I just got back from the Big Apple and had a great time. Got to spend the day before my meeting wandering up and down the High Line, an old elevated railway that has been converted into an incredible mile long park. It’s located not far from the river and runs through Chelsea and the Meatpacking District. The Chelsea Market was a great place to get lunch (Thai food, in my case), use the restroom and poke around.

As is usually the case, the powers that be, lacking any imagination, much less vision, wanted to tear down an eyesore, but one man saw the potential and now I think it is one of the absolute must-sees for anyone visiting New York. Judging from the number of people there on a chilly November weekday, I’m not the only one. And it seemed to be almost equal parts visitors and locals.

I had my trusty iPad with me and really enjoyed taking advantage of all the cool places to sit and sketch. And I had my iPhone for taking photos.

To set the scene:

My first look at The High LIne,which is reached by stairs or elevators at various points.

View of the Empire State Building

You can walk through a forest in the sky

One of the open plaza areas with a really cool building

Not only are there lots and lots of benches of varying designs, but also gathering places that catch the sun all through the day

A sunny corner at the southern end

And here are some of the sketches, done quickly in just a few minutes, for which I used Autodesk’s Sketchbook Pro:

I don't "do" architecture, but couldn't resist drawing some of these great public spaces

The High Line is a riot of overlapping shapes of vegetation and buildings

One stretch had a long line of big wooden "loungers", perfect for a nice rest in the sun. Or a snuggle.

Yup, it's New York City. The plants are not palm trees, but do give that visual effect

Lots of reading going on all along the line

But some just wanted a snooze