New York, New York Part Two: The High Line and Grand Central Station

Near the top of my list of things I wanted to see in New York was the High Line. I'd heard nothing but good things about this disused railway line being reclaimed by nature and the locals and is now a floating park meandering above the streets of New York.

 It conveniently started next to the Whitney Museum and during my visit I could see the start from the outdoor terraces. 

 Now sadly New York was still in the grip of winter so there was very little green apart from some leaves and blossom trying to unfurl. 

 The High Line starts out at the Meatpacking district which I imagined to be a little desolate and rough around the edges, however the popularity of the High Line has meant that the surrounding areas have become victims of gentrification and so this rough area was now polished full of expensive shops and cafe which was such a shame. It felt as if it's soul had been ripped out. 

 Being so high up it meant at times you were able to lean out and get a different view of the city. This looks back over to the Hudson 

 Seeing this fox was very surreal as he was chatting away with his colleague, checking he had something in his pack seemingly oblivious that he was dressed as a giant fox - only in New York! 

This area had steps down onto a glass wall so you could look out right above the street. It was quite crowded and I really didn't fancy the feeling of being suspended above a street but you get to see the Skyscrapers that were popping up along the High Line in the distance. 

 There was a little street art up on the High Line but it was very tame. 

 The High Line seemed to be a giant building site with huge tower blocks sprouting up, and / or expensive houses popping up which the average person could afford. I did spot this incredible piece of architecture from Zara Hadid who also designed the Aquatic Centre for the London Olympics.  

 Now I didn't really like the sky scrapers that were going up but they did provide some good reflections

 At the end of the High Line was Penn Station (least I think it was Penn Station) which was the end of the line for both the walk and the trains. 

 This view is looking back to where I had just come from. I heard one person tell his son that the sky scraper being built on the left would be the tallest in NY. It was huge, dwarfing anything close to it as you can see. So whilst I enjoyed the walk along the High Line it was not the best time of year to visit, and the building work all along was just depressing to be honest which tainted my visit a little. 

 But onwards! Day one was almost over and I had walked a ridiculously long way. However on the subway I was at was close to Grand Central Station which was also on my list. In my head this place was going to be huge and amazing. In reality I found it dark and underwhelming! Ah well you can't win them all. 

 At least the original features were still there. 

 I popped outside at street level just to see what was there. 

 And so with tired feet I headed back to Brooklyn on the Subway. Whilst changing lines I spotted this amazing mosaic which put a huge smile on my face. 

So there we have the end of day one which was full of highs and lows and definitely sore feet. But hey it took me 44 years to get here, I'm not sure when I can get back so wanted to pack in as much as I could while I could!