When Mike invited me to join his group of urban explorers in going to the High Line I was really excited. Hopefully the Friends of the High Line‘s preservation plans will go through, but I wanted to experience the railroad as it is now, raw, before that. It wasn’t easy to walk it in the snow for hours, I was completely wet and freezing to death, but it was definitely worth it.
The High Line was built in the 1930s to elevate dangerous and congested railroad traffic from New York City’s streets. The rise of trucking in the 1950s led to a drop in rail freight on the High Line and in the 1960s part of the High Line was torn down. The final freight train to run on the High Line carried 3 carloads of frozen turkeys in 1980. In 1993 another chuck was demolished. Now there are plans to preserve the High Line and to convert it into a public park.
When Mike invited me to join his group of urban explorers in going to the High Line I was really excited. Hopefully the Friends of the High Line‘s preservation plans will go through, but I wanted to experience the railroad as it is now, raw, before that. It wasn’t easy to walk it in the snow for hours, I was completely wet and freezing to death, but it was definitely worth it. I will be posting many more photos soon.
The beginning of our walk, at about 33rd Street and 11th Avenue.
A No Trespassing sign, looking west towards New Jersey. You can see that we were at the same level as the street lights from the avenue below.
Looking down to the east at the Hudson Yards.
Looking west over the partially frozen Hudson River to New Jersey.
Looking south.
Somebody marked part of the rail for some reason.
More of the Hudson Yards.
At about 30th Street, looking east. The Empire State Building is on the left in the photo.
There is barbed wire everywhere along the High Line. It’s obvious they don’t want anyone up there.
Looking back west from where we came from. In the right of the photo is a billboard that is over 11th Avenue, which goes under the High Line here.
Steve eggs Tien on as he makes a snow angel.
A chimney stack catches the early morning sun.
The first of our major barriers. This wall is completely blocking off the railway.
A closer look and we see that there is a hole cut in the wall.
No problem!
Adam assisting Mike through the hole in the wall.
The other side of the wall has a beautiful mural of the view on the other side of the wall. “Save the Tracks” is spelled out in the clouds.
Save the Tracks.
Shortly after the first wall we came up to another one. Tien runs ahead to check it out.
This wall we had to lay down and shimmy under. Here, Steve peeks out from under the wall.
Tien down in the rails.
Moose Graffiti. I also have photographed a Moose tag in the Street Writing Project.
Through a hole in the wall of graffiti I take a peek at what’s going on below.
More graffiti.
Adam.
Our shadows on the wall of a building on the side of the High Line.
And more graffiti.
A view down a street in the 20s.
Adam, Mike & Tien checking out some graffiti.
Tires.
Neck Face
More barbed wire.
Cost & Revs are two very famous graffiti artists from the late 1980s to early 1990s.
Looking back.
Brick Wall
Empire State Building behind a church.
Adam and Steve.
Looking back.
Looking east.
Tracks.
Coming up to a building. Mike, Adam and I take the high road and Steve and Tien take the low road.
Inside the building there was tons of debris. These look like some sort of old machine parts.
Garbage.
Wire.
Chair.
Mike spotted these mannequins in a building east of the High Line.
Near the end of the High Line. We couldn’t find the way down so we ended up walking all the way to the beginning!
See Also:
- Friends of the High Line
Other People’s Photos from our Adventure:
- Winter High Line 1 by Mike
- Winter High Line 2 by Mike
- Winter High Line 3 by Mike
- Winter High Line 4 by Mike
- Walking the High Line by Tien
- As Seen on the High Line by Tien
- Seen From the High Line by Tien
- Photographs of the High Line, by Rosecrans Baldwin in 2001
- The High Line by Queso in August 2002
- BluishOrange’s Photos of the High Line, August 2002
- The Highline, by Jake Dobkin in August 2002
- Photos of New York City’s High Line by David F. Gallagher, October 2002
- a walk on the high line in June 24, 2003.
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