New York's Abandoned Railway - The High Line

A video back from the summer when I was still in NYC! There's an old disused freight line on the west side of the city which has been turned into an elevated park. Called 'The High Line' i met up with local Bobby, as we went for a wander along the length of the park ...
Open daily from 7am to 10pm : www.thehighline.org/

[@BobbyFeltault]

Thanks again Geoff! It was a real treat to hangout and walk the High Line together. If you ever need a non-native New Yorker to share (mostly) correct fun facts again, you know I'll be there. Plus a big thanks to my friend Mookie who told us all about the history of the Oreo!

[@EddieHutchinson-jm9zc]

Excellent job, sir!

[@paulwheeler4283]

Brilliant job good sir

[@BobbyFeltault]

Thank you @@EddieHutchinson-jm9zc !

[@BobbyFeltault]

Thanks @@paulwheeler4283!

[@paulwheeler4283]

@@BobbyFeltault You're welcome 🤗

[@andrewpalm2103]

If I recall correctly, the HIgh Line replaced street running where locos had to be protected by flagmen who rode horses. There were many accidental deaths assocated with the line, so it was elevated in a large project that took several years to complete in the mid-20th century.. Cheers from Wisconsin!

[@eattherich9215]

'If I recall correctly, the HIgh Line replaced street running where locos had to be protected by flagmen who rode horses.' Yes, it originally ran along 10th Avenue which became known as Death Avenue because of all the people killed on the line. In an effort to stop the deaths, horsemen, known as the West side cowboys, were hired to go in front of the trains to warn pedestrians. The plan didn't work, which is why an elevated section was eventually built.

[@GojiMet86]

The original 1850s West Side Line ran on the streets, specifically on 10th and 11th Avenues, escorted by the West Side Cowboys, all the way down to St. John's Park (where the entrance to the Holland Tunnel now is). But there were too many pedestrian deaths over the decades, so in 1926 the City and the New York Central agreed to grade-separate the railroad as part of an improvement project led by Robert Moses. The High Line was completed in 1936, but with the advent of trucks, traffic declined and it was closed by 1980. In both incarnations, it served only freight clients, not passengers. BUT there was a Fantrip at some point, which is where the photos of passenger railcars comes from. The MTA did consider at a couple of points buying the line from CSX and using for passenger service, as light rail or an extension of the 7 line, but obviously that never came to fruition.

[@pvuccino]

Was that the beginning of the New York and Hudson Railroad?

[@firesurfer]

See the wiki, New York Central Railroad. subsection, Hudson River Railroad. ''Along the line of the Hudson River Railroad, the West Side Line was built in 1934 in the borough of Manhattan as an elevated bypass of then-abandoned street running trackage on Tenth and Eleventh Avenues. The elevated section has since been abandoned, and the tunnel north of 35th Street is used only by Amtrak trains to New York Penn Station (all other trains use the Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad to reach the Harlem Line). The surviving sections of the West Side Line south of 34th Street reopened as the High Line, a linear park built between 2009 and 2014.''

[@Hal10034]

The High Line is great, but a light rail line in its place would have been even better.

[@Ostermond]

2:57 Slight correction: those tracks led directly into the building that presently stands in that direction today, the USPS Morgan General Postal Facility, where they’d truck mail in and out from along the line. Two other fun facts: even Bell Telephone’s Bell Labs site (now Westbeth) was served by the New York Central, and Google’s new location at 550 Washington Street was the former freight terminus. Good seeing you enjoying the neighborhood!

[@Clavichordist]

My dad remembers seeing trains on the high line when he was young. He grew up in the Bronx and used to visit his grandmother who used to live in Manhattan. There's a video on KZbin showing live footage from the heydays of trains traveling on the viaduct. It must've been wild seeing that. Bobby comes from the state where I live. Boston is about 4 hours north of New York City by train. It's an interesting ride too because the first half of the journey is on the former New Haven lines with the old antique catenary infrastructure still intact. The section from New Haven to Boston was electrified in 1999 or about 85 years after the initial electrification when money ran out.

