High Line and Hudson Yards: What Do You Do With Obsolete Track?
Two and a half kilometres of freight line, twenty-five billion dollars of new construction, one question: what do you do with obsolete track, and who pays for the answer?
Start
Gansevoort Entrance: Where the Catalyst Starts
Gansevoort Entrance: Where the Catalyst Starts
Southern terminus of the High Line, beside the Whitney Museum. The walk begins on the same steel viaduct freight ran on until 1980.
Standard Hotel and 14th Street Platform: The Curated Wild
The hotel straddles the line on 57-foot piers. The viewing platform looks straight down 10th Avenue, and the planting around you is choreographed wildness.
Chelsea Market Crossover: The Catalyst Worked Once
The High Line passes through the original Nabisco bakery, built into the 1929 to 1934 viaduct. The Oreo was invented in this block in 1913.
23rd Street Lawn: What the Park Does That Freight Never Did
The High Line's only open turf. Designed by James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio and Renfro, and Piet Oudolf.
30th Street Cut: Where the Corridor Bends
The viaduct curves west around the West Side Yard. South of here is beloved public park. North of here is the largest privately funded real estate development in United States history.
Hudson Yards and Vessel: The Catalyst Paid Off
The most expensive private development in United States history, built on a platform over thirty active LIRR tracks. The Vessel by Thomas Heatherwick anchors the plaza.
The Shed: The Bill
The cultural arm of Hudson Yards, opened April 2019, designed by Diller Scofidio and Renfro. The political-economy stop.
30 Hudson Yards and the Edge: Where the Question Stays Open
The plaza at the base of 30 Hudson Yards. The Edge observation deck, optional finish, is more than eleven hundred feet above you.
Best Time to Visit
Late morning to early afternoon, especially in spring or fall when Piet Oudolf's planting is in peak seasonal change. Avoid summer weekends mid-day: the deck gets crowded and the planting offers little shade.
Pro Tips
- •Wear walking shoes with cushioning. Two and a half kilometres on hard steel deck is harder on the feet than it sounds.
- •Free timed tickets to the lower levels of the Vessel are released via the Hudson Yards website. The plaza itself is always open and free.
- •Chelsea Market at Stop 3 has restrooms and food. There are none on the High Line itself.
- •If you want the Edge observation deck at the end, book a sunset slot in advance for the best view back down the corridor.
- •Re-entry to the High Line is possible at multiple staircases and elevators along the route if you want to take a break at street level.
Safety & Precautions
- The High Line is open 7 AM to 10 PM in summer, with shorter hours in winter. Check the Friends of the High Line website before arriving in the evening.
- The deck is uncovered. There is no shade and no shelter from rain or sun across most of the route.
- Hudson Yards is private property. Security can ask people to leave the plaza after hours.
- Vessel access is by free timed ticket only. The top level remains closed.
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