Results tagged “highline”

The High Line only just opened to the public this past June, but already it's facing a $2 million lawsuit. We've been told by the NYC Park Advocates that "a basic design flaw that regularly causes pedestrians to trip has rendered the vast majority of the first section of the million High Line promenade a hazard."

The High Line seems like a lovely place to spend Halloween, no? Too bad for trick or treaters that it's shutting down early Saturday night. Curbed reports that the Parks Department announced: "Due to anticipated heavy event-related crowds in the neighborhood during the Village Halloween Parade, the High Line will be off-limits starting at 5 p.m." The guests of the Standard hotel will likely still be up to their old tricks, however.

As the first section of the High Line park was poised to open last April, the mayor's office began painting over the graffiti next to the elevated tracks. And workers are still busy trying to make sure every last vestige of urban character and uniqueness is removed from sight! Last year the city identified about 20 buildings along the entire High Line as candidates for graffiti removal, and 18 owners are permitting the city to scrub them clean. Last year, Gothamist's resident graffiti expert Jake Dobkin vowed war if the city buffed the Revs/Cost mural at 23rd Street (seen here). So is Dobkin headed to the barricades with other street art aficionados?

Will the Whitney Museum finally open a second location? An agreement between the museum and the city has been three years in the making, but the NY Times reports that they're forging ahead with plans to open a Renzo Piano-designed space at the entrance of the High Line; it will be six stories high and twice the size of their current location.

Environmental groups are saying that the recently reopened High Line Park has gone too far in bringing nature to the heart of the city's meatpacking district, claiming that wood used for the park's bleachers, benches and decking is coming directly from the rainforests. We had heard similar complaints about wood at the nearby Standard, but now Rainforest Relief and New York Climate Action Group have unveiled a banner blocking the view of 10th Avenue from the bleachers calling out the raw state of the park. The groups say that that Forest Stewardship Council, the organization accrediting wood used by Friends of the High Line, is violating their own principles in approving wood from "ancient primary forests, including the Amazon" for use at the High Line. The entire press release from Rainforests of New York is after the jump.

This just in: people are still showing off their naughty bits at the Standard. Last week a reader spotted some flesh at the hotel, just two minutes in to a walk on the High Line. They ask: "Guy or girl?"

This week the Times's interim chief dining critic Pete Wells takes a hammer to deservedly acclaimed chef Michael Psilakis, whose latest venture, Gus & Gabriel, is inspired by the culinary tastes of his son, TGI Friday's, and whiskey. Wells's review is disastrous, which means it's a fun read: "When three children under age 10 leave their milkshakes almost untouched, you know there’s trouble." The restaurant's "colossal misfires are almost impossible to believe and harder still to explain." Specifically: "Almost every chef in town is experimenting with techniques for building a better burger. Mr. Psilakis may be the only one to have perfected a new technology that magically strips out all the taste. The skin on what is advertised as 'crispy chicken' was as crisp as a balloon, and the biscuits on the plate were wet and doughy, as if the cook had decided halfway through that he would rather make dumplings."

Times dining critic Frank Bruni has finally left the building in a fusillade of publicity, and his replacement Sam Sifton didn't file this week. But in the "Dining Briefs" section, Betsy Andrews reviews the Brooklyn Star, a cozy Southern comfort restaurant in Williamsburg run by Joaquin Baca, a former partner in the Momofuku empire. She says Baca "excels at making veggies fattening, and good. His casseroles ($8) — garlicky summer squash and mushroom-rich green bean with slivered almonds — are toasted to gooey goodness in his open kitchen’s 100-year-old brick oven. Creamed corn with smoked trout ($4) and earthy black-eyed peas and rice ($4) are spoonful-by-spoonful delicious. Surprisingly for the former Momofuku partner, meats are a mixed bag."