[@stevenosimpson]

I visited New York not long after the first stage was completed. At the time the highline wasn't publicised at all in any tourist literature. Found out from a friend who'd just been. It's THE one thing I recommend to anyone who is going there now. Nice to see how it's matured from your video.

[@thomasmann9216]

Until I started watching you and Ant and the Whitewicks, I had never heard the term "sleepers" (other than referring to people who are asleep). Here in the USA, they are indeed referred to as "ties" or "crossties". I'm glad you were able to visit the High Line.

[@garybroadhurst3548]

It's one of those (few) American-Englishisms that while actually making more logical sense than the English word (Sidewalk/Pavement being another) just sound too weird to ever catch on here - hopefully. Weirdly, when I first heard of a Crosstie I spent a long time thinking the word was pronounced "Crosty" (a bit like crusty).

[@triKlops401]

Cosigned, always tie on this side of the pond.

[@JCF072344]

So you learned an American railroad term, tie. The Highland plantings were designed by a Dutch landscape architect, Piet Oudolf. They've matured considerably since I last saw them.

[@joermnyc]

The project was less about preserving the tracks and viaduct and more about preserving the native plants that thrived up there for decades. The city was almost ready to knock it all down as an eyesore! Friends of the High Line got experts to agree that it was a unique habitat that should be preserved, though ironically as part of the process to rebuild it as a park, everything but the tracks was ripped out to repair the structure and put in a proper drainage system. They did preserve seeds, seedlings and specific plants to put back in later.

[@CodeDeb]

I love the High Line park. Always visit whenever I’m in Manhattan!

[@AchyutChaudhary]

*Really glad to see Geoff back to covering Abandoned & Disused stuff - especially this time on another continent! Keep-up the good work!!* 👍

[@martinhowe1422]

Thanks Geoff for such a brilliant memory. My family & I did the walk 5 years ago on a Sunday morning. Sitting now at home on most Sunday mornings I cannot believe I was actually there - it is something special......

[@raythomas4812]

Same here, I did it in December ( with 10 friends for my 60th ) loved every minute of New York

[@AzureOtsu]

nice to take a break and see how it goes over the pond, great video as usual!

[@mikewood7571]

I AM WALKING ON IT NOW @geoff what great timing !

[@ianedwards7414]

Been there and walked the whole length. One of my favourite places in NYC!

[@yosolo5797]

Since the last NYC episode, I've had the privilege of visiting New York for myself for the very first time and I was able to walk the High Line on a lovely summer's day....what a city!

[@metropod]

3:10 area, that SPECIFIC section went into the United State Postal Service sorting complex. As for the street numbers, the highest in Manhattan Island is W 220th street. The highest on the Manhattan Bronx street grid system is 263rd street, just south of the border with Yonkers. The highest number is on the Queens street grid, which runs west to east, and gets to about 271th street, way out on the eastern edge of the borough

[@01cthompson]

And, tourists still get lost.

[@metropod]

@@01cthompson I mean… I once had someone walk up to me near Columbus Circle and ask “which way is the water”… apparently they forgot they were on an island…

[@AndreaZzzXXX]

3:11 area, on the right, that specific section ... ok never mind 🙂

[@metropod]

@@AndreaZzzXXX when it said “area”, I was referring to the time.

[@firesurfer]

@@metropod Up to 1895 it wasn't an island and was part of the mainland.

[@CockatooTransit]

Nice one! Sydney's got the great 'goods line' park/walk too, one of the only sections of the darling harbour line not converted to trams!

[@Ithendra]

I was just about to suggest the Goods Line :D Geoff, if you ever pop Down Under, you should definitely check out the Goods Line - it used to be a freight line that connected Sydney Yard and the Sydney-Parramatta rail line to the shipyards at Darling Harbour. Starts at the head of the Devonshire Street Tunnel and runs for nearly a kilometre down to Darling Harbour - it's a really nice walk if you ever get the chance. Lots of old Sydney railway history as well.

