A Different Kind of Public Park
Under normal circumstances we would never recommend taking a leisurely stroll along a major freight train line – but in this specific instance, we’ll make an exception!
Formerly a railroad track used to bring freight in and out of the city of New York, The High Line has since been converted into a 1.45 miles long, elevated public park in Chelsea, New York City.
The last train made its way over the 23 feet high viaduct in the year 1980. Just ten years later the tracks were removed to make room for… well, nobody quite knew at the time. The northern and southern portions of the viaduct got torn down to make room for real estate projects, which led to the area to become effectively abandoned.
It took another decade before the Friends of the High Line nonprofit organization sprang into life in 1999 and rallied for the disused area to be turned into a public park. Between 2006 and 2014, the area saw major renovations and slowly turned into the High Line Park that New Yorkers know and love today.
