As I walked up the stairs on 23rd street between tenth and eleventh avenue, all I could think of was this trip that I had for so long delayed due to a belief that the High Line was simply this mundane green space somewhere out on the west side. However, 25 little steps later my predictions were proven wrong. Instead I walked in to this surprising, refreshing and beautiful garden that I knew would be a spot I would come back to on my own in the future. I would assume that most New Yorkers similar to me think of the big parks like Central Park, Madison Square Park or Bryant Part when they seek solace and peace from the busy streets of New York City. Who would have known a ten-minute bus ride from my college was another vast rambunctious garden waiting to be discovered.
The High Line resembles a “commercial railroad paralleling 10th and 11th avenue” because simply it was exactly that during 1934-1980. The original High Line, which opened up in 1934, was designed as a solution to “Death Avenue” by allowing freight trains to travel at an elevated level rather than side by side with pedestrians and automobiles. Its purpose was filled as the “West Side Improvement Project,” but post 1950’s its purpose was no longer needed, due to the introduction of the Interstate Highway System. Slowly by slowly the highline was starting to be broken down in the 1960’s, nonetheless the Friends of the High Line organization stepped in alongside the Rail Banking program to preserve what was left of the High Line through 13th-34th street. Eventually this abandoned area became an ecologic phenomenon as it served as an ideal location for primary succession. The “abandoned lichens, bryophytes, forbs, grasses and woody vegetation grew unmolested by human and train traffic,” and transformed the High Line into another serene place tired New Yorkers could go for comfort (Slater.)
I believe that the High Line serves as a perfect example of a Rambunctious Gardens as author Emma Marris describes. She defines the term as nature that is “tended by us,” and it can be any of strip of land that contains any sort of greenery (Marris, 2.) The High Line is exactly that considering its origin is an abandoned railroad track, and even more so considering that human disturbance has further evolved this area as a vascular plant site. When walking through it the natural pollinators are present suchas the various dandelions and bees, however this place truly proves itself as a rambunctious garden because of its location. It is elevated through Manhattan and many of the building surrounding it have created their own little terrace Rambunctious Gardens to further increase the greenery of the location. All in all the High Line is another example of how humans are bring nature in their cities in any free space possible. Just like Marris I believe that this is the correct conservation method to incorporate in cites.
