First walk through New York City: On the High Line

After catching a bus to Fort Worth, a shuttle to DFW, a flight to Newark, a train to Penn Station, and a taxi to the Chelsea High Line Youth Hostel, we  deposited our bags and headed to the High Line. Along the way, we walked past several art galleries, including the one featuring the gun Talor Stewart is taking a picture of (above). The High Line elevated train line opened to trains in 1934. According to thehighline.org, it was “ designed to go through the center of blocks, rather than over the avenue, carrying goods to and from Manhattan’s largest industrial district.” In 1980, “following decades-long growth in the interstate trucking industry, the last train runs. “ A group of property owners lobbied for demolition,” but in November 2005, the line was donated to the City so that it could be converted into as a public park and pedestrian walkway. The first section opened to the public in June 2009.
This work of public art by the UK's Ryan Gander (b. 1976) is titled "To employ the mistress.... It’s a French toff thing." According to High Line Art, this water fountain was made in the image of "his wife playfully spitting water . . . [the] sculpture plays with the tradition of fountains in classical gardens, where mythological divinities, imaginary animals, and other strange creatures are turned into whimsical springs. Gander extends this practice by inserting a traditional figure into a contemporary garden, and inviting adventurous visitors to drink from her mouth." Our adventurous visitor: Miranda McNabb.


Einstein photobombed the group on the corner of 10th Avenue and W. 14th street. (Who painted him up there?)
"Little Manhattan, New York, New York" by Yutaka Sone (b. 1965, Japan) is "an almost nine-foot-long marble sculpture of the island of Manhattan. A fantastic feat of meticulous carving, the sculpture includes every bridge, pier, and building found in Manhattan at the time of the sculpture’s making" (High Line Art).
Rashid Johnson's "Blocks" is "a new site-specific work . . . [that] will transform as it interacts with the surrounding plant life over the course of its residency in the park."

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