On Friday, March 18, we issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify vendors to operate four food carts in the Chelsea Market Passage, on the High Line at West 16th Street, and one food cart near the Lawn in Section 2, on the High Line at West 23rd Street.

The deadline for proposals is Thursday, April 14. We are looking for vendors who can partner with us to offer affordable, welcoming, and sustainable food and beverage concessions that are as thoughtful, creative, and interesting as the High Line itself.

Please help us by encouraging your favorite vendors to apply!

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Thank You for Your Input at the High Line Food Open House

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the High Line Food Open House last Wednesday. We enjoyed speaking with you and getting your feedback on our vision and guiding principles for food and beverage concessions at the park.

If you left the room feeling eager to give more suggestions, or if you were unable to attend and would like to share your ideas, please email us at info@thehighline.org. We will summarize your input and publish it on our Web site by April 1. Your thoughts and comments are important to us, and will be considered as we work to identify the best vendors to operate at the High Line this summer.

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Book a High Line Field Trip

Teachers, the spring season for High Line Field Trips has begun. Bring your students to the park for a guided field trip that explores the unique ecology, design, and history of the elevated freight rail line that is now a public park. Our hands-on, interactive field trips support New York State learning standards, and are available for grades 2 through 7.

Field trips are booking up for the spring. Please reserve a spot now.

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PEN World Voices Festival Is Coming to the High Line

Beginning April 25, the High Line will be the site for poetry readings, public talks, a moving library, a book exchange, and a karma chain involving a Tibetan lama, Salman Rushdie, and Twitter.

It's all part the PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature, where more than 100 writers from 40 nations will convene to celebrate the power of writers' voices as bold and vital elements for public discourse. Dare to view the world from a fresh perspective through a wide range of panel discussions, conversations, readings, performances, and more.

Visit our Event Calendar for details. Visit PEN's Web site for complete festival listings.

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Best of Blog, Facebook, and Twitter

Here are the past few weeks' most popular stories from the High Line Blog, Facebook, and Twitter.

	High Line Blog The first signs of spring on the High Line.
	Facebook Life is emerging everywhere on the High Line right now—be sure to stay on the paths! Here, the beginnings of a foxtail lily.
	Twitter Kim Beck's Space Available opened March 4. Learn more about her vision & process for creating a work for the High Line: http://bit.ly/hRr3Zl

Follow the High Line and stay connected.

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Grow and Sustain the High Line

This spring will be one of our most exciting seasons yet.

Right now, construction workers and gardeners are hard at work on Section 2, which will extend the High Line all the way to West 30th Street.

Your membership support today will help us open Section 2, and sustain the entire High Line throughout the busy summer to come.

And to recognize your support in this critical year, we're proud to offer special 2011 membership benefits, including a new High Line map, now including Section 2 (member gifts of $40) ... an invitation to a members-only tour of the rail yards (rail gifts of $150) ... or even an invitation to our Section 2 opening celebration (Beam gifts of $350 or more).

Become an Opening Season Member—make your membership gift before June 30!

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