Eddie Pensier writes:
Today I met frequent UR commenter Tex for a walk along the High Line, the elevated-railroad-track-turned-public-park that runs for a mile through the southwest end of Manhattan.
Discussions of the virtues of the park itself are probably best left to my colleagues who are more well-versed in such matters. What makes the High Line fun for me? The first word gives a clue: it’s high. Ten stories up gives a great vantage point to observe the wonders of Manhattan and the teeming life contained therein. Frequent benches and lookout points invite reflection, picture-taking, and just watching people go by. (The High Line should not be confused with the Hi-Life, where reflection of an altogether different sort has been known to occur.)
Besides the train tracks and the plants (all “native” and “indigenous”, we are assured), one feature that Tex and I noticed was the slightly elevated ridges of concrete from which grass sprouts, placed at the angles in the walkway. I’m sure there is some Very Important Reason for these to exist, but their main purpose seemed to be to get in my way and cause me to stumble every ten steps.
It also, regrettably, gives you a view of some OMG FUGLY buildings nearby. The presence of the High Line has made the far-west bits of Chelsea and the Meatpacking District more attractive to developers and potential residents, the result being some of the blights I took snaps of below the break. I started photographing at 23rd Street and walked downtown: if you know the names of these buildings or their architects, leave a comment so we can assign proper blame credit.
The Empire State Building in the background provides a sad contrast.
It’s a sorry thing when the construction equipment is more interesting-looking than the Frank Gehry building it’s next to.
This might have been my favorite thing I saw on the High Line: a cheeky bronze satyr wearing a kilt, by artist Sean Landers.
Related
- Paleo Retiree on the Black (building) Plague.
- Ugly as these are, they’re no match for the world-beating ugly buildings of Melbourne.
Blowhard, Esq.
Callowman
Sherbrooke
Eddie Pensier
Enzo Nakamura
Epaminondas
Fabrizio del Wrongo
Fenster
Brundle Guy
Glynn Marshes
Paleo Retiree
Atypical Neurotic
Question Lady
Sax von Stroheim
Sir Barken Hyena
The Mistaken
Uncouth Reflections 
Those are some damn ugly buildings.
LikeLike
Buildings? Or chic kitchen appliances?
LikeLike
When I was in NYC a few years ago, one of the first things I did was walk the High Line. I too was struck by the terrible buildings along the route. I’ll dig out my pics.
LikeLike
Holy shit that Gehry looks like a Nintendo graphic on a TV that has gone all fritzy. Sadly, he’d probably take that as a compliment.
Do you reckon the satyr is supposed to be wearing a kilt? Maybe he’s going through a grunge phase?
LikeLike
I wondered that, or if it was detritus from some revelry last night (I did find a pair of what I believe were women’s underpants not far away). But the info-card confirms that it is actually a kilt.
LikeLike
Still not as bad as my home town, Melbourne.
LikeLike
Maybe I’m spoiled from years of living next to Prospect and Central Parks, but I felt like such a sourpuss about the High Line when it opened. It’s the Tuileries of the dystopian science fiction world we live in.
LikeLike
I took pictures of two of the same buildings as you did, but from different perspectives:
LikeLike
Pingback: Gratuitous Swoopy-Doopiness Du Jour | Uncouth Reflections
Pingback: Edges, Pointiness, Minimalism and Public Seating | Uncouth Reflections
Pingback: Non-Color at the High Line | Uncouth Reflections
Pingback: Art and Architecture Du Jour: The Broad Museum, Los Angeles | Uncouth Reflections