[@Mergatroid]

“Tie” is indeed the American word for “sleeper” (or vice versa)

[@nitehawk86]

Sleeper is the American word for Q-car. As a fan of Drachinifel, I think Q-car is really cool and am going to start using that term here.

[@williamchapple8886]

We visited this on my trip last year and loved it, a great way to walk round the city and explore

[@catdemon922]

I walked a slight bit of it when I was in the US in summer as well, it's really pretty and gave me an art idea

[@mdhazeldine]

Great video. The High Line is definitely an item on my bucket list for when I visit NYC one day!

[@azzyinthebrambles5649]

I walked the Highlline on a beautiful Spring day when I was first in New York City. Loved it. Amazing place in a heck of a city. Hope you enjoyed Geoff and great channel.

[@LeoStarrenburg]

Tie/Sleeper, Point/Switch, Driver/Engineer, I have an old English~American technical dictionary which is surprisingly thick, and not to forget the imperial measurements they still use across the pond. Thank you for a nice walk in the Big Apple !

[@user-ob1wd9fc5q]

Practical engineering channel recently did a video about railway rails. I believe the sleeper is the wooden part, then there is a metal bracket which "ties" the rail to the sleeper, and then obviously the rail itself.

[@MarioFanGamer659]

Switches are actually called a set of points as a single point refers to where one rail meets the other (it also is in use in America, for that matter).

[@TalesOfWar]

The railways are one of the few places we still make use of otherwise totally forgotten units of measure like chains and links (roughly 20cm and 20m respectively). Cricket is the other place they're still used. A pitch is 1 chain in length, between each stump.

[@christopherwright8388]

​@TalesOfWar You're so close... The thing at each end is technically a 'wicket', consisting of three vertical 'stumps' about three inches on center, with two small wooden cross pieces called 'bails' balanced on top. It is the dislodging of these bails that renders the adjacent batsman 'out'.

[@johnhalton3312]

I walked the High Line back in 2004 when the district was a little sketchy and again at track level in May this year. What a transformation! I know you love an interesting statistic or two so here goes: First train - 1933 to RC Williams & Co warehouse Official opening - 28 June 1934 Last train - 1980 three boxcars of frozen turkeys Total surface area - 296,000 sq ft / 6.7 acres Total length - 1.45 miles excluding the Post Office spur Total columns - approx 475 Building travelled through - 2 Buildings travelled over - 13 Buildings with sidings - 9 City blocks crossed - 22 Total street crossings - 25 Maximum width - 88 feet Minimum width - 30 feet Rail easement - 20 feet above track level Maximum height - 29 feet above grade Materials - steel frame with reinforced concrete deck Source: Reclaiming the High Line (Design Trust for Public Space, 2002)

[@baseballfan99]

I loved walking The High Line. Great views, high buildings and great food at Chelsea Market.

[@Da__goat]

When they made the conversion it was probably a great thing. Today, with NYC unfortunately suffering with a massive issue in the lack of infrastructure, something like an elevated track on 10th Ave would have absolutely been great to help alleviate some problems. Just like what is trying to be done with the Interboro line. Making it into a park will annihilate any kind of opportunity to help absorb some of the burden of the lack of NY’s transit system.

[@rikufryderyk]

Back in New York again, Geoff? You definitely deserve lots of breaks for all your hard work ❤❤❤ thanks for the video

[@owen.trains]

Nope. This is a video from back in summer while he was there.

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

​@@owen.trainsAlthough looking at which flowers are in bloom, it can't have been too long ago.

[@owen.trains]

@@JP_TaVeryMuch Look at the video description

[@gazritchie6077]

My favourite city and I love the Highline. A must do on every visit to NYC as it changes as the seasons change. I hope you visited the Transit Museum too.

