A city committee has paved the way for the Parks Department to come to terms with the Friends of the High Line on a ten-year, noncompetitive deal for the group to get exclusive rights to sell food and merchandise at the newly-opened park. And now City Controller and mayoral candidate Bill Thompson is crying foul, saying, "It almost appears to be some sort of back-room deal." Founders of the Friends of the High Line have already given endorsements to Mayor Bloomberg and board members have contributed over $100,000 to Speaker Christine Quinn. Thompson added, "We should not let the beauty of the park overshadow our obligation to ensure transparency and accountability regarding the operation and use of a public park.” A spokesman for the mayor calls Thompson's comments "politically transparent," noting that he has backed similar deals at other parks and that unlike Bloomberg, Thompson has taken contributions from private groups that conduct business with the city. more ›

Spooky! Trainjotting holds a flashlight to its face around a campfire to tell the old tale of Ezekiel Marcus, who died on the West Side tracks in 1934. The site reports that Marcus was a Manhattan native, born in 1899, and worked as a West Side Cowboy, riding horseback "up and down the 20-odd blocks of 10th Avenue to warn pedestrians that the train was coming." more ›

Here are some of our readers lovely photographs of the new openly High Line park in the Meatpacking District. And it looks like the public aren't the only ones enjoying it—here are a handful of reviews that note the gorgeous views from 30 feet above ground, the lovely plantings, and the vision and determination of the designers. more ›

Our earlier photo gallery looked at the buildings and benches of the High Line- let's take a closer look at some of the pretty flowers! [PS: if you're going to visit the High Line and take some pictures, tag them Gothamist on Flickr-- we'll post the best ones tomorrow or Wednesday.] more ›