The first stop was the High Line. This is an "elevated park" - and one of my favourite uses of space in New York. It has been converted from an old rail line which runs between Midtown and the Meatpacking District in Lower Manhattan. When I was here previously, it was only a few blocks long, but was very pleasant. Now it is a proper walk all the way up to 30th Street, and it is still being extended. It is full of grass, flowers, plants, trees, and now water features, a few food/drink stands, and a great view of the Statue of Liberty from afar. It makes a great short cut without having to stop at every intersection, and of course the greenery make it a more pleasant experience whilst you walk. I've since been up here two more times; taking a visiting friend to see it and also when my fiancée visited (more on that later).
After this wander, I kept going North through the less-than-thrilling Midtown area, until I landed upon Bryant Park. I enjoyed lying around on the grass taking photos of tall buildings until Ash turned up, followed by Melissa & Ian, for some beers in the Bryant Park Cafe. Ash and I used to come here often during our trips over as it is one of the few & best places to enjoy a sunny day with a spot of booze. So we enjoyed a seat and a few drinks until the sun went down.
Our final stop was one of Ash's favourite bars, which he took me to a couple of times previously. It's called Lillie's and is on 17th Street - so we needed to get a quick cab over there. It apparently was once a bar in Ireland until they shipped the entire contents over to New York. The result is a long bar, full of "stuff", atmosphere, and usually a lot of people. We had a few more drinks here, before calling it a night
You can find the rest of the pictures from the day/night here if you like.
I like the idea of a High Level park that sits above the traffic and is full of greenery. I presume wildlife will use it as a corridor to move throughout the city.
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