After a week of hearing all about these exhibitionists at the Standard Hotel, someone has finally sent us an image. See a much larger version here, and try to guess what's actually happening in this hotel room. Or don't. As Vanishing NY points out, city living has always offered glimpses into stranger's lives; two years ago HBO projected this on the side of a LES building, and before that we had films like Rear Window. The site points out that the Standard's management has created the dullest version of a voyeuristic experience, and "In his direction, the luxury hotelier lacks the depth and nuance of Hitchcock." It's true, but what does one expect from André Balazs? Maybe the residents at the Hotel Chelsea should create an artier version of this.

The naked truth about the Standard Hotel originally broke on Curbed in early July, and now it's made it all the way to the desk of Brian Williams after getting daily coverage in the New York papers this week.

The very same hotel management that has encouraged guests to let it all hang out in the past, is now changing their tune. Yesterday there was a lot of chatter about the unofficial peep show that High Line visitors have been getting from the Standard's guests. The hotel took down all of their online cheerleading that encouraged such behavior, and today they told the Daily News, "The hotel will make a concerted effort to remind guests of the transparency of the guest room windows," and noting "the hotel has always been sensitive to the concerns of its friends and neighbors." The NY Post talked to some visitors of the park yesterday, who want the show to go on! One man told them, "We saw two feet pressed against the glass in an apparent attempt to get better leverage. Our curiosity is piqued—but it hasn't yet been satisfied. We'll come back."

The Standard is casting more than just a shadow over the High Line, its guests are giving park-goers a full-on peep show. The NY Post reports that many go beyond showing off their naughty bits to passerby—they also have sex, masturbate and even film professional pornos. Heavens to Murgatroyd! Who will save the children? Not hotel management.

The High Line is now the most expensive oasis in the city. The NY Post reports that the park is expected to get $522,388 to $671,641 per acre for yearly maintenance and operations. Bryant Park used to be the priciest piece of land, spending around $479,166 per acre—and on average, city parks get $9,555 an acre. But even after getting $1 million of city (taxpayer) funds annually, the big news here is that the operators are definitely pushing through a "controversial new tax on neighborhood property owners so the managers can spend even more."

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.

              

If you haven't explored the newly-opened section of the High Line park yet, then let Katie Sokoler's stunning photographs take you there. She stopped by last night and tells us they started "shooing everyone away" at 9:45 p.m., so keep that in mind. The first section runs from Gansevoort Street, in the Meatpacking District, to West 20th Street, in Chelsea, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues; here are details about the access points.

                     

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.

      

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.]

                     

Looks like the High Line opened to the public one day ahead of schedule! This park really knows how to keep us guessing. We headed over there earlier today, and will be updating with more photos soon—but why not go have a look for yourself?

Finally, the opening date for the High Line has been announced! Our sources tell us the Mayor will be doing the ribbon cutting on June 8th, followed by a public opening on Tuesday the 9th. No word yet on a comeback of David Bowie's High Line Festival.

       

The High Line is set to open on some closely-guarded secret date (though we hear it's around June 15th), and until then, it's the A list, the rich, and Kevin Bacon only! Curbed has some shots up provided by an insider at a special event that took place on the Line last night, and included guests like Martha Stewart, Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg. For the rest of us non-celebs, we'll have to be content with these various spy cam shots, and maybe this recent interview with the founders of Friends of the High Line, who teamed up all those years ago to save and re-purpose the defunct elevated train line.

Picture Kevin Bacon in a black suit, white v-neck tee underneath, walking in slow motion down an overgrown High Line. It just seems fitting, doesn't it? That must be what the folks at Sundance thought, too, because here is that exact scene as part of the channel's High Line Stories series (which is online only and premiered today).

