Hey all you Sceners: I am in New York all this week reporting on everything Big Apple: From the familiar, to the not so, from hip and trendy Chelsea and Brooklyn. Some great shopping and restaurants recommends, and finally a review of the revival of Follies on Broadway. So stay tuned!
An almost empty Air Canada flight from Pearson to Newark is hassle free. The only issue greeting me on this travel day was my new Nexus pass: the retinal scan simply would not scan. Train to Penn Station and then an easy walk to friend’s 24th floor apartment at 26th and 6th where we catch up, do a quick unpack and then a short walk over to the High Line.
Sounds in the city
Open for over 1.5 years, we arrive just as the sun is setting on a gloriously warm, early November evening joining the casual amblers and walk south past new public works of art, impromptu music, families with strollers and tons of photo-snappers.
Spear-headed in 1999 by the Friends of the High Line community-based non-profit group, this compelling elevated oasis is a welcome mile of wild grasses, seasonal flowers and planted trees. Plenty of picture grabbing tourists stroll, saunter, grab some sun or stop for a libation over the one plus mile of this 80 year old urban beauty, running from the Meat Packing district through Chelsea to Midtown, while receiving rave reviews from both tourists and locals alike.
Sun setting on the city
Originally built in the 1930s, the High Line was part of a massive public-private infrastructure project called the West Side Improvement. It lifted freight traffic some 30 feet in the air, removing dangerous traffic from Manhattan’s largest industrial district. No trains have run on the High Line since 1980 and landscape architects James Corner Field Operations and architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro have created the High Line’s public landscape with guidance from a diverse community of High Line supporters and community volunteers. Spectacular. NYC Celebrity Spotting: Ethan Hawke and a small crew were filming what appeared to be a doc. Cool.
inNYC
We exit down to trendy shops and views toward Hoboken and Jersey City. A quick walk over to Christopher Street where a cocktail awaits us before dinner at a family run Iranian restaurant at 26th and 8th called Pars Grill House. NYC Tip: Not fancy but if you are looking for some satisfying, Persian home cooking, the Kebabs are devine here and paired with the traditional herbed Safari salad, loaded with mint, you can’t go wrong.
NYC well, my friends.
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Boy, do I ever miss this city. Just hearing the name drop of “Christopher Street” gets my heart a pitter-pattering. Wishing you all the best on your travels to one of the most special places in the world!
Hey Sam: More NYC to come…stay tuned!
I am going next week. Can’t wait.
Hey Jerome: keep checking back @thesceneinTO this week as we are posting another piece about New York, New York, It’s a Helluva Town…..some additional inside scoop about where to go and what to do…have fun!