[@photomcphotofacepoole1286]

Geoff, I’m glad you got to the High Line; it’s wonderful. It was also the inspiration for a similar project recently opened in Manchester, featured on Gardners’ World three weeks ago. The New York streets extend up into The Bronx, the most northerly of which is 263rd Street in North Riverdale. After that, you cross into Yonkers in Westchester County. I live a mile south on West 239th Street. I’ve edited this, because I originally said I lived on 231st Street. I’ve no idea why, other than cumulative sleep deprivation.

[@firesurfer]

Manhattan (NewYork County) used to extend to just below 230th st. In 1895 a canal was dredged at Spuyten Duyvil Creek . In later years the area at 230th was filled in separating it from Manhattan. It remains part of Manhattan for legal reasons. If you search for Manhattan on google maps, The red dashed line shows the old approximate creek route and is the official border to the Bronx. There are maps showing a better look at the old creek, but I can't link to it. side note, Manhattan refers to obligations of NYC, and New York County refer to obligations of New York State. The two borders were homogenized in 1898. All of the borders were made the same for the other boroughs/counties within NYC also. ''Manhattan is just one of five boroughs that comprise New York City. The other four are Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Each borough is also a county of New York State - respectively: New York, Kings, Queens, the Bronx and Richmond.'' The technical term for the Manhattan border is coextensive with New York County of the U.S. state of New York,

[@photomcphotofacepoole1286]

@@firesurfer Yes, that’s the area known as Marble Hill. Even looking at a map, or just driving around, it’s very clear to see the original course of the creek. It is still possible, in theory, to get a 212 phone number in Marble Hill. And yes, Marble Hill is still in the borough of Manhattan. I live on West 239th Street as far west as you can physically go - west of the Henry Hudson Parkway. You may think I’ve lost my mind. I’ve edited this because I typed that I live on 231st Street. I can only out that down to sleep deprivation. Sorry about that.

[@DJShadesUK]

I've walked the High Line many, many times. Its actually great not just for a stroll but if you actually need to get anywhere along 10th from ~14th to 30th.

[@davidwebber2951]

Now you need to walk the Honeybourne line in cheltenham. also raised and you walk from cheltenham spa to cheltenham racecourse where the Gloucester and Warwickshire heritage railway begins. I am a local and would be happy to show you the history along the route. Not only are you walking with the roof tops but you have a clear view of the cotswolds. Thanks geoff for entertainment.

[@oohkumar]

Thanks Geoff, you make me proud to be a Trainspotter. I spent too long living in the shadows keeping it a secret from friends and family. I now have a cool role model to point to if I get outed!

[@WillGrimm623]

We have our own high line in Chicago called the 606, which was originally built the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific railroad, and fun fact, it was used to connect to the Chicago L, which ran freight trains with the CTA until the early 1970’s

[@meijiturtle3814]

Very informative. First time I've seen the Highline in any detail. Thanks, Geoff.

[@markholm7050]

I think it’s cross tie because it lies crossways to the rails and ties them together. Tie for short. Sleeper is a fine word for them, too. It’s just one of the entries on the list of words that British and American English use differently.

[@PrograError]

no wonder for non natives, English is so confusing... on top of the countless converted loan words from other languages and legacy Latin

[@peonycottageboutique4154]

We have something similar in Canada in St Thomas, Ontario. We’ve walked it in the summer plus visited the nearby train museum which was terrific. Great idea; gardens, views, art.

[@shaunwest3612]

Great video Geoff,looked amazing,thanks Bobby 👍👌😀

[@marthaanderson2656]

Imagine the contrast of what was the Meat Packing District then with the posh condos and businesses. I love rail conversion public spaces when well used, well loved. The flowers along the way were a huge plus

[@TalesOfWar]

As bad as the mass closures of much of the rail infrastructure was in the UK with the infamous Beeching Axe, we now have a lot of rather nice walking and cycling paths through large parts of the country. They're especially nice in the more rural parts. They're pretty easy to walk and ride along too given they needed to be fairly flat and straight for the trains.

