New York City’s High Line is a garden in the sky above the hustle and noise of the streets below. A 20-block stretch of serenity, the Highline is a place for art and reflection.

What is the High Line?

The High Line is a public park and walkway from 14th and Gansevoort Streets to 34th Street and Hudson Yards. Originally, it was an elevated railroad called the West Side Elevated Line. The first trains rolled on it in 1933.

By 1983, the tracks were abandoned. Nature took over.

Joel Sternfeld photographed the West End Elevated Line in the 1980s showing how nature had over grown the railroad tracks
The West End Elevated Line was abandoned and reclaimed by nature. Courtesy: The High Line

The High Line opened six blocks in 2009. Its full 20-block length opened in 2019. The Moynihan Connector was added in 2023.

The High Line 2011

My first walk on the High Line was in May 2011. Then, my camera was a Canon 5D Mark II with a 12-24mm Sigma lens. The wide angle was perfect for making the gardens look large. The point-of-view looking down on the streets below was very different from regular street photography in New York.

High Line visitors look down on a multi-story parking structure.
A multi-story parking facility seen from the High Line in 2011.

The High Line 2024

I recently went back to walk the entire 1.45-mile High Line. This time, my camera was a Canon EOS R5 mirrorless with the new RF 10-20mm f/4.0 L IS STM ultra-wide angle lens.

The High Line foliage had grown in. It was lush and dense. I experienced a completely new sense of this garden that floating above the noise and traffic below. I was surprised by how quiet it is. It is a world of its own. The walk was unlike any other I’d enjoyed in the city. In spite of the heat on the streets below, the temperature was more comfortable.

High Line art

Art installations are frequent eye candy along the High Line. Some of it is small and partially hidden by the lushness of the growing plants. Other pieces are large and playful. I love the dancing fish in Cosima von Bonin’s “What If They Bark?” high above the 10th Avenue Square with Hudson Yards in the background. The installation is on through September 2024.

Six fish with scarves and instruments make up Cosima von Bonin's installation "What If They Bark?' on view through September 2024 on the Highline at 17th street
“What If They Bark?” by Cosima von Bonin

A whimsical composition of human, plant and animal cast in aluminum makes Giulia Cenci’s “secondary forest.” It’s in the park at 24th Street.

"secondary forest" on the High Line park at 24th Street is by Giulia Cenci is a composition of aluminum casts of animal, plant and human forms.
“secondary forest” by Giulia Cenci

The Plinth

On the newly opened High Line Spur, at 30th and 10th Avenue, stands the Plinth. Rotating exhibits are featured at this location. I photographed “Old Tree” by artist Pamela Rosenkranz during my visit. It’s on display until the Fall of 2024.

"Old Tree" is the third installation on the High Line Plinth. The artist is Pamela Rosenkranz
“Old Tree” by Pamela Rosenkranz

Inspiration on the High Line

My walk of the entire High Line, from 14th Street to Hudson Yards and back again, was a reset of inspiration. I had been on street level in the “city that never sleeps” for several days. I even went to Brooklyn to see the Paul McCartney exhibit of his photographs from the Beatles’ first visit to the U.S.

Being on the High Line got me above the everyday sidewalks packed with New Yorkers and tourists. New Yorkers look down at the sidewalk or simply straight ahead, making no eye contact at all while tourists crane to see the sky framed by the canyons of tall buildings. Here is a parting shot from the High Line’s end or beginning at 34th Street.

Looking to the sky from the 34th Street end of the Highline.
The sky as seen from the canyon lands.