I spent a good part of the day Thursday at The High Line in New York City. It is one of my favorite places on earth. It overstimulates and relaxes me at the same time. It is one of the greatest juxtapositions of urban and meadow I’ve ever seen. It was designed by Piet Oudolf.
Drop the mic.
I won’t carry on too much today because I’ve written about The High Line in the recent past and you can and should check out those posts before proceeding any further.
You can read about my inaugural visit here:
And then dive into greater detail with my visit last year, broken down into 3 separate posts because, well, the subject matter justifies it:
The High Line runs roughly 20 city blocks and I walked it end to end at least three times.
The first time without taking a single photo, just a chance to enjoy the stroll, enjoy the day off from work and to just watch. Watch people, plants and the chaos of Manhattan down below.
The second time through was all about capturing photos of the plants against the city backdrop.
The third time was the slowest jaunt of all as I imagined the thought process behind the plant design/layout when it was originally constructed. This was my favorite walk of the day.
If you didn’t check out my prior posts above just know I am going to post pics here without much context. Just a series of pics I like and feel happy sharing.
But before I do that, I feel the need to also share with you, five things I learned about myself while traversing this abandoned railroad in the sky.
- I’m old and have no sense of what is fashionable for men today. Yes, I was in New York City, the fashion mecca of the world, but still, I saw more short shorts on men and more man thigh than necessary. One day they’ll look back and laugh.
- I love the extremes of the city and the country. The loud noise and chaos doesn’t faze me but there is something about the deafening silence at night in my little rural part of New Jersey that makes me smile.
- My own garden mirrors the style of the High Line more and more each year. Let me rephrase that: my garden wishes to be even 5% of the awesomeness of The High Line.
- I want to quit my day job and work maintenance on The High Line. The beating down of the summer sun would not phase me one bit. I’d even give tours as well. This place is in my blood.
- I need to visit here four times per year: April, June, October and January. I need to feel the vibe of all four seasons.
And on to the photos:
QOTD: Tell me about your favorite public garden.
High Line looks so wonderful. I can’t imagine taking on a project of that scale. What a gift.
Fave gardens: Reford Gardens in Quebec was definitely a peak experience. Incredible gardens in a beautiful setting on the Gaspe Peninsula, and art installations integrated throughout. The whole family spent the whole day there and everyone was happy.
Closer to home, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Because it’s Maine and yet they grow such an incredible array of plants. The sculptures are stunning too. And the overall design is inspiring.
Right in my backyard: Arnold Arboretum. And also the Mt Auburn Cemetery which is also part botanical garden. Mix the resting places of Longfellow, Winslow Homer, Buckminster Fuller, Robert Creeley, Abraham Maslow, and a hundred more notables, with a gracious and masterful garden. What can I say, Boston is awesome.
Oh how I hope to travel to the Highline some day. Thanks for your “tour” today.
Three favorite public gardens:
Van Dusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, British Columbia
Portland Japanese Garden
Lan Su Garden (the Portland Chinese garden)
My favorite public garden is right here in my hometown of Youngstown, Ohio. Fellows Riverside gardens. I volunteered there for 20 years and I know every part of it. It is unique because it has a view of the city at one end and on the other end the view is completely opposite. It looks over Lake Glacier and Mill Creek Metro Park. The visitor center library, Café and auditorium face that lake view too. It is so peaceful to sit and enjoy lunch on the terrace. This small garden (about 6 acres) is free and has something for everyone.
Kingwo0d Center Garden, in Mansfield, Ohi0, have wonderful garden designers. Every year their annual display beds are spectacular.
Filoli in California, Powell Gardens in Kansas City and Longwood Garden in Pennsylvania. These three are what you can do with imagination and wealth. You can spend the whole day in each and hate to leave.
i have two current faves, both in ohio. one is fellows riverside, described above by alice (i live south of youngstown), and the other is mission oaks gardens in zanesville. they are about the same size (mission oaks is 7 acres, the website says) but are opposites in a way.
fellows riverside is more open and more formal, with a visitor center, and shines with sun bloomers and display beds/areas. i last visited it at this time last year, on a saturday, and there were three weddings either just about to start, in progress or just completed. the park is big enough and well-designed enough to accommodate this without one bothering another.
mission oaks in zanesville is a shade park of perennials, shrubs and trees, plus a separate conifer park, with walking paths, waterfalls and an amphitheater along the way. it is in a residential area and part of that area’s park system. very tranquil.
i’ve been to kingwood in mansfield, ohio, several times, but only for its tulip display – i need to go when it’s time for the lilies and other perennials featured there. –suz in ohio