New York's newest attraction, a garden built on the remains of an elevated rail line that once carried meat and produce through the industrial neighborhoods of western Manhattan, has officially opened. (Readers unfamiliar with the project are referred to this 2-minute overview here on Youtube.)
Art and architecture critics enthuse about its design features. For me, as someone raised in the city during the 1970's, when the train was still in operation, what's even more exciting is that the High Line is a park with personality, reminiscent of a pre-Giuliani past when New York life was a bit more colorful and a little less predictable. I was pleased, therefore, to happen upon this art show in the back of a U-Haul by one of the High Line entrances on a recent afternoon:
Although centered around a physical space, the experience is more than just that. Only a few weeks old, the High Line has already produced enough stories to fill an O'Henry volume. An accordionist who plays tunes from classic video games. A young couple's engagement. A cabaret singer who performs from her fire escape:
It's also interesting to see how online media, which helped galvanize supporters around the idea of the park in the first place, is being used to enrich the experience. The Friends of the Highline publishes a wonderful blog and Flickr photo pool, both worthy of a visit unto themselves. Want to find out more about the fire-escape cabaret? Simply join the artist's Facebook group or see her here and here on Youtube. It's our tactile, industrial past meets our hyper-social, digital future, and the results are rather thrilling.
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