Asters on the High Line, December 2, 2009--Katie Lorah
--Jonathan Flaum
--Joel Sternfeld
In London, a disused power station has been converted into the Tate Modern. Visiting the Tate was exhilarating: the past transformed, the past in the present, born again, fresh. I had a similar feeling when J. and I walked on the High Line, forty feet or so above ground level on the lower west side in New York. The High Line, built on what once was the track bed of an elevated freight railroad, now runs from just below 14th Street to 25th Street. When completed, it will reach 30th Street: a mile-and-a- half traffic-free park through the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea, and Clinton/Hell's Kitchen.
The design is brilliant; the path meanders, lush with flowering plants, accommodating with little tables and chairs, benches, and lounge chairs for sunning. West are the Hudson in full view, the Jersey Palisades, the Statue of Liberty. East are dramatic views of the crosstown streets. Above a view of a big big sky.
As we walked, two of us among many, I became hopeful: beautiful, good things can happen.
What a wonderful experience for you. It reminds me of the way certain serious graffiti efforts can transpose a grotty industrial experience into a work of art.
ReplyDeletei am glad you liked the High Line, mim...it was one of my favorite places before i left the city. wonderful, hot summer night picnics.
ReplyDeleteand walking it the first week with my architect son, who talked to himself/me with each step, each visual pleasure...
This is naive, but I wish we humans would spend most of our time transforming and creating. Next time I'm in New York, I'll stay downtown close to the High Line.
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