Rose Kennedy Greenway

I was thinking more along the lines that the mayor would take archboston through eminent domain!
 
ledjes said:
Yes please do delete. There's a line of inappropriateness and AFL crossed it big time.
Click to expand...

BAH HAH HAH HAH!! Relax, I didn't even know the mayor had a daughter. Anyone who took my comment seriously needs to take a deep breath. I love that someone would be so offended by what is obviously a joke (and not even a good one). But if someone makes a serious comment accusing the Mayor of corruption, patronage, dishonesty (and the scores of other unfounded accusations that get thrown out on this board), it's seen as par for the course.
 
It?s a fairly simple rule for us grown-ups:

Innuendos regarding politicians and their performance || ?the line of appropriateness? || Sexual innuendos and "jokes" regarding their families
 
Construction has officially started on the visitors center. I'm sure the renderings are somewhere in this thread.
 
The High Line this weekend.

photofr.jpg

photo2xn.jpg

photo3pc.jpg

photo4ip.jpg


There is no visitor center. No cheesy museum. No cafes, bistros, or coffee shops. No concerts. Not even a garden under glass. And yet, as the pictures show, this strip of former elevated rail is hopping with visitors - both tourists and, verly clearly, locals. Why?

- Stellar and innovative landscaping and architecture that encourages visitors to linger
- Mix of sun and shade
- Unique views of water and city
- Limited and enclosed space
- Interesting, diverse and DENSE surroundings

Beyond these elements, the High Line elicits an emotional response, a feeling of having reclaimed an eyesore for the people. For the neighborhood.

Is it any coincidence that the Greenway, lacking in all the points above, elicits little more than a feeling of missed opportunity?
 
^All good points. I think of the highline as a place and the greenway is currently just a space. The Greenway exists, which is the first step, now it needs things to become a place. It's like how a house is just a house but a home is something more, generally.

Place > Space
 
Cool pics Shepard. Two questions:
1. Did you get the impression that the people on The Highline are there for The Highline? Or is it just a convenient means of walking uptown/downtown?
2. I don't know the West Side well. Is this a residential neighborhood?
 
The Highline isn't designed to keep the entire city at bay so people can marvel at the fact there is grass and shrubs to be admired in total isolation from anything other than six lanes of traffic surrounding them. There are no cross-streets every hundred feet.

Those are some of the key differences that contribute to its success.
 
Corey said:
^All good points. I think of the highline as a place and the greenway is currently just a space. The Greenway exists, which is the first step, now it needs things to become a place. It's like how a house is just a house but a home is something more, generally.

Place > Space
Click to expand...

The only way the Greenway (The space) will grow is MONEY. The Greenway lacks the Mass to be a great park. I'm not sure if you really can call the Greenway a park. "A nice Green walking strip to avoid traffic?" The BRA needs to build around it to help it fill in.

The North End Section is much better than the above highway.
 
AmericanFolkLegend said:
2. I don't know the West Side well. Is this a residential neighborhood?
Click to expand...

The High Line runs through formerly industrial areas (it was built to serve the meat packing industries over there). Now most of the old warehouses are art galleries. It is, however, very close to Chelsea, a well gentrified area much like the South End and with the High Line opening many more condos are being built.
 
AmericanFolkLegend said:
Cool pics Shepard. Two questions:
1. Did you get the impression that the people on The Highline are there for The Highline? Or is it just a convenient means of walking uptown/downtown?
Click to expand...

I don't know if anyone actually walk-commutes along the High Line - I wouldn't be surprised, but it doesn't seem like it takes a particularly useful route for that kind of use. However, as Arborway said,

Arborway said:
There are no cross-streets every hundred feet.
Click to expand...

There is probably a novelty factor playing into it here of being able to walk up or downtown unimpeded by the city's street grid over a long-ish stretch. For Manhattanites, who spend more time waiting at crosswalks than exterminating bedbugs, this space represents a departure from the norm in a welcome way.

The Sunday 8pm crowd, for what it's worth, was something like 20% families and 20% obvious tourists - these are the people who were intent on walking its length. In addition, another 20% were high-schoolers hanging out, and the largest group at around 40% were young hipsters/Chelsea/West Village types (both gay and straight) - these last two groups are the people who mostly occupied the benches and seemed to linger for hours.
 
I agree, the novelty factor may be a big appeal for the Highline, right now. As it develops and expands, however, it can only get more-popular.

Two things they currently DON'T allow: public drinking of alcohol (natch) and dogs. While I think these add to the appeal, I'm sure others wish otherwise.
 
I don't think you can drink alcohol in any park in NY, unless it's within an enclosed restaurant space. At least, I know people who had to go to court for doing so in Union Square...
 
Not to mention, the High Line is simply a far more interesting space than the Greenway. Elevated park vs. median strip: you decide.

Certainly, there's novelty involved. There's novelty involved with the Greenway. I talk to people that commute to Boston, or are only there on occasion, and the response is largely positive because they don't have to look at the ugly highway anymore. Largely an aesthetic observation - coming from people who don't and doubtfully ever will use the park.
 
We walked it last year, in the rain and it was still a very cool experience! I think one of the attractions is that is so unlike anything anyone has ever seen before in a city, it's so creative, so imaginative in everything about it...the seating, the plants, the lighting, the venues and surrounding buildings, the angles of it, everything!! Walking it and hanging out on it is just the coolest thing, like having an iPHONE or the lastest, most hip tech gadget. Just an amazing space!! BTW, the pics Shepard, are very nice, really do the place justice! You caught a lot of the things that make the High Line what it is! Thanks!
 
looking at how skinny and how crowded the high line is got me thinking... is it possible to have two much park in an area? Could the fact that this park looks like it is hopping be because you have a good amount of people in a small space, but if you spread the same number of people over an expanse like the greenway it appears alot less engaging? Could you reach a point where there is almost too much park, so no one gathers there anymore becasue it no longer feels like there are alot of people there? Am i making any sense?
 
I dunno. This space in NYC is a bit larger than the Greenway and is still considered fairly successful:

central-park.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top