Steady Mobbin': Best First Visit to the Second Phase

First of all, does anyone know if Jared Clark reads my blog? Can someone make sure he sees this photo? And let me know if it makes him wig out.

Okay, anyway, so as you may have heard, as you may have seen blogged elsewhere, the second part/phase of the Highline park has just opened AND at the "end" of the "park" there's this other park called Rainbow City that was put there by AOL, which used to make internet but now apparently makes parks. Times are tough, companies gotta diversify. Anyway, most blogs you've seen about the new part of the Highline probably featured the person walking from the old part of the Highline up to the end of the new part and then discovering Rainbow City. This post, however, starts at Rainbow City and walks down to the old Highline. Can you handle that?

So yeah, this is Rainbow City.

It's a sunblasted inflatable wonderland.

This mushroom . . .

. . . is a bounce house. There's another bounce house there that looks like a turnip.

Rainbow City in action. It's a place a kid can play and play and play without accomplishing anything, playwise.

Here's sign explaining Rainbow City, I photo'd it to read later. I haven't read it yet. If you got Jared to look at this post and see that photo of me can you also get him to read this sign and give me the bullet points?

Something I learned the hard way about Rainbow City: The round things, you can punch them. The pillar things? They have steel posts inside. Punch carefully.

Here is an example of punching something that should be punched.

If you're watching that video hoping that the balloon swings back hard at me and knocks me over, sorry. Doesn't happen.

So okay, now we've gone up the stairs from Rainbow City to Highline 2.0. Who's "we"? Steven and his visitor Emily. That's who. Our trip to the Highline was actually a Curious Kittens discussion meeting.

See how the graphic shows hearts coming out of the fountain? That's because the water fountain talks to you as you drink from it and tells you very nice things. I'm not lying.

Here is a sign that explaining the present Highline. We're getting so close to getting this thing done, people! Will we see a fully realized Highline by 2013?

And now we embark on our High Line learning journey. One thing I've learned already by looking at that sign: High Line is two words. From here on out I'll spell it right, I'm not going back and fixing all the times I wrote it wrong.

New High Line: More seating.

More neighbors.

Neighbor, I accept your challenge.

This part is called the flyover or something dramatic like that. Because the walkway elevates over the vegetation. Can you handle this flyover, New York City?

A new street viewing station.

Like I said, so much seating.

Still flyingover, as graceful as doves.

Betwixt bricky canyons.

Towards modern homes.

This could be your patio, eye level and just feet from thousands of passersby daily. Is that cool? Is that something you'd like?

This could be your superfresh kitchen. You could wave at someone's aunt while you wash your dishes.

And this could be your other patio. Sheesh! What kind of super apartment is this? And how are you going to keep people from hopping the fence and visiting you?

A lawn! Saturday the lawn was taking a break.

Another modern High Line home.

More seating!

This is a view you're more used to from other blogs: Looking uptown along the High Line towards the end of the future.

Wood.

Very popular that afternoon: $4 paletas.

Into the shrubs we go

To emerge at the bird houses!

And here, right here, is where the old High Line used to end. This is the point where the future meets the past today.

Sorry, dudes. But someone had to protect the souvenirs. But think of the reward when you get home and no one will believe your stories about the M&M and/or Hershey Store(s).

Look at these guys, blooming out from the bottom up. Natural gradients. Emily, the visitor, she's a printmaker and she was taken with these buds.

A billboard tribute to the old days. Actually, I believe that's a stretch of phase three High Line right there. It's a picture of the present meant to make you reflect on the past.

I believe these trellises to be a new addition to the old High Line. You know, to keep everyone from hating having to be in the old, out of style, totally boring old part of the park.

Just kidding! Everyone loves all the High Line! The original traffic watching amphitheater will never go out of style.

Time to talk podcasts. The most important thing we can do right now, to fulfill all our podcast plans, is become quite popular. Are you willing to help? You just have to listen, or just download episodes and not listen to them.

Grandpa! Get down from there!

Post-High Line, post-going our separate ways: stickers.

Anything's free if you're just willing to take it. (Don't tell your mom I said that!)

Epilogue:

Then Saturday night I went to Nick and Whitney's joint birthday party. We watched the first episode of the Wonder Years up on Whitney's roof. It was her present to Nick. I guess he loves the Wonder Years? I guess I don't know about Nick's favorite TV shows enough?