Walking the High Line

An article in the April 2011 edition of National Geographic magazine about New York City’s High Line ‘park’ got me reminiscing about my visit to the High Line in 2010.

The High Line is not a park in the conventional sense – it is more a raised landscape feature following the course of an old, long defunct and abandoned elevated railway line along the lower west side of Manhattan’s Chelsea district. Part park, promenade, meeting place, and sun deck, the High Line is a great example of a good idea whose time has come.

Once classed as an eyesore and slated for demolition, the High Line was saved from the scrap merchants yard, mainly as the result of the shared vision, work and enthusiasm of two men, Joshua David and Robert Hammond, who had the foresight to imagine a new life for the old El line, and who formed Friends of the High Line in 1999 to bring their vision to life.

The rest, as the saying goes, is history.

I walked the first section of the High Line back in July 2010, and thoroughly enjoyed my birds-eye view along a route that led from Gansevoort Street through the Meatpacking District, and across Tenth Avenue to West 20th Street. As you walk some 25 feet above street level your perspective of New York City changes constantly, and the walk makes for a very pleasant way to spend an hour or so people watching, sunbathing, or just relaxing on a warm summer day.

Here, narrated by the actor Ethan Hawke, is a short history of the High Line:

This week, stage two of the High Line opened, extending the route a further ten blocks north to West 30th Street. The High Line now provides unique views of the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen, and its total length now extends a full mile.

Best of all, the entire length of the High Line is wheelchair accessible with access provided by elevators located at West 14th, W 16th and W 30th Streets. A fourth elevator is currently being installed at W 23rd Street and should be operating by the end of this month.

The High Line is open daily during the park’s summer operating hours of 7:00AM to 11:00PM, and access is free.

Photographers Delight
Photographers looking for a unique perspective for their New York City images, have found the High Line to be a perfect place to capture the Big Apple in ways that, in the past, may have not been possible – or easily achieved.

Because of the generous opening hours of the High Line, setting up for early morning or late evening sunsets shots of New York’s skyline has made the High Line a popular viewing platform for local and visiting photographers.

Art, Music, Dance
A full program of art, music and dance has being scheduled for the High Line this summer, as well as regular walking tours, volunteering opportunities and more, and you can read about these via the Friend of the High Line newsletter on their website.

More information
More videos can be accessed via the Friends of The High Line YouTube page…
Friends of The High Line Org…

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My Smartphone – My Life

I hate to say it, but one of the biggest disappointments of my eight month round the world trip last year and into 2011, was the performance of my iPhone 3GS smart-phones. That’s right, both of them.

My first iPhone had problems with the WiFi. Namely, it couldn’t pick up a WiFi signal, even if I was sitting right on top of it. However, all other aspects of its function seemed to be ok. When I arrived in New York City in July 2010 I went to one of the massive Apple Stores in the city and got staff at the Genius desk to look at my phone. They confirmed the WiFi function was non-functioning and a was able to purchase a new iPhone 3GS at a much reduced rate.

Happily, WiFi worked fine during the rest of the American leg of my trip. Unfortunately, it stopped working once I reached Europe in October, and hasn’t worked since! Other aspects of the phone’s function seem to be lest than ideal, as time goes on, and quite frankly I am over it.

Ongoing problems with my iPhone are the reason I haven’t embraced the iPad. Although I think the iPad is an amazing device, I am holding off to see what other manufacturers release over the next 12-18 months, with particular interest in new devices utilising Google’s Android software.

I’m writing about this today because of a recent smartphone survey conducted by Prosper Mobile Insight (PMI), which reveals key insights on mobile usage, security concerns and privacy issues, as well as the way smartphone owners use their devices to buy products and services using their phones.

To quote from the survey media release: “As mobile technology continues to evolve, a majority of smartphone users are fully integrating their devices into every aspect of their daily lives… 52.9% say they utilize all of the functions of their smartphones—it’s their life. 30.4% say they use the basic functions of their smartphones plus some applications and 16.7% only use their smartphones for calling, texting and emailing.”

“With all the unique features of smartphones, texting (21.6%), Internet (16.7%) and email (15.7%) are the top functions smartphone users say they cannot live without. Calling features (7.8%), GPS (6.9%) and Facebook (5.9%) are also necessities to some.”

I’m with those survey respondents. I was totally wedded to my iPhone after my initial purchase – despite the WiFi problem – and the phone seemed to be a permanent extension of my arm. I was never more than a few minutes, or metres, away from it, and even now, I am never without the phone.

Security Ongoing Concern

Despite the joys (or otherwise) of owning a smartphone, security issues are never far from the minds of phone users.

The PMI Smartphone survey also reveals that the top privacy issue among smartphone users is location tracking (35.3%), followed closely by unauthorized access to personal information (31.4%), someone accessing financial data (21.6%), and online behavior being tracked (11.8%). Despite these concerns, 55.9% of smartphone users say they prefer using their smartphone to access the Internet over using a computer – as opposed to 35.3% who prefer to use a computer.

