The lowdown on NYC's High Line

I don't know about you, but when I reminisce about trips to Manhattan, I recall wandering through world-famous museums, hitting up Broadway shows, dining in the city's hot spots, viewing the world from atop vertigo-inducing skyscrapers, and shopping until my legs truly felt like they would drop off.  I've never equated garden tours with Gotham.

Sure, I've meandered the myriad paths of Central Park, and spent (literally) years of my life at The New York Botanical Garden in the nearby Bronx, but never have I made a trip to the Big Apple in search of anything of a horticultural nature--until last week.  Deciding to christen the fall season with an extended walk through Manhattan's relatively new amusement--the High Line, created on former railroad tracks running parallel to the Hudson River, I put on my sneakers and headed West (and ultimately North).  I'm sure glad that I did.

As any bibliophile knows, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but look at the funky flower blooming on the High Line (in foreground of picture, above).  The juxtaposition of these two images--nature's valiant struggle to survive amid the bricks and mortar-- adds even more intrigue to what is arguably our country's most eclectic city.

To fully appreciate this strange symbiosis, here's a historical recap in a nutshell:  In the 19th century, freight rail lines were constructed along Manhattan's waterfront and west-side streets to serve an expanding metropolis, and its rapidly growing manufacturing trade.  For years the elevated railway was an integral part of the landscape, and was dubbed the "Lifeline of New York" for its efficient deliveries of produce, meat and dairy products.  Yet the mid 20th century marked the decline in manufacturing in the city and the railway line was abandoned.  It sat for decades in disuse and decline, until the cusp of the 21st century, when neighbors and city officials collaborated to repurpose the now-residential and commercial area.  Noticing how nature reclaimed the existing tracks gave the organization, calling themselves "Friends of the High Line," an idea: use the existing self-seeding plants around the rail yards to devise an iconic urban landscape which would give residents a place to relax, enjoy nature, and take advantage of the expansive view of the Hudson River.  Judging by the photos below, where one can see buds and foliage peeking between the railroad ties, the High Line idea was a good one!