My wife and I arrived in New York on board Queen Mary 2 before  sailing up the Eastern seaboard  to Quebec.

This gave us just the one day in New York and we wanted to both maximise our time while taking  in one particular visit that we had read about, The Highline Walk.

Having to return on board later in the day we were classed ‘in transit’ and were therefore free to leave the ship at our earliest convenience once US clearance had been given. Indeed we were off the ship,  and cleared through US Immigration,  minutes before 7.00am.

Our intention was to use the Brooklyn Subway, which we had used on previous visits. The Carroll Street subway station…

…is approximately 20 minutes walk from the Pedestrian access gate (arrowed below)  to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal…

Or, looking in the opposite direction towards the ship…

 

The walk from the Cruise Terminal to Carroll Street is itself quite fascinating and gives an interesting insight to Brooklyn everyday street life.

Our route took us through Coffey Park…

 

…and along some typical Brooklyn streets with their decorated front gardens…

 

 

Having reached the Carroll Street subway station we joined New York’s Manhattan commuters  and by 8.00am  we were on West 14 Street enjoying a Starbucks coffee and wifi.

Suitably refreshed we then walked some six blocks  westwards, passing some fascinating buildings, as we passed through  Manhattan’s Meatpacking District,  including…

…before reaching the entrance to our intended destination for this visit, New York’s Highline Walk …

 

 

http://www.thehighline.org/

 

The High Line is a public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side.  It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues. The first section of the High Line opened on June 9, 2009. It runs from Gansevoort Street to West 20th Street. The second section, which runs between West 20th and West 30th Streets, opened June 8, 2011.

The Highline walk is very easy to find and has nine access points, four of which have disabled facilities.

 

*****

 

I would add here that our route to this particular entrance fitted neatly with where the ship was berthed and that subway route. Cruise ships berthing at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal will have a somewhat easier and quicker route.

Walking the Highline Walk is very easy and there are so many differing views of New York to be seen from the elevated walkway. In addition to the flora and fauna that have been planted along the walk, many sections have the old railway lines exposed as a reminder of what the elevated section once was….

A view across the Hudson River towards the Hoboken Terminal Erie Lackawama Ferry and Rail terminal…

Numerous rest, refreshment and viewing areas have been provided along the walk…

*****

Nature preservation has been  a priority in the regeneration of the Highline Walk…

 

 

while at some points New York resident’s humour can be spotted…

 

 

The walk also offers the opportunity to while look down on New York’s street life…

 

 

…while gaining an insight into  how New Yorkers tackle their parking problems…

The actual walk took us around an hour and  a half but that was due to the fact we covered one section twice.

One particular section even passes under the Standard Hotel…

 

 

At the time we did the walk the northern end of the Highline Walk  terminated at 34th Street …

 

 

At this point we dropped down off the Highline Walk, onto  34th Street, and headed up to 42nd Street and along to  Times Square…

 

*****

 

…before continuing  up along  7th, and passing the Alwyn Court Building…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alwyn_Court

 

…before eventually reaching  Central Park, our second ‘target’ for the day…

 

Central Park is amazing and one could easily  spend a whole day wandering around it.  On this occasion we did the Bethesda Fountain and Terrace above The Lake, taking in the view across to the San Remo Apartments …

 

…and Yoko Ono’s tribute to her husband, John Lennon, Strawberry Fields. On a pathway in Strawberry Fields is a mosaic, the gift of the city of Naples, Italy, inscribed with the word, IMAGINE…

 

…after John Lennon’s famous song.

Of course, no visit to Central Park with a memory of the John Lennon Beatles era would be complete without a glimpse  across Central Park West to see the Dakota Building…

 

…where John Lennon was residing with Yoko Ono when he was shot.

Our day complete,  the New York Subway rattled us back to Brooklyn where two very tired Brits arrived back on board  in good time to enjoy a perfect sailaway party…

…with yet more great memories of another successful visit to New York.