The High Line

It may have come through in my last post that I've been in a little bit of a funk about being back home after vacation.  It was partly due to jet lag and the usual letdown of not being on vacation anymore.  But there was another part of it that stemmed from feeling disconnected to New York for the first time since I moved here - for 11 years I've had either school or a job or something else concrete tying me to the city.  While I don't miss my job, I've honestly been feeling a bit lost these last few days.

But now I'm bouncing back.  After a week of rest and a few heart-to-hearts with my most optimistic and supportive New York friends, I've realized that I have nothing to be in a funk about.  I've always been really tough on people who decide that they hate New York when they've never bothered to really give it a chance and take advantage of the good things New York has to offer.  And while I will never fall into that category because I love this city, I realized that I could point some of those same criticisms right back at myself.  For years I've wanted nothing more than to have free time to enjoy my life here.  If I don't do anything with my free time now that I finally have it, I deserve to be in a funk.

So I've decided that I'm going to try to do at least one uniquely New York thing each week.  Today's adventure was the High Line.  For those who don't know, the High Line is an elevated park on the west side of Manhattan, on the site of old freight rail tracks that began operating above the streets of New York in the 1930s.  The last trains ran on the High Line in 1980.  About 20 years later, a private group initiated plans to preserve the High Line and turn the abandoned tracks into public park space.  The park is now home to 210 plant species, and offers a stark contrast to the highway and skyscrapers that otherwise define the west side of Manhattan.

The first section of the High Line (currently the only section completed) opened last year, with plans for Section 2 to open next year.   If you're looking for something to do in New York beyond the typical tourist attractions, I recommend a visit.

So, with this one simple excursion I can feel my funk starting to lift.  Now I'm off to make a list of all the other things in New York I've been wanting to do.  And if anyone has any recommendations to add to the list, suggest away!