[@a11oge]

did this over 10 years ago now. Nice to see everyone enjoying the sights

[@Tinderchaff]

I stayed in New York for about a week about three weeks ago now and I walked the High Line twice. The hotel I was staying in was two blocks over from the red and pink tree. You can see that thing for quite some distance! I only found out about it as one of the spurs is very close to a Whole Foods supermarket which I visited more than once. It really is worth doing although I prefer doing it early in the day as there are less people. Some parts are quite narrow as the trees and bushes grow over the line.

[@rickyzuc]

I’ve never been to the US. Your recent videos over there has inspired me to plan a trip.

[@enjaysee750]

Yes Geoff - one of my favourite things to do in New York City!!

[@MrGreatplum]

What a clever idea - thanks for showing us around :)

[@Sim0nTrains]

Really enjoyed the High Line walk, great video

[@bspark119]

Going to be in NYC myself in 2 days and this is on the list. Great timing and good video Geoff!

[@ciderads]

Neat video Geoff! Heading to New York next year, so will certainly give it a visit. As a Bristolian, I'll also be making a pilgrimage to Bristol Basin (now known as Waterside Plaza) which was built upon the rubble of bombed Bristol buildings, used as ballast in US supply ships during WWII.

[@AK-xd5oo]

Is it just me or did I just watch a Geoff Marshall bromance video 😁 give me an ‘end of the line’ video any day , just quintessentially British as is…what’s that word again🤔..oh yes !..😂☂️’brolly’

[@andyt2510]

Thanks Geoff. That's another thing to add to our to-do list when we visit later this month!

[@raakone]

This is awesome. I walked the High Line in August, loved it!

[@robertlalor8090]

Very nice. Thanks Geoff

[@michaelmiller641]

Fantastic video, thanks chaps!

[@hughmnyks]

I've been wanting to see more of the High Line for years. Edited an article about it way back - one that really didn't tell the real story. You hit the nail on the head!

[@Alteshaus21]

Did the exact same walk last year, so great to see the highline again. Great memories :)

[@raythomas4812]

I did the Highline when I was in New York last December for my 60th -( then went up the Edge ) loved it

[@jpnmtrmn93]

New York City! My hometown! I hope you enjoyed your visit!

[@keki4578]

bro finished London map and is now doing out of world side quests now

[@stepheneyles2198]

Nice to meet Bobby! I hope he's featured in more of your NY videos ;-) Dad joke: If Bobby was a policeman, would he be a cop or a bobby? That bit about not being allowed to cycle along the High Line - I don't think that is too much of a problem because I didn't see ANY bicycles in the whole video - correct me if I missed them!

[@firesurfer]

There is a sign saying no bike riding. You have to walk the bike.

[@bishwatntl]

For someone who lived in the US for a while, I am guessing Geoff was just winding his guest up about ties vs sleepers.

[@damedavidfrith55]

Thanks for another cracking vlog very interesting and nice to see it didn’t get lost and ripped up 😮

[@rwm2986]

Thanks Geoff, very interesting but in all the time you have spent in the USA I cannot believe that you have never heard of a railroad tie before.

[@aa-au]

Great video Geoff. I walked the High Line 3 times in the 6 days we were in NYC. Now 2023, there are quite a few more art pieces since we were there in 2019, although we did only walk from the Hudson yards to Chelsea Market in 3 seperate stages. So my wife and I stated that the High Line was one of our highlights in NYC! I also LOVED the subway and found it fascinating... this is coming from someone who lives in a city which only has 2 metros - one active and one to be completed in 2025!

[@greentravels2850]

Cool to see another NY video! This video reminded me of my walk on the 'Viaduc des Arts' in the 12th in Paris. I'd love to walk along the High Line too.

[@DavidHolliday]

Love this. Last time we were on the High Line it was the middle of winter and bloody freezing.

