An afternoon at the NYC High Line

I spent a wonderful afternoon at The High Line in NYC, an 80-year-old short rail track that runs 30 feet above ground along the West Side of the island of Manhattan, starting at West 14th Street, just above the Meat Packing District.  It was recently transformed into an architectural masterpiece of greenery, scenery, and eatery.  A good friend of mine, Lauren Pellettieri, also one of the founders and president of Liberated Movement (a donation-based dance class program in NYC) joined me and we decided to pack a picnic lunch and enjoy some fresh air in the city.  It was my first time walking through most of the above-ground track: spots of tall grass, sun bathing lounge chairs, and interesting leveling with decks and overlooks.  The most amazing part was that we walked for what seemed to only be a few minutes, yet we had traveled over 10 blocks north.  The High Line is a peaceful addition and now a treasured gem to the bustling city that you can easily see below.  Art installation pieces can be found along the way, including the piece Still Life With Landscape by Sarah Sze which looks like angular-modern shaped bird houses and butterfly boxes connected by wires (depth-perception-drawing-exercise come to life!).  And you get a perfect view of the architecture in the neighborhood, early 2000's style a la Carlos Zapata contrasting with the pre-war brick factory buildings known throughout the lower-10th Avenue neighborhood.  You feel as though you are floating above the city, almost a different city, something straight from a travel magazine describing a new and environmentally trendy design in Sweden or Denmark. Go see it, before the summer is over and the weather gets cold - and if you didn't have time to pack your own picnic lunch, don't worry...there are plenty of delicious food vendors and a patio restaurant at 15th Street that will settle that dilemma.  Check the online map for entrance locations and handicapped accessible entrances available throughout the High Line.