Author: Victor Block
Published: 2025/03/13
Publication Type: Informative
Topic: Disability Travel America – Publications List
Page Content: Synopsis – Introduction – Main – Insights, Updates
Synopsis: Discover Manhattan’s High Line, a scenic, wheelchair-friendly park with art, history, and lush gardens, offering a peaceful and engaging experience for all.
Why it matters: Victor Block’s review of Manhattan’s High Line highlights its unique blend of history, art, and accessibility, making it an inviting destination for all, including seniors and those with disabilities. With eight accessible entrances, wheelchair rentals, and a ban on disruptive vehicles, the High Line offers a tranquil, immersive experience through striking architecture, lush gardens, and captivating public art. Block’s engaging narrative also unveils the park’s transformation from the dangerous “Death Avenue” railway to a vibrant urban escape, rich with cultural landmarks and interactive features for visitors of all ages. – Disabled World (DW).
Introduction
I recently was enjoying a leisurely trip along a path that leads through a treasure-trove of various architectural styles, museum-quality displays of art and floral plantings which would make any gardener proud.
Main Item
I was traversing the High Line, the elevated former railway which runs, 30 feet above street level, down the west side of Manhattan, New York. Along the way, it winds among a landscape of magnificent buildings that range from old to new, shabby to magnificent, uninspired to avant guard, and which serve industrial, commercial and residential purposes.
Eight of the entrances to the High Line are accessible by ramp or elevator. Wheelchairs, which are available for rent, and walkers are allowed to be used, and those who utilize them welcome the prohibition on bicycles, roller blades and scooters. Not only does that provide a welcoming environment, it greatly reduces what otherwise could become a bothersome noise level.
Given the beauty of the setting, many people are surprised to learn that the streets over which the High Line runs in the past was known by the less-than-appealing nickname of Death Avenue. For almost a century, trains of the New York Central Railroad plowed along Manhattan’s 10th and 11th Avenues crossing streets, interrupting traffic and maiming and killing pedestrians along the way. Those trains played in important role in feeding New Yorkers, delivering meat, groceries and dairy products.
A city ordinance passed in the 1850s stipulated that a person on horseback had to ride ahead of each train, waving a red flag and lantern to announce its approach, but the deaths continued. Finally, in 1929, the railroad reached an agreement to move the tracks above street level, the High Line opened in 1934 and it continued to carry train traffic until 1980.
Since then, the byway has served as a peaceful 1.5-mile linear park through which people walk, rest and admire the beauty surrounding them. The original tracks in places are punctuated by trees that have found them to be an unusual home for their roots.
From spring-to-fall, vibrant floral displays add to the scene. The names of some plants I spotted on identifying signs – Autumn Bride, Hairy Alumroot, Japanese Forest Grass – are as colorful as the blooms they describe.
Equally intriguing, and varied, are the neighborhoods through which the route leads, each of which has its own distinctive attractions. The Chelsea Arts District has been the city’s visual creation center for more than 130 years. It’s home to countless galleries that display a wide spectrum of works by both emerging and established artists.
Continued…
Artwork also adorns the Chelsea Market building, which stands where Algonquin Native Americans once traded freshly-killed game and crops. Later, the High Line trains serviced the wholesale butchers who sold their meat along the streets beneath the tracks, and the stripped-down brick building that housed them remains to tell the story of that time.
The IAC Building was designed by Frank Gehry, the world-famous architect known as a deconstructionist for his use of everyday materials to create complex, dynamic structures. It’s divided into vertical sections that resemble a ship’s sails, set against a facade which brings to mind an iceberg.
The imaginative architecture provides a fitting backdrop for the art that decorates some structures and is displayed along the High Line pathway. The surprisingly excellent, and eclectic, gathering of works scattered throughout the park transforms it into and a free outdoor gallery.
The sides of some buildings along the way serve as oversized painters’ palettes, exhibiting murals that cover a variety of genres and topics. One displays an oversized smiling mouth with pearl-like teeth. I came upon whimsical sculptures with names like Secondary Forest, Fossil Psychic Stone Mimicry and Birth of an Island.
Continued…
Speaking of an island, a welcome surprise to many traversing the High Line is a nearby park, visible from the train track path, which is set upon a man-made enclave. The elevated park is supported above the water of the Hudson River by 132 concrete pot-shaped structures called tulips. It offers walking paths, gentle hills, rolling lawns and a cornucopia of vegetation. That includes 35 species of trees, 65 kinds of shrubs and 270 different grasses and flowers that bloom at different times of the year. A “secret garden” is planted exclusively with white flora.
Adding to the allure is a surprisingly diverse list of other attractions which appeal to all ages. Visitors delight in the sounds of the Dance Chimes, are transfixed by the optical illusion of Spinning Discs located along the walkways and enjoy trying their hand at an Instrument for All. More active guests are delighted by the opportunity to roll around in a Spun Chair, or take their turn using a jump rope or hula hoop.
Rounding out the choice of things to do and see are a small stage, a large amphitheater which offers a selection of shows and two concession stands. An audio tour leads through the park and provides an immersion in the history of the island, the Hudson River waterfront and the nearby Meatpacking District.
Editorial Note: The High Line is more than just a repurposed railway – it’s a living, breathing testament to the power of thoughtful urban renewal. Victor Block’s journey along the High Line leaves you with a real sense of how this old rail line turned into something special – a testament to a city that doesn’t just bulldoze its past but reworks it into something worth seeing. It’s not every day you find a spot where industrial scars bloom into gardens and murals, all while keeping the doors wide open for everyone, from art lovers to folks who just need a flat path to roam. The High Line’s story, and Block’s knack for telling it, reminds us that the best places don’t shout – they invite you in, step by step, to see what’s been hiding in plain sight all along. For those seeking an accessible and enriching outdoor experience in New York, this park proves that a city’s past can be transformed into an inviting space for its future. – Disabled World (DW).
Author Credentials: Victor Block has been a travel journalist for many years, and has written for major newspapers, magazines and travel websites and served as an editor of Fodor’s Travel Guides. He is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and the North American Travel Journalists Association. Victor is a regular contributor of reviews to the Disabled World travel section. Visit Victors’s biography for further insights into his background, expertise, and accomplishments.
Citing and References
Founded in 2004, Disabled World (DW) is a leading resource on disabilities, assistive technologies, and accessibility, supporting the disability community. Learn more on our About Us page.
Cite This Page: Victor Block. (2025, March 13). Exploring the High Line: Manhattan’s Elevated Oasis of Art and History. Disabled World (DW). Retrieved March 13, 2025 from www.disabled-world.com/travel/usa/high-line.php
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