NYC: The High Line & The New Amsterdam Market

The High Line

Have you checked out the High Line yet? This cool elevated city park (30 feet above ground), located in NYC between 10th & 11 Avenues, was formerly used as a freight railroad till 1980.

Section one (b/t Gansevoort & 20th streets) has been open to the public since June 2009, with plans to extend the park all the way up to 34th street.

You can still view the train tracks in between the plants and the wildflowers:


10th Avenue Square, a wooden amphitheater with a view of 10th Avenue traffic (and a giant billboard of Posh & Becks in their skivvies):


"The River That Flows Both Ways" by artist Spencer Finch, 700 colored glass panes inspired by the Hudson River (located in the Chelsea Market Passage, where the High Line cuts through a building in Chelsea Market):


But my real reason for visiting that day was to try the cinnamon sugar donuts at the newly opened Craft Sweets on the Highline, located in Chelsea Market Passage (do I ever go anywhere unless it's food related?!):


"It tastes a little dry", grumbled hubby Kris. "Sorry, honey, did you say something?" Wasn't going to let grumpy gus ruin my mood as I stared out at the Hudson River on a gorgeous fall day, perfectly content while sipping my hot apple cider and munching my donut...


The High Line
http://www.thehighline.org/
Section 1 (Gansevoort Street to 20th Street)
Open from 7am to 10pm daily
Street access from:
Gansevoort Street
14th Street (Elevator under construction - not yet open.)
16th Street (elevator access)
18th Street
20th Street



New Amsterdam Market (Oct 25th 2009)

"Reinvented for our present time and needs, New Amsterdam Market will incubate a new and growing business sector: purveyors who source food directly from farmers and producers whom they trust to be good stewards of our land and waters. Centered in this Region - once called New Netherland - New Amsterdam Market will foster a renewed appreciation for our natural environment and its ongoing potential to nourish. And as true of public markets, New Amsterdam Market will be accessible to all, striving to diminish the economic, social, and educational impediments to sound nutrition."

- from the New Amsterdam Market website

The New Amsterdam market is currently operating as a monthly outdoor event in South Street Seaport, next to the old Fulton Fish Market. Yesterday's event ran from 11am to 4pm and we arrived around noon to a crazy jam-packed market. While I tend to enjoy the energy of a bustling market, hubby found it way too chaotic. Luckily, I convinced him to stay by bribing him with some gelato from The Bent Spoon:
Roasted pumpkin cocoa nib ice cream (YUM!):

Next up, a sandwich from Porchetta, filled with roasted pork (complete with crackling pork skin):
We loved the flavor and tenderness of the meat, you could really taste the seasoning and herbs. However, hubby didn't love the overly crusty bread and the hardness of the pork skin (Kris said he almost broke his teeth when he inadvertently bit down too hard; but as a pork skin lover, I actually enjoyed gnawing the heck out of it).

After the sandwich we found ourselves craving something sweet, but instead came across some tempting savory pastries at Saltie:
We just couldn't resist the visual appeal of the potato, leek & cheese pie, especially the vibrant contrast between the pickled onions and the yellow mustard:
Tasty and filling but I probably would have enjoyed it more if it was warmed up. Kris disagreed, saying it was perfect at room temperature.

We also stopped to chat with the friendly folks of Stone Barns after noticing that they sell hard-to-find leaf lard:

Leaf lard, rendered from the fat which surrounds a pig's kidney, is considered the finest lard for baking because of its neutral taste. Stone Barn's product is made from their pasture-grazed Berkshire pigs. I was really tempted to buy some and bake the perfect pie crust with it, but ended up walking away empty handed (didn't want to carry around a pound of lard in my purse during a unseasonably warm day).

And check out the line up for lobster rolls at Luke's Lobster:

New Amsterdam Market
http://www.newamsterdammarket.org/
South Street, between Beekman Street and Peck Slip
On the East River waterfront in Lower Manhattan
11:00am to 4:00pm
Future 2009 market dates:
Nov 22nd, Dec 20th

NYC: The High Line & The New Amsterdam Market