We found the sunniest spot on the High Line this week. Up near the Northern end on the curved benches at 29th street, we staked out a spot for an interview with Peter Mullan, the High Line’s Vice President of Planning and Design. We knew that an outdoor interview would be tricky to schedule in January in NYC, but Peter was game to give it a try and so were we.
If you haven’t been up to the High Line in the winter, it’s worth a trip. Last time we visited it was lush with fall foliage. Piet Oudolf, the landscape designer, gave us a memorable tour in October, pointing out the plants that would winter into beautiful skeletons. That unique horticultural story is playing out right now. Brown limbs mixing with evergreens, dried plant heads sharing beds with red berries – it’s a way to see the park with new eyes.
Peter Mullan sat with us for more than an hour, sharing the vision of the early designers and plans for the park’s next stages. The temperature dropped as the sun dipped in and out, but we chatted as if it were an April day. It wasn’t until we wrapped that the cold really registered.
In the bright winter light, with spare seasonal greenery, the High Line seemed to be somehow more a part of the City, with nothing hidden from view. It was all perfect timing for us—a warm winter day, a great interview subject, and a unique view of a park for all seasons. -Susan Spann, editor, GREAT MUSEUMS TELEVISION