I would definitely say that the highlight of all my experiences with the city this semester was my walk down The High Line. It was the last stop of my Chelsea visit with Michael and Raj. The moment I walked up the stairs and saw all the green and gray, a complete sense of serenity swept over me. It was almost mystical how that initial image engulfed me the way it did. Something about being elevated above the city while still technically being in the city enchanted me. As I continued walking down the refurbished railway, my mind gradually slowed down more and more until it emptied. It was the first time in years that I didn’t feel my head racing with a thousand to-do’s and concerns. Everything was erased and I was just left with myself. There were no tests in the way, no essays, no disputes with my peers, and none of the five hip hop routines I have to have memorized and perfected by March. I couldn’t think of anything else but the present.
The High Line was designed to be a meditative place. There is vegetation all along the park with numerous wooden lounge chairs to stop and relax on. We noticed a small painting exhibit where passersby could add their own artistic flair to the High Line scenery. I could imagine myself sitting on the side of the High Line mindlessly adding squiggles and ovals to the mural with the works of hundreds before me. Another thing that surprised me was how clean the park was kept. Thousands of people pass through each day, and we were there late in the day, but it still looked perfectly clean. The floor was bright and shining, and there was not a single piece of trash to be seen. It was as if everyone who travels along the High Line, no matter who they are, can agree that it is such a special and calming place that it just cannot be tampered with.
There was definitely something magical about the High Line. After all, it was no more than a park. Besides the unique pieces of artwork strewn along the path, there wasn’t anything more that made the High Line distinct from any other park that I have visited. However, there still existed this atmosphere that I could not find anywhere else. Nothing has ever forced me to let loose the way that it did that day. It created an atmosphere that I haven’t been able to experience anywhere else. Just like I was aware that I was above 12th Avenue yet it also felt like I wasn’t, I was aware of the thoughts always nagging at me from the back of my mind, but they finally didn’t effect me. I could have probably spent another three or four hours up there and I wouldn’t have noticed the time go by.
