Price and I went into New York City on Sunday morning to see The High Line. I have been dying to go since it opened. I even wrote a paper on the act of preserving it and transforming the former rail lines into a public greenspace. So we finally had some time and went into the City to check it out.
Ignoring the weather and all sense of logic I only packed flip flops for the weekend. Not even 5 minutes out of Grand Central and walking to THL it starts to rain which results in wet sidewalks and me slipping and holding on to Price anytime we got to a section of marble in the sidewalk. And not even 5 minutes after I purchase an umbrella it stops raining. I vowed to get another pair of shoes when I found a place- but being about 9.30 on a Sunday morning my options were limited. With the ground drying up and my safety restored I felt comfortable to ignore looking for a place to get shoes. After our visit to THL and Chelsea Market we head back up the touristy Time’s Square area to get lunch at Somberos, a great Mexican place that serves killer margaritas. Well as we are approaching Penn Station I slip and fall on a man hole cover. Damn it! 1) OUCH! 2) I think I crushed the stuff I was carrying 3) where is the closest Duane Reed because I need to clean up my knee. Thankfully a woman came over and gave me some wet wipes to clean up. Thank you whoever you were. So I recover with a bruised and scraped left knee, sore left ankle, muddy leg, scratched right foot, and sore right thumb. I’m a mess. Shortly after this Price kinda reminded me ‘Next Time, wear sneakers.’
Aside from the fall we had a great day. We walked over to the High Line. As soon as I saw it in sight I was giddy and gushing about it to Price. We got on the the Northern entrance at 20th St and 10th Ave and walked down to the end and back up to the 16th St stair to go to Chelsea Market. THL was everything I could have imagined and more. The detail that was put into it is just amazing. The concrete panels that make up the surface dip from the remaining tracks and then go up to create these benches that look like the surface has been peeled away. They even had these cool water fountains that did not have a drain built in. It was designed so the water would run off into a V on the edge and into a drain on the main surface. By far my favorite design aspect was the lounges they had Diller- Von Fustenberg Sun Deck area. The lounges were constructed using wheels and they set upon the railroad track which allowed them to move back and forth a bit. Such clean lines but it shows how Diller Scofidio + Renfro valued the existing structure and its history.
After our visit to THL we went to Chelsea Market– my food mecca….. the Food Network Studio is located above the market. When we were going in and out of the shops we saw pictures of the Food Network Stars like Emeril, Bobby Flay, Alton Brown, Rachel Ray, etc with the owners of the stores. We got really good cupcakes from Eleni’s and I got a candy thermometer and copper cleaner from a kitchen supply. Bowery Kitchen Supply was trouble because I was eyeing these big aluminum pots- like 20 gallon ones!
New York City has this amazing feel that I don’t think can ever ben repilcated. I love knowing that around every turn is something new, something happening. On our way back to Grand Central we came across a street fair that shut down Madison Ave for a few blocks. You can never be bored in the city that never sleeps.
The River That Flows Both Ways