High Line Architecture: The Whitney Museum
New Home for the Whitney. Photo courtesy Whitney Museum of American Art
When architect Renzo Piano speaks about the Whitney Museum of American Art he uses his entire body to illustrate the artistic intent of his new building. During the museums official dedication ceremony he gestured first to the east, and a view that cuts across Manhattan Island. This building talks to the city, he said, then turned left and pointed to the Hudson River. It also talks to rest of the country: all the way west, to Los Angeles, if you look carefully, and then to the world beyond. This new building, with its massive windows and expansive 360 degree views, seems designed to enable a sort of outward-looking contemplation and engagement that most museums, with their emphasis on whats inside, right in front of you, dont encourage. Im pretty sure that beauty will save the world, Piano said, and this new home for one of the countrys foremost collections of American art makes the point at every turn that all the beauty inside is made more powerful by its connection to a greater, wider landscape.
This is the fifth article in my series High Line Architecture. Like the previous other pieces, its not an architectural or aesthetic review but instead a look the history of the place a building occupies, and a contemplation of how the landscape around the High Line has changed over time.
Renzo Piano: Im pretty sure that beauty will save the world.
The Spears Building
New Yorkers To Converge At Hudson Yards
The High Lines southern entrance is on West 14th Street at the new Whitney Museum. The trail runs north through Chelsea for a mile and a half, through the densest part of the gallery district, and concludes at Hudson Yards. While the park wraps the entire Hudson Yards neighborhood, a main entrance located on 30th Street by 10 Hudson Yards is a key access point for people visiting The Shops & Restaurants, The Shed and offices at Hudson Yards.
Start A Boat Tour Or Dinner Cruise
As you know, the boat tours in New York are our absolute favorite. You can appreciate the architecture from the water and can get some pretty unique perspective on the city. Not far from the High Line, is Circle Line which hosts the boat tours. Find out which is your perfect New York Pass here. You can also book the architecture cruise that drops off you off at Chelsea Piers. This is the tour we did in the summer as it leads you past the Statue of Liberty and goes around Manhattan. Our review of this beautiful boat tour can be found here.
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Primary And Secondary Education
The system, managed by the , is the largest public school system in the United States, serving about 1.1 million students in more than 1,700 separate primary and secondary schools. The city’s public school system includes nine to serve academically and artistically . The city government pays the to educate a very small, detached section of the Bronx.
The New York City Charter School Center assists the setup of new . There are approximately 900 additional privately run secular and religious schools in the city.
Higher Education And Research
More than 600,000 students are enrolled in New York City’s more than 120 higher education institutions, the highest number of any city in the world, with more than half a million in the system alone as of 2020, including both degree and professional programs. According to , New York City has, on average, the best higher education institutions of any .
The city also hosts other smaller private colleges and universities, including many religious and special-purpose institutions, such as: , , , , – Manhattan, , , , , , , , , , and .
Much of the in the city is done in medicine and the . In 2019, the New York metropolitan area ranked first on the list of cities and metropolitan areas by share of published articles in life sciences. New York City has the most postgraduate life sciences degrees awarded annually in the United States, with 127 having roots in local institutions as of 2005 while in 2012, 43,523 licensed physicians were practicing in New York City.
Major biomedical research institutions include , Rockefeller University, , , , and , being joined by the / venture on . The graduates of in the Bronx earned the highest average annual salary of any university graduates in the United States, $144,000 as of 2017.
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Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity
The New York metropolitan area is home to about 570,000 self-identifying and people, and one of the world’s largest. Same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults has been legal in New York since the case in 1980 which invalidated the state’s . were legalized on June 24, 2011, and were authorized to take place on July 23, 2011. Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer’s New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has “one of the world’s largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities”, and “Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York’s basic identity as , , and “.Queer in the World states, “The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and seeps into every corner of its five boroughs”. and entertainer stated , “Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer.”
The annual traverses southward down and ends at in Lower Manhattan the parade rivals the as the largest pride parade in the world, attracting tens of thousands of participants and millions of sidewalk spectators each June. The annual is held in and is accompanied by the ensuing Multicultural Parade.
Enjoy The View From The Whitney Museum
The Whitney Museum of Art is located at the southern end of the High Line in the Meatpacking District and is a magnet for tourists and locals alike. Fans of museums, contemporary art and culture should definitely check out this museum. Were not big museum-goers, but we were thrilled with the Whitney Museum. Why? The museum has a café and a viewing deck with a grandiose view of the Hudson River and Lower Manhattan with the One World Observatory.