The NY Times reports that a developer claims it "would face hardship if it could not get special permission to build a bigger office tower on its site next to the High Line, the long-awaited elevated park that has helped drive up real estate values in the meatpacking district." The Romanoffs have been trying to maximize their space at 437 West 13th Street and say that the High Line's structure has either prohibited them from doing so or that it's making building much pricier. Their lawyer explained, "We’re not saying we wish the High Line wasn’t there. But it makes it more expensive to build." However, office real estate isn't on fire these days. Community Board 2 chairman Brad Hoylman summed up the skepticism a few months ago, "The fact that the applicant is claiming hardship because of the High Line rankled some folks in the community. For many people, it seems that the High Line is a windfall."

With the opening of the first section of the High Line park oh so achingly close (June, the say!), there's been an increasing flurry of activity up on the section between Gansevoort Street and 20th Street. We last checked in on the progress in December, and today comes word that workers have been "cleaning" the High Line of graffiti, or "destroying" long-lived street art, depending on your point of view.

          

The first NYC location of The Standard Hotel opened recently after more than two years of construction; located literally above the High Line, this is the sort of ominous looking structure that Curbed once likened to the AT-AT All-Terrain Walker from Star Wars. (Or for the more adult-minded, a "perpetual lap dancer" on the High Line, because of the way it evocatively straddles that old elevated railway.)

     

It's been about six months since the Parks Department and Friends of the High Line unveiled their ambitious renderings for the previously overgrown elevated railway on the west side of Manhattan, and it's nice to see that work is still continuing apace. The Friends' year-end email to subscribers included some photos of the progress; planting began in September, and earlier this month a staircase went in at the southern part of the High Line, at the corner of Gansevoort and Washington Streets.

Ah, Fashion Week, so decadent. Calvin Klein wins the fancy pants award this time around, as he threw a pricey $3 million extravaganza on the High Line Sunday night, the Daily News reports.

             

It's been three years since we've gotten a look at what the High Line park - currently under construction on what was once an overgrown elevated railway - will look like. Today the Friends of the High Line, who've come a long way in their crusade to turn the disused tracks into an easily accessible urban oasis, joined Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe to unveil the ambitious design renderings.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on 120th St. and 3rd Ave. in Manhattan, a stabbing on West 31st St. in Brooklyn, and a fall victim at MoMA in Manhattan.
• The New York Yankees took first place in franchise spending, with a total payroll of $218.3 million last year. The World Series-winning Boston Red Sox payroll totalled $155.4 million to finish a distant second.
• The New York Water Taxi is terminating its South Brooklyn service between Sunset Park, Red Hook, and Wall St. at the end of this month.

FOOD: Trestle on Tenth, the “homey joins hearty” Swiss-inflected restaurant that takes its name from its proximity to the High Line and the avenue where it’s found, kicks off a special five-night series called “metzgete.” The Swiss tradition loosely translates to “butchers affair” and arises from the practice of salvaging every scrap of pig after the winter slaughter – “especially those parts that would or could not be dried, smoked or pickled for later consumption.” The $24 Trestle plate will include everything from braised belly to homemade bratwurst to liver and blood sausages. – John Del Signore

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an armed robbery on Washington Pl. and Broadway in Manhattan, a person under a train at 42nd St. and 8th Ave. in Manhattan, and a bomb threat at Utopia Ave. and 58th Ave. in Queens.
• A Chappaqua neighbor of Bill and Hillary Clinton was arrested for the murder of his wife. Last year, he claimed that a stranger burst into their SUV following an accident and shot her.
• There was a seven-car pile-up on the northbound FDR near 96th St. that backed up traffic for 30 blocks today. No injuries were reported.
• A two foot-long steel girder fell from the under-renovation High Line today and struck a car.
• The three detectives charged with the murder of Sean Bell are close to formally requesting a change of legal venue outside of Queens County.
• Streit's Matzo factory is leaving the Lower East Side.
• The grand rabbi of a Brooklyn-based Hasidic sect was arrested with his L.A.-located executive assistant for operating a money laundering scheme that profited them $750,000.
• Boingboing features a gallery of Soviet era space-themed Christmas cards.