The High Line, New York City

Ever since I found out about the High Line in New York City, I've wanted to go there, and over the weekend I finally got the chance!

So, what is the High Line?  It's a 1.45-mile park and walkway built on the remnants of an elevated railroad freight line on the west side of Manhattan. How cool is that??  For a few years, I worked in historic preservation, so this really appealed to me, how this old rail line was saved and repurposed.  And since my husband works for a railroad, there was an even bigger connection for both of us!

The High Line runs from 34th Street south to Gansevoort Street, and there are several entrances (both stairs and elevators) to the park.  We got on at 30th Street and 10th Avenue at an area known as the Spur.  From here, we walked north for a little bit and saw views of the Hudson River and the rail yard.

 

From the picture above, you can see how in some areas, the park area has enveloped the old rail bed, while in other areas, the original track has been preserved and runs alongside the walkway, like below.

 

We then started walking south, and I was immediately struck by how lush and green the walkway was.  It is just surrounded by plant growth.  Even though there are buildings practically within reach, it still definitely feels like a park.

Even though the picture above doesn't have too many people in it, the High Line was actually super crowded when we went.  There were people everywhere, walking, taking pictures, lounging on one of the many benches and other sitting areas.  It was almost hard to absorb the beauty of the park because I was worried about bumping into other people!

There are several areas of interest along the way - art installations dot the walkway, a water feature allows you to dip your feet and cool down, there's an actual lawn to play on, and enough trees to make you feel completely secluded at times.

 

These LOVE sculptures aren't official High Line art installations, but rather part of a show from a nearby gallery - I just included them because I adore these sculptures and they're right next to the High Line!

 

Of course, you can't be in NYC and not talk about views, and the High Line has some great ones!  Like I mentioned above, you can see the Hudson River and across into New Jersey.  The Empire State Building peeks through at turns.  If you're really observant, you can spy the Statue of Liberty and Hoboken Terminal.  But, it was also really neat to be able to look up the streets and avenues from high up!

 

The High Line is a completely unique public park, and I would highly recommend taking a walk there on your next visit to New York City!

Throwback: Storm King Art Center

It's January, it's freezing, it gets dark way too early - what better time to revisit our 2015 trek to Storm King Art Center on a gorgeous fall day?


Storm King Art Center is a sculpture park and open-air museum located on 500 acres in the Hudson Valley.  Open fields, rolling hills, and lightly wooded areas combined with fun and interesting art pieces made for a perfect place to walk around for a few hours.

 

This place was just incredible.  Large sculptures dot the landscape.  Even things that don't appear at first to be art actually are, like these "waves" of grass and hillside.

There are paved paths that wind their way around the park, but there are also some dirt paths, and you can always just make your own way across the wide open spaces.  A tram can drive you to see the major sites, but walking lets you see so much more, including some smaller pieces that are practically hidden until you are right on top of them.  Visitors can also rent bikes.

If you ever find yourself in this area of the Hudson Valley of New York, I highly recommend a visit to Storm King Art Center!

Taughannock Falls State Park

On our recent trip to the Finger Lakes Region of New York, we visited Taughannock Falls State Park.


For a trail map and directions, visit the New York State Parks website here.  There are fees to get into the New York State Parks, but you only have to pay for one park each day, as long as you keep your receipt.  We had visited Watkins Glen State Park that morning, so we didn't have to pay to get into Taughannock Falls State Park.

The Parks website will let you know which trails are open each day - we should have checked it before the 1/2 hour drive to the park, because when we got there, we found out that the Gorge Trail leading to the huge waterfall was closed!  Kinda disappointing.  We walked around for a bit at the shore of Cayuga Lake and then drove up to the falls overlook area.  From here you get spectacular views of Taughannock Falls.

Cayuga Lake

Taughannock Falls from the overlook

It was getting late in the afternoon, but we were still able to get a short walk in.  The overlook is on the North Rim Trail, so we took this trail west to the bridge overlooking the Upper Falls and then went a short distance on the South Rim Trail.  The hike was approximately 1.5 miles total.  The area we were on was relatively flat, but if you start at the Rim Trail beginnings, I imagine the climb would be a lot steeper.

North Rim Trail

 

There are really amazing views of the gorge from the South Rim Trail.  If we ever found ourselves in the area again, we would definitely re-visit this park.

Robert H. Treman State Park

Another park that we visited on our trip to the Finger Lakes Region of New York was Robert H. Treman State Park.


For a trail map and directions, visit the New York State Parks website here.  There is a small fee to get into the park, but since we arrived before the official park hours, we didn't have to pay (the park is open from dawn to dusk, but they collect fees from 10am-6pm).

We started at the Lower Park Entrance and took the Gorge Trail.  I'd say this trail is moderately difficult.  There were lots of changes in elevation; the beginning of the trail is pretty much a straight climb up.  Lots of stairs on this trail!  Sometimes the trail was up high in the woods and other times it ran down along the gorge.

About two miles in, a bridge crossing the gorge leads to the Rim Trail.  We crossed here and climbed up the Cliff Staircase, which gives awesome views of the area and Lucifer Falls, in particular.

View from Cliff Staircase

Lucifer Falls

We took the Rim Trail back to the parking lot.  We also took a walk down to the Lower Falls, which is often open for swimming but wasn't while we were there.  The water levels looked really low.  Our total hike was approximately 4 miles.

Rim Trail

Watkins Glen State Park

When I was younger, my dad and stepmother took all of us kids on a camping trip to the Finger Lakes Region of New York.  One of the places we visited was Watkins Glen State Park.  I remember the park being so beautiful, so when it came time to plan our vacation for this year, I suggested it to Tom - we could get some great hiking in, plus the Finger Lakes are known for their wineries (bonus!).  I showed him some pictures and sent him this Buzzfeed article which named Watkins Glen State Park as one of 29 surreal places in America you need to visit.  He thought it sounded great, and our trip did not disappoint!


For a trail map and more information about the park, visit the New York State Parks website here.  There is a small fee to enter the park.

We started at the Main Entrance and took the Gorge Trail.  The trail follows the gorge as you walk next to, above, and even behind the many waterfalls along the way.  The stone path can get very wet and slippery from the spray.  There are also about 800 steps along the way!  The trail isn't difficult, though - you'll be stopping a lot to just take in all the sights! 

View down into the gorge

Inside the gorge

Glen Cathedral

Central Cascade

Rainbow Falls

We took the Indian Trail back.  There are a couple short paths that will bring you back to the Gorge Trail from the Indian Trail.  We walked down to the suspension bridge, which is 85 feet above the gorge, and then got back on the Gorge Trail to get back to the parking lot.  Our total hike was approximately 3 miles.  Watkins Glen is really popular and can get very crowded, so I would recommend going early in the day.

Indian Trail

The pictures kind of speak for themselves, although at the same time the pictures don't do justice to the beauty of Watkins Glen - you really have to see it for yourself!