THE HIGHLINE, a re-purposed railroad that cuts through the Hudson yards and Chelsea areas is a great showing of new York’s heritage all in one. The beams of steel and round rivets seen from the sidewalk prior to getting on the Highline reminded me of where I live in Brooklyn, that same “awe” you get from looking up at such heavy materials was present for better or for worse. Then ascending up three sets of thirteen stairs made of concrete and lined with metal I find myself cold on the Highline with a camera in my hands. The benches peel out of the ground seamlessly and I later saw the similarities between Hadid’s last building located 520 west 28th. The rectangle shapes of the benches that have curved, dulled corners make this comparison complete if you’ve seen the interior stairs of her building. The benches are made of all the materials of the High line that I observed. Steel, concrete and wood. The only other material that’s constant is the old railroad tracks probably made of cast iron and glass. The old remnants of the tracks lay buried underneath new and protected plant life, the plants are guarded by a humble line of wire and black metal poles sticking out of the ground about knee high, a small sign saying “stay on the path to protect the plants” makes the message clear. The railings throughout the entire High line are being held together with metal nuts and bolts below the steel handrail and perpendicular bars with fencing in front so no one falls and sues the city. The high line isn’t anything but a walking path and to me what truly makes it represent new York is the use of public art installation along the walk, the surroundings of the city and where it leads you. I saw at least five art installations that I can say are associated with the Highline, the art adds new dimensions to the curving path. One is an old ruin of a Haitian palace, the colors being dulled probably due to its age and the brick make a good contrast on the wheat colored brush. The piece is also a literal wall so it looks very out of place yet fits perfect because out of place is what you expect in new York. Others are paintings on metal flat boards that depict a different kind of flower with loud colors compared to the dark blue sky and the red bricks of other surrounding buildings. There are viewing stations that use glass and beams with rivets to create a frame so people can look out at the city’s building and street art. The larger benches in these areas are made of many rows of laminated wood, I don’t see the same seamlessness of the smaller benches here but I know the lack of elegance is made up for with the view one is provided when they sit down to rest or take it all in. From here I can hear construction below and see a man using a blowtorch on a shovel. The Highline is juxtaposed to existing apartments and their materiality consists of mainly brick unless it’s Hadid’s building which I believe is iron or steel but the color which is a kind of brown makes me feel like i’m in the movie “Robots”. There’s plant life growing on the grey brick of surrounding apartments. The older homes assist in the overall esthetic of the High line and the sense your apart of new York even if you’re a tourist. The path consists of cement panels held together by a steel slab probably two inches wide and six inches long and four noticeable fasteners to keep them locked in place. At certain points you can go on a smaller viewing balcony that’s held up by metal polls and four spike looking bars extend evenly upwards to keep the area raised from the dirt below. There’s a material change from cement panels to an open steel ground probably to displace rain, at this point we are inclining and railings are more noticeable here. Made up of steel bars connected to a metal border up to my ankle and steel wires being fed through each bar. As the space to walk becomes increasingly thin I see the last phase of walking the high line and entering the bourgeoisie Hudson yards. From Chelsea we see a connection with nature and by the time we pass the steel ground one only sees glass buildings. The only building that caught my eye was the Bloomberg building, at first I thought I was looking at an inflatable but come to find out its eight million pounds! That space is multi-use and will show its purpose in the High line when more events start taking place here. Then as I walk off the High line i’m placed next to a mall filled with higher priced clothing, no more graffiti art but I still see new York heritage here.
