Hi from the High Line!

The sun finally came out today and so I visited the High Line, the new elevated park that runs along the West Side from Gansevoort to 20th Streets. I entered at the north end via stairs on 20th Street, walked the whole length and then returned to street level the way I'd come. It's a very pleasurable stroll: there's beautiful plantings amid railroad tracks, remainders of the park's former life; great views of the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty; and the elevation provides fresh views of some of the newer local buildings. I was surprised to see how modern and geometric the architecture has become, has become a bit like Legoland down there. And where was I when the Standard Hotel went up? I felt bittersweet overlooking the meat-packing district at the south end, I used to live nearby when it was more Tranny Hooker than Helmut Lang, I find the current high level of expensive hip much too exclusive. Still, a bit of grubby patina remains in those cobblestone streets and I was glad to be standing there. I'm not sorry to see the sun after so much rain, but I'm hoping further construction creates more shady spots, it felt a bit roasty up there, and though I'd brought a book I wasn't comfortable sitting out in such direct blaze. I'd considered bringing Biscuit but was relieved I hadn't: sadly, there's no dogs allowed on the High Line at this time.