High Line Park: Walking New York’s Elevated Railway

The High Line Park is one of a kind, and since it opened in 2009 it has become one of the new Manhattan attractions New Yorkers love most.

What makes it so special is that it was built on an old elevated train line running through the Meatpacking District, Chelsea, and Hudson Yards.

So far it stretches about 1.45 miles, and it will keep growing: there are plans to extend it to Penn Station and Pier 76 at Hudson Yards.

Since May 2021 it has had some competition in the originality department: neighboring Little Island, a floating park over the Hudson River, very close to the Meatpacking District entrance to the High Line. Plan ahead so you can combine both of these one-of-a-kind parks in one outing.

The old train line

This elevated rail line, which starts in the Meatpacking District, crosses Chelsea, and ends in Hudson Yards, was used to deliver goods to the industrial meatpacking plants and markets that filled these streets on the West Side of Manhattan.

As the years passed and the city grew, the neighborhood went through a deep process of gentrification. New residents moved in and the old factories gradually migrated to other neighborhoods.

Little by little, those abandoned spaces turned into nightclubs, luxury boutiques, and buzzy restaurants. So who needs a train?

Locals to the rescue of the High Line

The city planned to demolish the disused line, but a group of neighbors who understood the heritage value of the structure proposed turning it into a public space instead.

That is how the High Line Park was born, an elevated park unlike any other in the world, where you can walk through buildings, look straight at the Empire State, soak up the sun in summer, or just settle in and watch the hipster New Yorkers who come here to see and be seen.

Wild landscaping

The park also has refined landscaping. The goal was to highlight the steel structure and show off the wild plants that were already growing along the tracks with very little help.

Beautifully done!

What to see on the High Line

Walking the entire High Line takes about an hour, not counting stops for photos or simply to soak up the atmosphere.

I recommend walking the whole thing, since it gives you an invaluable perspective on the neighborhoods and streets it crosses. Along the way you will notice how building the park has reshaped its surroundings.

Its opening brought a lot of life to the West Side of Manhattan, sparking a boom in hotels, retail, trendy restaurants, and luxury housing.

Fewer and fewer of the traditional industrial buildings remain in these West Side neighborhoods. The area changed forever, and you only need to visit the new Hudson Yards neighborhood, where the High Line plays a starring role in the design, to see it.

Here are the points of interest you will pass on your walk, listed south to north:

1. Whitney Museum of American Art

The new home of the Whitney Museum is just steps from the park, very close to the Gansevoort Street entrance in fact.

Beyond the exhibitions at this museum devoted to American art, its terraces offer sweeping views of the High Line and much of the West Side of Manhattan and the Hudson River.

2. The Standard Hotel

Around 13th Street you will pass under The Standard Hotel, one of the first to set up shop in the area.

If your budget allows, it is a terrific place to stay in a neighborhood that keeps getting more interesting.

3. The Diller – Von Furstenberg Sundeck

If there is one thing New York has plenty of, it is places to sunbathe or just rest. The High Line was never going to skip that.

Here the loungers are as original as everything else in the park: they are mounted on wheels and can be rolled along the old train rails. Fun and clever. You will find them between 14th and 15th Streets.

4. Chelsea Market Passage

Right near the loungers, at 15th Street, you will see the Chelsea Market Passage. If you are after something good to eat, this Chelsea market has tons of options.

A little farther north you pass beneath the same building that houses Chelsea Market, one of the few covered stretches of the park. There are almost always food and souvenir vendors here.

5. High Line viewing spur

At 17th Street you will find the High Line overlook, a great spot to sit back and photograph this fast-changing part of Manhattan.

6. The 23rd Street lawn and seating steps

23rd Street is where the park is at its widest. A sort of amphitheater was built here with seating steps and green space where visitors stop to rest and take photos.

It is an excellent spot for nice photos, but to pull it off you need to arrive early or visit in low season, otherwise it will be packed with tourists.

7. Hudson Yards

As you reach 28th Street, the skyscrapers of Hudson Yards come into view. You will spot the deck of The Edge, the new Manhattan observation deck you should not miss.

A couple of blocks farther north the High Line turns west and drops you right in Hudson Yards, where you can enjoy a well-earned beer at Mercado Little Spain.

Expanding the High Line

As if this long walk were not enough, the city of New York is already planning a walkway to connect the High Line with the Penn Station expansion that opened in January 2021, the gorgeous Moynihan Train Hall.

Further down the road, there are plans to extend the park north past the Javits Convention Center to Pier 76 at Hudson Yards. Fingers crossed it happens!

Where to stay near the High Line

If you are looking for a place to stay and want to treat yourself to one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Manhattan, I recommend the Meatpacking District without hesitation.

Here you will find boutique hotels like The Standard, the one I mentioned that is built right over the High Line.

There is also the Gansevoort Meatpacking, with a well-known rooftop lounge that has spectacular views over the city.

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Address

The High Line starts in the south at Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District and runs up to 34th Street in Hudson Yards.

From east to west it is bounded by 10th and 12th Avenues

High Line entrances:

Gansevoort and Washington Street

14th, 16th, 18th, 20th, 23rd, 26th, 28th, 30th, and 34th Streets

Transportation:

L, A, C, E lines. 14th St & 8th Av station

C and E lines. 23rd St & 8th Av station

1, 2 and 3 lines. 14th St & 7th Av station

Prices:

Free admission

Hours:

December to March 7 am to 7 pm

April to May 7 am to 10 pm

June to September 7 am to 11 pm

October to November 7 am to 10 pm

Map