When I was in Paris this autumn I came across the Promenade Plantée, an elevated park on a former railway line that formed the inspiration for New York’s High Line park. Having seen the original, I had to check out New York’s newer version on my trip out there to see how it compared. The Promenade Plantée – or planted walkway – has been open since 1993, but although the first part of the High Line was only opened in 2009, the railway line it sits on is even older than its Parisian counterpart.

Relaxing in some of the High Line’s seating areas
New York’s High Line railway opened in 1934 to get the trains off the streets of Manhattan’s industrial area. Collisions between trains and street traffic were so bad that 10th Avenue got the nickname ‘Death Avenue’, and the railroad company had to employ men on horses had to ride in front of the trains waving flags to warn people. So a new elevated railway line was built for freight running through the middle of the city’s blocks and linked to warehouses and factories. But by the 1960s more traffic was running on the new interstates, and parts of the track started to be abandoned, taken over by grasses and shrubs.
By 1980 the last train had run – the final cargo was three carloads of frozen turkeys – and a few years later plans were afoot to knock the line down. But a group of local residents formed the Friends of the High Line and lobbied for years to preserve it and to open it up to the public. They eventually managed to overturned the demolition order and convince the city to support their idea of a ‘park in the sky’. The first section of the park opened in 2009 and a second part stretching another 10 blocks opened in June 2011.

The Standard Hotel at the Meatpacking District end of the High Line
The south end of the High Line starts on Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District, which is where I set off from. Entrances are dotted along the route, with lifts and stairways transporting you from the busy city streets below up into an oasis of autumn colour. Whereas I only passed a few people walking along the Promenade Plantée, on an unseasonably sunny November Sunday the High Line was packed. In Paris there were a few benches where people sat relaxing or reading, but in New York there’s a much more social feel. Seating areas ranged from reclining wooden day beds where people sat chatting, working, reading and socialising in the sun, to hidden nooks in quiet tree-lined corners.
The Meatpacking District had already been redeveloped into a fashionable neighbourhood, but the High Line has brought massive investment into the area. As you walk, you’re surrounded by gleaming glass and steel apartment buildings, new high-end hotels and expensive boutique shops. You can even stay right above the High Line at the Standard Hotel, whose floor-to-ceiling glass bedroom windows have been popular with exhibitionists – not what you expect to see on an innocent walk in the park!

Views from the High Line
The Promenade Plantée was lined with carefully manicured trees and shrubs, but the High Line has a wilder, more natural feel. The same vegetation that grew wild there for years has been replanted, with areas of native grassland and wildflowers. I really liked how the High Line’s designers have incorporated reminders of its former history into the park. Portions of the old track can be spotted among the plants and you can see some of the original art-deco steel railings.
The Promenade Plantée feels like more of an escape from the city with its trees sheltering you in your own little world, but here the city is part of the park, with viewing platforms looking out over it. You get great views across Manhattan and the Hudson River, with glimpses of famous landmarks like the Empire State Building and the iconic yellow taxis rushing past below you.

Buildings surrounding the High Line
At the moment the High Line ends at West 30th Street, but there’s a third phase planned – curving towards the Hudson River and ending up at the Hudson Rail Yards. Designs are currently being put together as part of a huge redevelopment of the area. But for now you’ve got 1.5 miles of park to wander along, joining a mix of New Yorkers and tourists. Just as the Promenade Plantée is a reflection of the low-key Parisian style, the art installations, coffee carts, sustainable green design, performances and events on the High Line tell you a lot about modern New York life, and are a great way to get in among it.
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Paris’ Promenade Plantée: The original High Line park | On the Luce
December 14, 2011 at 10:27 pm[…] Walk the line: New York’s elevated High Line park […]
marinachetner
December 15, 2011 at 4:01 amGreat photos and historical background! I’m looking forward to seeing the High Line’s third phase!
Lucy Dodsworth
December 19, 2011 at 6:54 pmThanks Marina, yes me too. At the moment it ends a bit abruptly so hopefully by my next trip to New York (I usually make it over about every five years!) it’ll be finished.
marinachetner
December 20, 2011 at 3:40 amI hear you – despite New York and the UK being so close, it’s always a ‘trip’ to take if you’re on holidays. I so want to make it to London for the Olympics. Will you be there to blog about it? 🙂
Rebecca
December 22, 2011 at 12:29 pmFantastic entry! Love the comparison of the two. Looks like you had fantastic weather!
Lucy Dodsworth
December 22, 2011 at 4:35 pmThanks, it was amazing how different they were. And the weather gods have definitely been smiling on me this year, lets hope it lasts for 2012!
dojo
December 23, 2011 at 4:24 pmLOVE your pics. I was there last year in March and this year in July (if I’m not mistaken). Couldn’t get these colors though, autumn is amazing, that’s for sure
Lucy Dodsworth
December 23, 2011 at 9:20 pmThank you. It was a bit of lucky timing ending up out there just as the leaves were turning, the colours were just stunning.
dojo
December 25, 2011 at 1:40 pmAbsolutely. The colors are tremendous. I got either almost ‘dead’ trees and plants (March, and a very cold one) or only the green in the scorching summer weather. Unfortunately we left NYC in September, but I should have thought about this and visit it then and not in July.
Anyway, it’s a great place to visit and I’m happy to see pics from there.We loved NYC so much 🙂
Gerard
December 23, 2011 at 8:52 pmGreat post!. Nice pictures. I see you did some research.
There is talk about expanding the High Line to go all the way to Ozone Park – – in Queens. That plan would include a bicycle path. If it should come to pass it will be several years away.
Lucy Dodsworth
December 23, 2011 at 9:18 pmHi Gerard, thanks. Wow, that would be amazing to have it running all through the city like that, I look forward to seeing if it happens.
Happy birthday(s) | On the Luce
July 17, 2012 at 10:36 am[…] Paris, my article about Paris’ Promenade Plantée – France’s version of the New York High Line park on an old railway line – got picked for the WordPress Freshly Pressed page. Suddenly I had […]
Lisa
November 6, 2012 at 1:44 amI hadn’t heard of either New York’s High Line or Paris’ Promenade Plantée prior to reading your post – now I want to see both!
Traci
November 7, 2012 at 4:20 amIsn’t this a great example of recycling on a gargantuan scale? They’ve done something similar to an old railroad trestle up here in the Hudson Valley; now we have the Walkway Over the Hudson. Much better than tearing down these old structures!
Visiting New York on a budget | On the Luce
October 14, 2013 at 12:18 pm[…] Cathedral. There are also the parks – as well as huge Central Park there’s the High Line on a old elevated railway track, Brooklyn Bridge Park and lots of smaller neighbourhood parks. NYC […]