Photos: Architecture From The High Line, Hudson River

The new Freedom Tower rising on the site of the World Trade Center.

You can visit New York City a million times and still find new things to do.
This weekend we ventured through lower Manhattan and enjoyed the glories of Hudson River Park and the High Line.
The High Line is located on Manhattan's West Side. It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street in Chelsea, between 10th & 11th Avenues. Section 1 of the High Line, which opened to the public on June 9, 2009, runs from Gansevoort Street to West 20th Street. Section 2, between West 20th and West 30th Streets, opened June 8, 2011.

The photos that you see above (except for Freedom Tower) were all taken from the High Line. The elevated park provides a splendid way to view architecture (and the nearby Hudson River) in one of the world's most architecturally significant cities.

The High Line was originally constructed in the 1930s, to lift dangerous freight trains off Manhattan's streets. Section 1 of the High Line is open as a public park, owned by the City of New York and operated under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Friends of the High Line is the conservancy charged with raising private funds for the park and overseeing its maintenance and operations, pursuant to an agreement with the Parks Department.
When all sections are complete, the High Line will be a mile-and-a-half-long elevated park, running through the West Side neighborhoods of the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Clinton/Hell's Kitchen. It features an integrated landscape, designed by landscape architects James Corner Field Operations, with architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, combining meandering concrete pathways with naturalistic plantings. Fixed and movable seating, lighting, and special features are also included in the park.

Hudson River Park  (aka The Greenway) rose in 1998 from the failure of the ill-fated Westway proposal. But it has really taken many years to evolve and come to full fruition.

It is the largest park to be built in New York City since Central Park.

Today, this long waterfront park along the Hudson River on New York's West Side encompasses 550 acres and five miles of uninterrupted bike path. Starting at Battery Place near the tip of Manhattan with the Promenade South, the park runs north all the way to West 59th Street.

The park has many green passageways and often opens to wide lawns. Plus, it connects to many recreation piers along the riverfront. Hudson River Park is home to hundreds of unusual park activities like free, laid-back billiards or adventurous boat rowing. But it's also great just for strolling.

If you're missing these attractions, you're missing to of the great wonders of the world's most exciting city!
Photos copyright 2011 by Dan Cirucci.