A Visit to Eataly and The High Line, NYC

I've been wanting to check out The High Line, a unique park for New York City anyway, for a while now. So yesterday in the middle of June with no rain in the forecast for a change, my husband and I ventured into the Big Apple via the Long Island Railroad. First on our stop since it was lunchtime was Eataly the Italian gastronomy "grocery store" located on 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue. This mega success story opened in the Flatiron district in 2010 by partners and superstar chefs Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich and her restaurateur son Joe Bastianich. This place is no grocery store as once you arrive you'll be impressed with its over 50,000 sq. foot of Italian foods. As the sign in the photo boasts this marketplace stocks food items from every region in Italy.

Inside the bustling Eataly

Making Eataly pasta

Just one of the entrances to Eataly

Unfortunately, because it was the weekend, it was wall-to-wall people so it was hard to maneuver. But we did get to see fresh pasta being made, got to sample some delicious breads as well as take in all of the energy going on around us. There are multiple food stations where you can order something to go or eat in and hope to find a seat or counter to stand at. There are also 9 restaurants, a meat market, cafes serving espresso and the like as well as fresh juices. Of course, there are also numerous sweet shops offering gelato and delectable pastries and chocolates. There's even a section selling Italian housewares and beauty items. I even noticed a kiosk promoting Alitalia one of their many collaborators. So much to see in such a short time. I'll definitely be back, maybe on a Sunday, and it's absolutely worth another visit.

Now on to The High Line. As I mentioned above this 1-mile park sounded so unique to me having been built on the former site of the New York Central Railroad. It runs from Gansevoort Street up to 30th Street with multiple entranceways. Since we were walking from Eataly, we entered on the 23rd Street and 10th Avenue entranceway. (We first made a pit stop at a delightful little cafe and bar called The Half King which had delicious food and was reasonably priced. This eatery was located just steps away from the entranceway...how convenient.) So, we made our way up the staircase to this elevated park and were surprised to see that so many people were thinking the same thing we were...let's go visit The High Line today. Didn't matter, it was delightful...picture this. Here you are about 30 ft. above street level taking the same route that the old West Side railroad line took. Except now the walkway with the train tracks still visible is surrounded by lush gardens, plenty of park benches and statuary. Although we didn't get to enjoy them, I found out that if you enter the park further down at say 12th Street, there are eateries as well as a beer garden (that can seat 200 people), cafes and other highlights. Guess we'll be making a repeat trip of all of the above. Just have to pick another sunny day. Here are some views from The High Line...enjoy!