Work

To my great delight, the other day I walked outside to discover

a work crew replacing the totally bashed in concrete surround of one of the three tree pits in front of our building - the tree pits I grow flowers in in the summer. This is thrilling in a very small way. 

At Chelsea Market, at Dickson's the real butcher, you can watch how meat is carved from animal carcasses. Just look at the amount of fat on the one on the left.  Not for the squeamish perhaps - but then the squeamish probably shouldn't be eating meat...just a thought!

And on to the High Line where absurd amounts of construction are going on. Here we gaze into the depths of what will be a foundation - a good 50ft below ground level.

Here we look over the backs of the trains that go in and out of Penn Station - The Empire State Building in the distance.

Lots and lots of men at work

and more men with hard hats hard at work.

I'm happy to say that I don't really work much, though one day a week I get up early and go out to look after my granddaughters.

I head home in the late afternoon...

High Line by Night

Even though I live very near it, you haven't heard much about the High Line from me lately.
That's because in the immortal words of Yogi Berra - "Nobody goes there any more - it's too crowded." It's wildly and amazingly popular with tourists of whom there are alarming numbers - a mixed blessing. Super that New York is such a popular destination - and then the problem of tripping over them.

Anyway, last Thursday it was very mild and wet, so we set out.

I was mesmerized by the wet grass all glistening with damp

 and splendidly under-lit.

Looking down a very wet 25th Street

at our feet fall vegetation.

We tramp on

til everything comes under the sway of all the very tall new buildings that surround the new part of the park up towards 34th Street. So many changes in the past few years!

High Line Update

 I hadn't been to The High Line for ages - mostly because when I go out for a walk I usually have the dog with me, and because the amazing popularity of the park has made it a major tourist attraction. I'm reminded of Yogi Berra's comment about something quite different -Nobody goes there any more - it's too crowded.
But I went this morning to check how Piet Oudolf's plantings initially from 2009 were holding up. (You can find all my High Line posts dating back to 2009 here).

Well, as ever, lots of charming contrasts

of shapes of foliage. However...

there is so much construction going on all around the High Line that the noise is astounding and, as someone wittily pointed out, one will soon need 'gro-lights' for the plantings.

These skeletons are about to become extremely expensive three and four bedroom apartments for masters and mistresses of the universe. Chelsea has been deemed family friendly and is a very nice place to live.

Needless to say, I quite liked it when it was sort of scruffy.

10th Avenue has all these amazing residential buildings.

so big they need industrial elevators for the workers.

Quite a nice contrast of  natural and industrial.

Moments of lyricism

and replenishment of plants.

Exquisite details

and cone flowers grown up near 16th St.

So, this morning's outing was very mixed. Yes, The High Line is wonderful, is wildly popular and has caused lots and lots of changes locally. A Garden Bridge is in the planning stages in London - I wonder how that will work out?

Sunday Walk on the High Line

The other day I was fiddling round with my little tree pit gardens in front of the building, when someone stopped and said,"Now that's a garden!.......Flowers and everything!" He had just come from The High Line which had disappointed him as it was mostly 'weeds'.

Of course tastes differ wildly, but I'm besotted with 'natural' plantings -- so utterly different from the 'Corporation Carpark' style  of my lost youth where everything was planted in straight lines. Red white and blue, red white and blue and so on.

Look at the fluffy grasses

and some sort of wild artichoke (I think!)

Bad photo but funny poster.

More of the wild artichoke and the Richard Meier Building.

This little bit of orphan rail line is in the West Village way below the gentrified bit of the  High Line.

We were heading South to Spring Street to have lunch at The Ear, a very scruffy pub with good food.

Friday Beside the Hudson

The last day in September. Clear and bright. A playground outside Poets House.

The pool in Battery Park City reflects the high clouds.

The turquoise building being refurbished beside the Westside Highway looks thrillingly 

bright, but won't be that color for long.

The Hudson is wide and dull and has New Jersey on the far side. The young man on his wave board was peaceful amidst the  bobbing bits of debris.  I said that the water looked warm and tempting enough to swim in -- that I knew people who had survived it as part of a triathalon. My companion was not convinced.

Scraping something off a pleasure boat.

Engaging in morally improving exercise.

Wandering

After walking for at least forty minutes, we came upon an outpost of the New York Food Festival where we were urged to sample free coffee and wine and free magazines. The parmesan was so wonderful I wanted to buy some, but it had only been set out to go with the wine.

Descending from High Line we discovered a yellow grid thing on the window of the great glass elevator.  I can't tell whether it makes 23rd Street look better or worse.

The High Line/Part Two

The newly opened part of the High line -- between 20th and 30th Streets 

-- was amazingly busy last Saturday afternoon when the weather was sultry.

More of the urban/country/green experience.....

with the cars whizzing beneath us.

Piet Oudolf's grass designs will take a little time to settle in

meanwhile you can sit and ponder the wonders of 25th Street (if you really want to!)

At 30th Street is Rainbow City -- a big hit, I think, with the younger set

who can pummel the balloons and spin them to their hearts' content.

The slightly older may prefer the 'beer garden'.