Here’s a picture that’s worth a thousand words: the High Line past (rusty old viaduct); present (restored railing with its modern light fixture on top); and future (one set of pipe-rails painted and signs of construction all around). The northern end of the park is a flurry of activity, both on the High Line and on the streets below. But the fading sunlight still manages to find its way between all the new buildings that are rising faster than seems possible, with their giant cranes constantly circling overhead. You just have to be there at the precise moment to snap your shutter before it’s gone.
Thanks for maintaining your blog. Nice photos and articles. Too bad no one seems to have the vision to protect the character of the High Line. It’s possible that the only open views will eventually be on the portion that approaches the Hudson in phase 3.
Thanks for your kind words, Matt. I share your concern about the loss of open views from the High Line, and have written about that here, most recently in this post: https://www.livinthehighline.com/2012/12/17/the-feisty-tenement/
There will always be fine views across the east-west running streets, and as buildings come and go, new openings — and surprises — will no doubt appear. But what we think of as “a High Line view” will never last for long, that’s the one thing we can know for sure. For better and for worse — I think both come into play here — there’s no one entity, civic or private, that can protect what you describe as the character of the many views that the High Line embraces. We can only hope that the High Line can continue, over the coming years and decades, to raise enough funds to maintain the character of the park itself, so it remains the place of respite and delight that it is, no matter what happens around it.