A Wander on the High Line

Most of the time, I love living in a city.  The bright lights and skyscrapers fill me with excitement and I don't mind the hustle and bustle, because it's a sign that interesting things are happening all around me.

Every now and then though, I do feel the need to seek out green spaces and open air.  Maybe it's a natural reaction to all of the concrete that I see every day, or maybe it's due to the fact that I'm really still a country girl at heart. 

Whatever the reason, I was feeling such a need recently and so I took myself over to the West Side and climbed up to the High Line.  A public park that's been built on an old rail line, it allows you to walk above the crowded city streets and find some peace and quiet among the greenery.  It has a number of entrances over the course of its mile and half length, so you simple find a staircase, climb up, and stroll until you have to go back down to life at street level.

There is a lot of art located throughout the High Line's span, but on that day, I mostly wanted to enjoy a walk among the plants and the view of the city from above.  However, I did have to stop when I spotted this mural.

I am often a traditionalist, but I love this update of the classic photo.

I continued on, enjoying the feeling of returning to nature while still being in the thick of the city.

 If you look closely, you can see some subtle reminders of the park's past as a rail line.

Looking down from above, the city somehow seemed so much calmer from this perspective.

Instead of being perfectly manicured, many of the plants seemed slightly overgrown, giving the park a bit of a wild feel, which I liked.

After walking the park's length and then doubling back for a bit more, the sun was starting to set, so I decided that I should probably go back down to reality.

I didn't really want to leave, so I suppose it was a lucky thing that I spotted these initials on a building near one of the exit staircases.

 

There's really nothing that can knock me out of a nature reverie faster than the promise of some shopping.

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