Curiouser and Curiouser

Wow. For a librarian, I don't talk about books much here, do I? Well, I read a book that I thought was a sweet story with lovely illustrations, but I was amazed to find that it was actually based on a true story. The Curious Gardenby Peter Brown is about a little boy who lives in a gray, dreary city with no greenery whatsoever. Most people stay indoors, but the boy loves to be outside and as such, happens upon an elevated railway that nature has started to reclaim. When the little boy decides to help it along by caring for the "garden," it grows until it takes over the length of the railway and greenery begins to grow (hang, drape) over the side.

There really is a curious garden, though I don't know if anyone in particular began to cultivate it. It exists in Manhattan, which, contrary to my husband's belief, is actually not a gray, dreary (he would also say dirty) city with no greenery, but whatever -- it works for a picture book (gotta have well-defined contrasts pre-"problem" and post-"problem"). Anyway, I was just amazed to see it. Here's a 2003 picture of the High Line, which, according to Forgotten NY Subways and Trains (http://www.forgotten-ny.com/SUBWAYS/Tenth Ave trestle/Tenth.html), was an "attempt to alleviate the congestion on West Street by taking all rail and road [freight] traffic off of it."
(Forgotten-NY.com)

I wish the children's book had said something about the fact that at one point, the high line actually went though buildings. I'm not sure why, but it's cool.
(Again, from Forgotten-NY.com)

I guess at one point, the city of NY did not see the potential beauty in it and it was slated for demolition. I don't know who decided to spruce it up, but now, in 2009, it's well on its way to becoming a beautiful park and a real tourist attraction. (Well, I want to go visit it, anyway.) (from New York Times, June 6, 2009)