[@angieward2762]

Very enjoyable video, I enjoyed it. We didn’t get chance to walk it when we went, would love to go back and do it now though. Thank you 😊

[@TraceUK]

You’re number 46 on trending! Well done Geoff!

[@llwyde1104]

Nabisco..Oreo! You can tell Geoff is a mere youth...it's Shredded Wheat, you want😅 Welwyn Garden City's pride and joy...

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Nice to see a New York based video again! 👏🏽

[@jayfielding1333]

It's such a great park, so well planned and executed.

[@77smp]

Cool! I'm in New York next month and that's a definite to do 🙂

[@urbanfile3861]

Very nice vid and very nice place. Actually the first former rail viaduct which was reconverted that way is in Paris. The Tim Traveller made a video on it a while ago. Surely New York Highline is more known worldwide and inspired many other projects. Speaking of which, there is one in Milan on a dismissed railyard. Scalo Romana or Parco Romana, which is the new name. Actually the rail line is active and will remain active, while the dismissed rail yard will be developped with a park and various buildings (among these the Olympic Village for Milan Winter Olympics in 2026, currently u/c). But the rail just cuts through the area, which is splitted in two by it. So the idea is to stitch everything together by building a pedestrian platform, a linear park, suspended over the working rails. It's a bit tricky beacause this won't be a former rail viaduct, but a new viaduct, for pedestrians, built over the existing tracks for over one km of lenght. But the inspiration is the Newyorker Highline and the outcome is meant to be similar.

[@Nick-13]

Incredible landscape architecture scheme - world famous (the closest we have in London is the Tide at Greenwich Peninsula)

[@robertewalt7789]

The High Line was used to connect the piers on the Hudson with the freight service. Also, big Nabisco plant there, as well as meat packing.

[@gingerkiwidev]

Awesome video! I've been following the High Line developments since the early 2000s. It's on my bucket list, though the UK is first b/c I've done NYC a few times. Thanks for covering accessibility! I'm a new ambulatory wheelchair user (NYC state of accessibility/things being broken is another reason why it's not top of my list). The Bowery Boys podcast has quite a few episodes on the history of transit in NYC including elevated trains. Worth checking out!

[@craigyuen7000]

geoff, it would interesting if you checked out the latest new york city transit additions, east side access and the 2nd ave. subway and compare them in terms of time of construction, cost and project scale to the elizabeth line.

[@BenTheMiner]

Nice to see you visiting the high line! Was the northernmost part of the elevated wrapping around the train yard still closed? When I was there, it temporarily ended at a fence which included signs and images showing the history of the high line. Also, there are additional remnants of the elevated further south, including a whole section located within a building! The high line is a blast!

[@firesurfer]

It opened up a few years ago. (2014). I worked at the Javits across the street and could see the progress almost on a daily basis. In June 22 of this year the latest section opened up to the new Moynihan Terminal at Penn Station.

[@BobbyFeltault]

On the day we were there it was still closed unfortunately, I love the view of the Hudson from there, especially when helicopters are landing.

[@philipbrailey]

Brilliant video Geoff, as usual. 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@guffermeister]

Be about 10 years since I went along it so only a few years after it opened. Looks like its grown up a lot more with the bushes and infill. A great place to be in New York but away from the bustle of the streets below

[@londonbusfanrex]

Nice video Geoff

[@gigteevee6118]

I visited it a year ago, soooo cool! The art has changed since.

[@eattherich9215]

The art is constantly changing. I have different photos from my several visits.

[@Thrungus]

Ya man is rather overwhelemed to meet the mighty Geoff!

[@merbertancriwalli8622]

Wow Geoff - I'm from Australia and have walked the highline over5 times since I've been to NY over the last 10 years. Where have you been 🙂

[@fraserdavidson278]

Great video! Lived here for 10yrs and still not managed to get to the High Line yet 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@velvetgluv]

That was the most fun tour of the high line I've seen. You guys make a great double act - I'm thinking g Laurel and Hardy. Take Bobby on a train tour of Canada!

