This morning, in grey and overcast weather, we headed downtown, having arranged to meet Jordi at the Chelsea Market at noon. Just nearby, however, was a recent project we fancied exploring - The High Line.
Formerly a freight railway line, servicing the Meatpacking district and the warehouses of the Lower West side, it's being developed as a green space and elevated park, currently open from 20th St down to 10th.
The views from up above the traffic are fascinating - some landmarks such as the Empire State Building stand tall and provide a bearing for working out the others.
The walkway is made up of concrete strips resembling sleepers and the planting is "prairie-style". The overall feel is industrial and quite in keeping with the surroundings and yet modern and cleanly laid out.
It's an easy walk with the occasional surprise - well, look what's there on the horizon!
The wooden benches were of an interesting design and there were plenty of small sitting areas and places to take it easy and enjoy the view.
Here, looking over the Hudson River towards New Jersey, with a clear view of the Lackawanna Railway Terminal there on the other side. On a sunny day, this must be a glorious place to be.
I imagine that competition is fierce for these sunloungers on a warm day. Don't you just love the wheels and the track reference to the former railway heritage?
A little further along, someone's private aerie is no longer as private as it once was.
There have been newspaper reports about the effects of the High Line on this hotel too.
We felt, however, that the whole project has been extremely well thought through and enjoyed our walk along it very much indeed.
But then we got as far as 10th St and found it came to an abrupt stop.
