NEW YORK ― It is a new and still-growing trail.

It’s not long: Just 1 mile, or 19 blocks.

Welcome to the High Line Trail in the heart of New York City. It is known by some as the “Miracle Above Manhattan” and “The Trail in the Sky.”

The rail line-turned-trail sits 30 feet above the crowded streets on Manhattan’s Lower West Side. It’s gotten a lot of ink because it is a distinctive urban trail. There’s even a hardcover book about its short history.

It is an expensive trail: $153 million and rising. But it has provided a $2 billion boost to surrounding neighborhoods, city officials say, with the addition of nearby art galleries, boutiques and restaurants.

The High Line Trail with its distinctive Art Deco railings is part park, part promenade, part town square, part botanical garden, part a place to be seen. It is a ribbon of public greenery along its north-south route near the Hudson River.

It draws 2 million people a year as one of the newest tourist attractions in New York, a city that in 2011 got 50.5 million visitors who generated $48 billion in economic impact.

The High Line Trail combines an integrated system of concrete pathways, seating areas and architectural features along with naturalistic plantings. The pedestrian-only rail-trail features a walkway of planked concrete designed to remind visitors of the rails, and even includes old sections of steel rails.

It is above and removed from the on-the-street scenes below. It is surrounded by old warehouses and modern high-rises, offering a modern cityscape with a historical flair.

Sometimes you feel that you are deep in urban canyons surrounded by big buildings. At other times, it offers wide-open vistas with skyscrapers visible in the distance.

In winter, both the East River and the Hudson are visible from the High Line at 23rd Street and at 14th Street. In other spots, you can see the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.

It is an example of urban reinvention, providing a dose of community and recycling a historical industrial landmark.

The trail was in the planning stages for more than a decade. National Geographic magazine calls it “one of the most innovative and inviting public spaces in New York City and perhaps in the entire country.” It has been inducted into the national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s Rail-Trail Hall of Fame.

The Friends of the High Line group includes more than a few celebrities, such as actor Kevin Bacon, fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg and hotelier Andre Blazs.

The city-owned trail winds through some of New York’s hippest neighborhoods: the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Midtown West.

The first section runs from Gansevoort Street north a half mile to 20th Street. That opened in June 2009. The next section, 10 blocks from 20th to 30th Street, opened in June 2011.

“The High Line is already a world-renowned destination and New York City icon and with the addition of Section 2, it makes for an even more enjoyable experience,” Mayor Michael Zloomberg said at its opening. “The second half mile adds different views and new features, making it distinct from the first section but no less remarkable.”

Plans are under way to route the trail around the rail yards for another half mile north of West 30th Street to West 34th Street. That section is owned by CSX Transportation Inc.

The grass-roots nonprofit friends’ group operates and maintains the trail. It provides 70 percent of the maintenance and operating funds.

The first rail line along the route began service in 1847. It delivered produce, meat and dairy to factories and packing plants on the West Side.

The trains frequently crashed with horses and later with cars. Tenth Avenue was called Death Avenue. Signalmen waving red flags rode horses to alert others, and were dubbed the West Side Cowboys.

But the safety problems continued and the rail line was elevated in 1934.

By Bob Downing

(Akron Beacon Journal)

(MCT Information Services)