[@BobbyFeltault]

Yes please!

[@GoldenTicket420]

I love your videos Geoff :-) glad to see you visit NYC again! I have actually been to this location a few times and is very beautiful. Anyone visiting this location at night time you actually see Japanese roaches as well as American and all different types of nasty roaches so just beware lol

[@johnhalton3312]

Check out the greening of the impressive Castlefield viaduct in Manchester.

[@forthbrdge6162]

Bridge engineer pedantry corner here - the tracks are not original in the sense that they are in situ from original construction. When the High Line was rehabilitated for the park, all the track and ballast was removed so the bridge deck could be rehabilitated. After the bridge deck was rehabilitated some of the original track materials (rail and OTM) were reinstalled on new ties to give an impression of what the High Line once was in its abandoned state.

[@terrier_productions]

yeah, The USA does have different terminology for railways then us Brits.. Ties are Sleepers, Cars are Wagons, Engineer is Driver, Conductor is Guard, etc etc

[@neilbain8736]

That's a pretty shrewd move by the investors. When I lived up North I was passing through London in Trafalgar Square one hot day and the smell of chlorine hit me. It was pretty strong but then looking at all the punters paddling and a dabbling their tootsies in the water it seemed a pretty smart move from authorities in the quest for public hygiene to prevent rampant foot rot. Then I got to my pals in Amersham and turned on the tap for a cuppa and the same smell hit me out the tap.

[@GuyChapman]

I used that to get from my hotel to a conference where I was speaking some years back. Great place!

[@bobsrailrelics]

Reminds me of the similar high lines in Paris. Maybe a visit to see Tim is in order. You may even find tea this time 😅

[@RandomTFLupdates-PEPS_FOR_LIFE]

Great vid

[@oreskec]

I checked the google maps and it's interesting how you can still see where the line continued on because some buildings still have "tunnel" and others have that part closed but it's in different style to the rest of the building

[@tremensdelirious]

Wow, if you had been walking along this line in 2016 when I was there, we could’ve said hello. Makes you think. 👍

[@hilleltulchin]

About NYC's street numbering system: 1. The east side has numbers going all the way down to 1, with Houston Street being the next one south. 2. The Bronx actually uses the same numbering system as Manhattan, so 260th Street is a thing in Riverdale, the northernmost point in the City 3. Queens and Brooklyn actually have their own street grids, but with different rules, more repetition, and a whole lot of weirdness. Moral of the story: NYC is ridiculously complicated and trying to understand it is trying to achieve the impossible.

[@PrograError]

Imagine being a mail sorting post office postman... thank god for the computers...

[@Thnsrd42]

It's not complicated to me. I've walked from the southern tip of Manhattan to 145 Street in Harlem. That was back in the 90s.

[@de-fault_de-fault]

Queens and especially Brooklyn each have multiple street grids. The main one in Queens is much more cohesive, since a lot of the land was undeveloped when the current grid was planned, but Brooklyn has several distinct grids that were developed independently. Just to name two: One has east-west streets numbered north to south, i.e. opposite of Manhattan's grid, and north-south avenues numbered east to west, similar to Manhattan. Another has north-south streets numbered west to east, all with the prefix "East" because this grid is east of the other one, with east-west avenues lettered north to south (except some like Cortelyou Road and Quentin Road have names starting with the corresponding letter).

[@kpdowd4221]

Read up on the west side rail yard. As part of New York’s 2012 Olympic bid, the West Side Stadium (also known as the New York Sports and Convention Center) was proposed as a football and Olympic stadium to be built on a platform over the rail yards. I forget which city got picked for the 2012 games🤓

[@NeillyVille]

To New York!

[@magicknight8412]

I like that, nice bit of green amongst the concrete jungle.

[@bmwknappen]

Did that walk a few years ago! In the south end there are two nice places. Chelsea Market and the Standard Biergarden!

[@chatan344]

Thank you Geoff for this video. Next stop Boston?