Exploring High Line Park with Kids

The farthest entrance downtown to The High Line, at Gansevoort Street, has high-end boutiques and restaurants nearby. Pastis, a French bistro, serves excellent bread and pastries from Balthazar.

Kids (and adults) can't seem to stop walking up and down the slanted ends of benches on The High Line.

If your kids stay up late, bring them on Tuesday nights at dusk, spring and summer, to see stars with Friends of the High Line and the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York. Or walk around the meatpacking district where you might see Hollywood and New York theater stars.
---
Pastis
Address: 9 Ninth Ave.
Phone: 212-929-4844

Pastis Hours:
BREAKFAST: 8am - 11:30 am (Mon- Fri)
LUNCH: 12pm - 6pm (Mon - Fri)
BRUNCH: 9am - 4:30pm (Sat & Sun)
Dinner: 6pm - 12am (Daily)
Supper: 12am - 1am (Sun - Wed), 12am - 2am (Thursday), 12am - 3am (Friday & Saturday)

The High Line has wooden lounges where you can lay down and read or sketch. Some of the benches are on wheels, and kids love to roll them along the path.

In warmer months, join Friends of the High Line for free family art workshops on Saturday mornings. The workshops include scavenger hunts and art projects.

Random doorways to nowhere along the High Line entice kids to play hide and seek--or to hide and jump out at their parents. But if your kids need a more traditional playground, the one at Pier 51, near Horatio and West 12th streets, has water and sand play, plus a climbing structure.

Tiered benches on the High Line look down on the street below. We love to sit and watch the traffic unfold.

You also can get great views at the Hotel Gansevoort, from its rooftop pool. The luxury hotel is surprisingly family friendly, with a welcome amenity of diapers and organic bath products for babies and a bag filled with goodies for older kids. You can take a long bath while the kids can also use the Wii, Gamecube or DS.

The Gansevoort also lends bicycles (with helmets) for free--alas, no kids' sizes.

The Apple Store, a block away, lets you play with all the latest tech toys.
---
Hotel Gansevoort
Address: 18 Ninth Ave.
Phone: 212-206-6700

---
The Apple Store
401 W. 14th St.
Phone: 212-444-3400
Hours: Monday through Saturday 9am - 9pm; Sunday 9am - 7pm
URL: http://www.apple.com/retail/west14thstreet/

Chelsea Market, a former cookie factory near the 16th Street access point, has a ground-level retail space with tons of kid-friendly places. At Amy's Bread, you can watch the bakers, then get a chewy chocolate chip-studded bread stick. Fat Witch sells tiny, rich baby witch brownies, just right for small appetites.

Sarabeth's is a sit-down restaurant with fantastic pancakes on weekends and baked goods daily. You also can watch the bakers at work here.

A fountain has a stream of water in changing colors.

This section of The High Line has a splash area where you can remove your shoes and cool off.

Clement Clarke Moor Park, between 21st and 22nd streets and Ninth and 10th avenues, has swings.

Chelsea Piers, just west of the High Line, is a sports mecca with great gymnastics and soccer programs for kids. Adult members can use the pool and fitness center, but anyone with cash to burn can try one of the drop-in activities: There is a rock-climbing wall, an ice skating rink, bowling alley and Toddler Adventure Center (times vary; call to confirm).

Cookshop restaurant sets up an ice cream cart outside during summer. Stop here for a cool treat or sit at one of the outdoor tables for a full meal.

You can also eat at the outdoor cafe on The High Line, The Porch, or get food from one of the vendors.
---
Chelsea Piers
Address: 23rd Street and the Hudson River
Phone: 212-336-6500
---
Cookshop
Address: 56 10th Ave. at 20th Street
Phone: 212-924-4440
Hours: Monday through Friday: Breakfast 8am - 11am; Lunch 11:30am - 3pm; Dinner 5:30pm - 11:30pm; Saturday and Sunday: Brunch 11am - 4pm; Saturday dinner 5:30pm - 11:30pm; Sunday 5:30pm - 10pm

Near 23rd Street, the grassy section of The High Line also has a tiered seating area. As the grassy part moves north, a retaining wall gets higher, so keep kids who might fall close by.

You can bring strollers right onto the grass, and you don't have to worry about litter; this is the cleanest grass in the city.

The Chelsea Waterside Park, a block west, has a playground, basketball court and a dog run where kids can meet well-behaved city pets.

Past 23rd Street, The High Line narrows, but kids usually want to walk the entire length. A viewing area at 28th Street overlooks a garage, where kids can watch tow trucks and other vehicles, away from the fumes and noise.

The 30th Street end of The High Line overlooks a final section, West Side Rail Yards, which runs to 34th Street and is not yet slated for redevelopment. It is worth it to walk to the end, just to see what the area looked like before the park.

It is also worth it to see what is transpiring below. In summer 2011, under the northern end of The High Line, The Lot had food trucks daily, with 4 or 5 different trucks parking there. Plans for summer, 2012 are not complete.

If you plan ahead, you can take a flying trapeze class at the Trapeze School New York. Or just peek in the tent, just west of the end of The High Line. You might see people using the trapeze, jumping on the giant trampoline, juggling, or climbing with silks.

Trapeze School New York
Address: 518 West 30th Street
Phone: 212-242-8769