A few months ago I took a tour with one of the High Line’s gardeners and when we got to 14th Street — the widest part of both the park and Manhattan — she noted how windy it was. And how much cooler. The High Line, sitting as it does about 30 feet above sea level, is a series of microclimates, and there’s no better day than today to experience that.
I met a friend at a bistro late this afternoon and afterward insisted that we hit the High Line and walk together to 23rd Street. He relented, and when we got up there it was immediately evident: the park was way cooler than the street. As we made our pokey way north we kept passing through little pockets of cool air. I haven’t been so struck by the presence of a microclimate since I was in Big Sur.
So if you’re hot, head west. It’s surprisingly crowded up there, given the heat (and the media histrionics) but there are way fewer people than there normally are on a summer Thursday.
It’s a great place to enjoy our heat wave.