The High Line

The story

Diller Scofidio + Renfro designed the park on a former elevated freight railway, and stretches of the old rails still show through the beds. The planting takes its cue from the self-seeded landscape that grew wild for 25 years after the trains stopped. Grasses, trees and flowering plants shift with the seasons and draw pollinators, birds and even bats. The route runs from Hudson Yards, by The Vessel, down to Gansevoort Street, with easy links into Chelsea Market and on to Little Island. Along the way are benches, quiet pockets, food and drink at 15th and 22nd Streets, and public art such as Derek Fordjour's painted bronze figures and a Plinth commission inspired by the Bamiyan Buddhas. The nonprofit Friends of the High Line runs the park and hosts stargazing at dusk.