The High Line

The High Line is a public park built on a disused elevated freight railway on Manhattan's West Side. Trains once carried goods above the streets to the warehouses and factories of the Meatpacking District and Chelsea; after the line closed, a campaign by local residents saved it from demolition, and it reopened in stages from 2009 as a walkway planted with grasses, perennials and trees that echo the wild plants that colonised the abandoned tracks.

The park runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District north through Chelsea to the area around Hudson Yards and 34th Street. Along the way you pass over streets and between buildings, with views down the avenues and across to the Hudson River. Stretches of the old rails are preserved among the planting, there are sundecks and seating areas, and a programme of public art commissions changes through the year. Near Hudson Yards, the High Line Moynihan Connector links the park towards Moynihan Train Hall.

Entry is free. From 1 April to 30 November the High Line is open from 7am to 10pm, and from 1 December to 31 March from 7am to 8pm. There are stairs at many access points and lifts at four locations, and wheelchairs can be borrowed if requested at least one business day in advance. Free docent-led tours run on select days. Bicycles, scooters, skateboards and dogs other than service dogs are not allowed, and visitors are asked to keep to the paths.

Walking the full length takes around an hour at a gentle pace, longer if you stop to look at the art. Weekday mornings are the quietest; weekend afternoons can be crowded, particularly in summer. The park is owned by the City of New York and run by the non-profit Friends of the High Line with NYC Parks.

A good plan is to start at the southern end beside the Whitney Museum of American Art, walk north, and drop down at 16th Street for Chelsea Market, which sits just off the line. At the northern end, Hudson Yards and The Shed are directly beside the park. The 14th Street stations on the A, C, E and L lines serve the southern end, and the 34th Street–Hudson Yards station on the 7 line serves the north.