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Sunbathe On The Grasslands Grove
The High Line has variously designed sections. Some have a lot of greenery with many trees, some are intentionally kept very original and others focus on understanding and experiencing the history of the elevated railway line as best as possible. The northern section of Hudson Yards is called Grasslands Grove and its the last one. Here you can see many open tracks with abstract sidewalks, exactly as they used to look like! And if the weather permits you can enjoy the view from here and sunbathe, because there are many benches at the Grasslands Grove!
Water Purity And Availability
The New York City drinking water supply is extracted from the protected . As a result of the watershed’s integrity and undisturbed natural system, New York is one of only four major cities in the United States the majority of whose drinking water is pure enough not to require purification through plants. The city’s municipal water system is the largest in the United States, moving over one billion gallons of water per day a leak in the Delaware aqueduct results in some 20 million gallons a day being lost under the Hudson River. The north of the city is undergoing construction of a $3.2 billion water purification plant to augment New York City’s water supply by an estimated 290 million gallons daily, representing a greater than 20% addition to the city’s current availability of water. The ongoing expansion of , an integral part of the New York City water supply system, is the largest capital construction project in the city’s history, with segments serving Manhattan and the Bronx completed, and with segments serving Brooklyn and Queens planned for construction in 2020. In 2018, New York City announced a $1 billion investment to protect the integrity of its water system and to maintain the purity of its unfiltered water supply.
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Land Use Below Viaducts
Where a viaduct is built across land rather than water, the space below the arches may be used for businesses such as car parking, vehicle repairs, light industry, bars and nightclubs. In the United Kingdom, many railway lines in urban areas have been constructed on viaducts, and so the infrastructure owner has an extensive property portfolio in arches under viaducts. In Berlin the space under the arches of elevated subway lines is used for several different purposes, including small eateries or bars.
Habitat In The Sky: Studying Wild Bees On The High Line
As the city embraces spring and lures people outside with warmer weather and longer days, the High Line is expecting a different kind of local visitor. From early spring to late fall, wild and native bees come to collect pollen and nectar from thousands of blooms along the parks 1.45 mile stretch, playing a vital ecological role in our landscape.
While we are familiar with the popular European honey bee and the North American bumble bee, we were curious to learn if any of the 400+ wild species found in New York State were foraging or nesting in the park. How is the High Line as a habitat? As part of a larger initiative to quantify the environmental benefits of the High Line , planning and design manager Nicole De Feo, reached out to entomologists at the American Museum of Natural History to ask for help.
A bee bowl placed in the High Line garden beds among blooms is painted to visually attract bees. A drop of soap weakens the surface tension of the water, trapping bees and other insects as they land.Ayinde Listhrop
Corey Smith of the American Museum of Natural History highlights bee specimens from the museums collection during a visit with High Line staff.Nicole De Feo
Smith and Kornbluth found several small carpenter bees and a number of masked bees at the High Line.
A small carpenter bee , atop a pithy stem.el.gritche via Flickr
Sarah Kornbluth of the American Museum of Natural History looks for bees on the Northern Spur Preserve on the High Line.Nicole De Feo
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Finish At Bubbys High Line Drink A Local Ipa
Bubbys is a restaurant located at the southern end of the High Line Park and is one of the most pleasant restaurants in the Meatpacking District. In the summer you can also sit outside, eat ice cream or drink an ice cold IPA from New York. You can expect American cuisine, which is delicious. More about Bubbys Restaurant & Bar can be found here
Being a photographer and creative in general, New York City, I think is the perfect place to be. I moved to NYC from Boston in 2013 and never looked back. Loving New York has given me the opportunity to do what I love and share those images with you all.
Go To The Pier 51 Playground With The Kids
We were in New York last year and we noticed a lot of playgrounds for families with kids. A particularly beautiful one is located at Pier 51. It is about two streets south of the Whitney Museum. To find two amazing highlights, there is an artificial stream and the view is amazing. While your kids have fun playing and climbing, you can look at the beautiful One World Observatory!
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Guided Tours Of The High Line
We hope you will give us the opportunity to show you this most unusual and fascinating city park on one of our tour guide-led walking tours.
We offer several pay-what-you-wish tours of the High Line including:
- Dark Side of the High Line Tour, for a grimmer history of this park
- The High Line is also a part of our All-in-One Downtown Tour as well as our Greenwich Village and High Line Tour.