A few more interesting bits of information from the survey: The vast majority of smartphone users (81.4%) say they use their smartphone to browse for products or services online, while 77.5% use their smartphone to locate stores or look for store hours. (Source: Prosper Mobile Insight Smartphone Survey, May, 2011)

Clearly, these are the early days of smartphone development and use, and I for one, am quite sure that these ubiquitous devices will only get smaller, faster, cheaper and more powerful over the next five years. I am also sure that in spite of my own less than perfect experiences with the iPhone, there is no turning back to the ‘old days’ to embrace anything less than state of the art, when it comes to modern phone technology.

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Smithsonian Journeys – of a Lifetime

The Rocky Mountaineer Train in the Canadian Rockies

~ Recently, I was asked if I regretted selling my house back in 2008, and using the proceeds to travel on extended journeys around the world. My answer was an immediate, "No.” To which I added, “My only regret is that I was not able to sell the house for twice as much.”

Because if I had sold my house for twice as much as the price I got, I would be able to afford to travel even more than I have been – not in terms of the length of my journeys, but in terms of the number of destinations I could afford to visit and the quality of some of those visits. Which brings me to the Smithsonian Institute.

The American Smithsonian Institution was founded in 1846, and has become the world’s largest museum and research complex consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park and nine research facilities. In 2009 there were approximately 30 million visits from around the world at the Smithsonian, with more than 188 million visits (including a few of my own) to the Smithsonian websites. It is estimated that the Smithsonian houses 137 million objects, works of art and unique specimens.

Clearly this is a massive Institution any way you measure it!

Which brings me to Smithsonian Journeys, the Smithsonian Institution’s travel program. Smithsonian Journeys aims to provide a meaningful experience with genuine insight into the culture and history of all their chosen destinations.

Recently, the organization released information about some of their major tours for the second half of 2011, and I thought I’d highlight a few of the North American ones today. Ordered by date, the destinations are:

Grand Canyon (June 17-20 and July 15-18)
You will need to be quick to join the June tour to Grand Canyon – certainly one of the highlights of my North American visit last year. The Grand Canyon is considered the most spectacular gorge in the world and consequently Grand Canyon National Park merits listing as a World Heritage site. Smithsonian Journeys has taken Americans to this breathtaking site for nearly 40 years. “Grand Canyon Weekend Adventure” (June 17-20 and July 15-18) offers an in-depth weekend experience of the park, which features an overnight rafting trip down the Colorado River and a day at a nearby ranch.

The Great Lakes (July 25-Aug. 3)
This region of North America has been on my ‘bucket list’ for a long time, and I am determined to see some of it on my next trip to the United States. Situated between Canada and the United States, the Great Lakes are the largest inland lake system in the world. During “Canadian Splendors” (July 25-Aug. 3), travellers can take a cruise in Canada that features notable cities and charming towns, engineering marvels and the history and natural beauty of Lakes Ontario, Erie and Huron.

Canadian Rockies (August 5-12)
Like the Great Lakes, Canada is another place on my list of must see travel destinations, and again, I hope to see at least some of it on my next trip to North America. Travellers from all over the world are drawn to the magnificence of the Canadian Rockies, which are celebrated for the region’s pristine alpine lakes, majestic snow-capped mountains and plentiful wildlife. During “A Canadian Rockies Adventure” (Aug. 5-12), Smithsonian travellers get to stay at top accommodations in Banff and Jasper as they explore the landscape, then enjoy panoramic vistas on a two-day train trip aboard the luxurious Rocky Mountaineer (see image above) before arriving in Vancouver.

And just because I can, here is one non-North American destination for you to consider:

Istanbul (August 5-16)
Ok, I’ve got a confession to make. I’m a slacker! The last time I saw Istanbul was in 1971, and despite the fact that I had plenty of opportunities to visit Turkey and Istanbul during my extended four month stay in Greece over the winter of 2010/11, I didn’t take advantage of any of them.

Istanbul is the only city in the world situated on two continents, and features a fascinating history of both western and eastern cultures, as reflected by its magnificent monuments. Smithsonian Journeys travellers interested in visiting Istanbul do so on the popular “Black Sea” luxury cruise (Aug. 5-16). Also “Legendary Turkey and the Turquoise Coast” and “Ancient Worlds of Anatolia” are two small-group, air-inclusive tours that travel to Istanbul before moving south to different regions of Turkey. Both have multiple departures in the spring and autumn.

Which finally brings me full circle. Because the quality of the small-group tours Smithsonian Journeys organises are exactly the types of tours I would join if I had sold my home for twice the price I got. As it now stands, I travel solo, on the cheap, and organise every aspect of my own journeys. Not that this is bad, and not that I don’t enjoy my solo adventures. It’s just that sometimes it would be good to let others do the organising and just go along for the ride (so to speak).

NOTE: Information about Smithsonian Journeys contained in this post was correct at time of publication. Please check the Smithsonian Journeys website for the latest information pertaining to any of the destinations mentioned above. Full details and prices for all Smithsonian Journeys destinations can be found online at their website.

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And again, just because I can, here is a tiny selection of books and CDs put out by the Smithsonian Institution which you may like to check out. As always, these are available direct from Amazon.Com simply by clicking on the images below.