A few weeks ago I got the chance to shake off the Colorado cobwebs and get out of town. This lovely chance not only reunited me with some dear friends and family, but brought me to one of my favorite places, New York City.
You might wonder why a nature groupie like myself would love such an industrial, non-nature oriented place? Here's why...
... well my theory on it anyway. I think because there is so much steel and concrete concentrated in a relatively small area, the people of the city take their nature pretty seriously. Yes Times Square is always packed, but have you walked through Central Park on a Saturday? Or the High Line on a Sunday? They are packed with people!
And for good reason, the nature that they flock to is absolutely gorgeous. My roots lie deep in Central Park, but the High Line is quickly becoming a must visit site on every trip I take to the city.
For a few brief miles the High Line takes a once littered and out of use above ground train track, and turns it into lush garden paradise. Reclining chairs that slide along the old tracks in places offer beautiful views of the Hudson River, while the sun reflects off carefully designed water features. It's really a different take on the city itself. When I walk along the High Line I feel different, and I see the city differently. Yes I am physically seeing the city from a different perspective due to the height of the tracks, but it's more than that. The juxtaposition of the steel and concrete versus the soft foliage, grasses and flowers create a captivating balance that sucks me in.
I hate to say it, but living where I live, I sometimes lose a bit of that wonder and curiosity towards the nature around me because I am completely surrounded all the time. Going to a city like New York brings all of that into perspective. After even just a day in the city every piece of nature I came across I valued all the more. And when I came back home to my foothills, I couldn't help but appreciate them, just a little bit more.
It may be cliché, but I'm going to say it... I love New York!
~Jordan
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*Last time in Nature: Signs of the Season