Smart Technology And Hidden Realities
All that is needed for the AR art show to work is a smart device with a camera and sufficient space to store the app. This means that no virtual reality headsets and so on are required to enjoy the sculptures and to enjoy them from multiple angles. The idea is that visitors to the public park will have fun seeking out the locations of the QR codes and also get to know the High Line better in the process. That said, since the Shed is behind much of the thinking behind the project, it will come as little surprise that the majority of the virtual art that is on display is to be found in the vicinity of the plaza where the Shed is located, close to the Lincoln Tunnel on the Lower West Side of Manhattan Island.Although the idea of hunting for virtual art might seem like the project is a bit gimmicky, the show named The Looking Glass has higher ambitions. Yes, the technology involved has been used for games in the past such as the phenomenally successful Pokemon Go! but it is the quality of the virtual art on offer that makes this outdoor exhibition different. Some interesting artists have created digital sculptures specifically for the show, one that echoes a similar installation that was staged last year on Londons South Bank.
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Swing High On The Flying Trapeze
Make like Carrie Bradshaw on assignment and enroll in a class at Trapeze School New York. No experience is necessary to start out with a small group class where youll learn to fly like a circus performer with the background of Manhattans skyline inspiring you. Classes move up in levels, so if youre committed, you can learn tricks and more.
- Sports and fitness
- Chelsea
Its pretty impossible to get bored at this recreational complex, which has served the needs of sporty New Yorkers for more than 25 years. Warm weather brings out the golf fanatics, who can thwack balls until midnight every day. But if thats not your thing, there are plenty of other athletic optionsincluding batting cages, rock-climbing walls and bowlingto keep you entertained.
High Line Entry Points
Here is a list of all access points to the High Line. All the access points have stairs. Those that have elevators and ramps are noted.
- Gansevoort Street and Washington Street
- 14th Street
- 30th Street and 11th Avenue
- 34th Street
Below, we have included Google Maps links under the subway directions. You can use these links regardless of how you choose to arrive.
- The northern end of the High Line: A/C/E to 34th St/Penn Station or the 7 train to 34th St/Hudson Station
- Middle of High Line: C/E to 23rd St. 1 train to 18th St., 23rd St. or 28th St
- The southern end of the High Line: A/C/E to 14th St 1/2/3 trains to 14th St.
- Crosstown M34, M23, M14
- Uptown-Downtown M11, M20
For information on how to buy a MetroCard and make the most of your money, read our blog post with helpful information.
Driving to the High Line? Use for directions, and Parking Panda to reserve a parking spot in the area.
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Projects In Other Cities
The High Line’s success in New York City has encouraged leaders in other cities such as Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, who sees it as “a symbol and catalyst” for gentrifying neighborhoods. Several cities nationwide have plans to renovate railroad infrastructure into parkland, including Philadelphia‘s Rail Park, Atlanta’s Belt Line, and Chicago’s Bloomingdale Trail. The High Line has helped pioneer the creation of elevated parks worldwide. In Queens, the Queensway is being considered for reactivation along the right-of-way of the former Long Island Rail RoadRockaway Beach Branch. Other cities around the world are planning elevated rails-to-trails parks in what a writer has called the “High Line effect”.
According to some estimates, it costs substantially less to redevelop an abandoned urban rail line into a linear park than to demolish it. Landscape architect James Corner noted that “The High Line is not easily replicable in other cities,” however, observing that building a “cool park” requires a “framework” of neighborhoods around it to succeed.
In 2016, Friends of the High Line launched the High Line Network to support similar infrastructure re-use projects being developed in other cities. As of 2017, there are 19 projects in the network, including River LA, the Atlanta Beltline, Crissy Field, Dequindre Cut, the Lowline, Klyde Warren Park, the Bentway, Bergen Arches, Destination Crenshaw and the Trinity River Project.
Ride The Bike On The Hudson River Greenway
Exploring New York by bike sounds pretty dangerous, especially with the crazy drivers and traffic. But, it is one of the best ways to get around NYC and it does not have to be dangerous as long as youre aware.We love to ride a bike in the city! Thanks to the city bike program, Citi Bike, its very flexible and cheap. Just make sure you keep an eye on the time.
You can borrow unlimited bicycles at more than 800 stations with the day ticket. You will be charged $4 per 15 minutes after the first initial 30 minutes. Therefore, just have the clock in view, return the bike on time to one of the stations and then just take a new one! Whats brand new is since 2019 the first stations are equipped with eBike!
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