Lowline

Great urban-​meets-​nature environment to catch up with friends over a coffee or a quick stroll in the mornings, early evenings, or late nights.

Leaves quite a bit to be desired as is. First of all, it isn’t underground. Second of all, when I visited the machinery didn’t seem to be working and it all seemed a bit showy to me. It was also quite a bit smaller than I expected given the size and scale of the project. It is one unit, and you can take the whole thing in in less than 5 minutes. I budgeted way more time to spend here than was needed and I wasn’t the only one. There are chairs and bricks around the sides of the installation for similarly disappointed guests to pretend they aren’t bored and, well, disappointed. Made me think about the evils of capitalism which can prey upon even our altruistic instincts for environmentalism and progress. They accumulated millions on gofundme for a real environmental project and now they’re giving out insomnia cookies near a tiny green patch in the middle of a warehouse to show for it? Dunno… doesn’t sit right with me.

I absolutely LOVE the highline… so I’m super excited for when the Lowline will be fully completed! They said the date should be around 2020, FYI!
Come check this place out to read all about how they’re setting everything up, what they plan to do, their vision and mission behind it all! The green area itself is pretty small but hey-it’s a work in progress and it is beautiful to see!

I been following Lowline development for a while, but somehow missed the opening of the Lowline Lab.
When my know-​it-​all partner-​in-​all-​adventures said we should go see it, I could not contain my excitement.
The idea is mind-​boggling and sci-​fi grade fantastic.
Underground park and adventure space that is green and still uses sunlight for plants to survive, it’s just crazy ambitious future that any of us want to see become reality.
Lowline Lab is one cell of future project, complete with reflective ceiling, sun-​capturing lenses and plantscape built as stalagmites and stalactites, that test the survival of the plants and presents us with idea how it will look like just few short years from now.
It’s pretty incredible. I look at Trolley terminal under Delancey and see the future now.
Go, see it!!! Now. Be part of the future.
(They open this weekend with holiday treats for ya’ll.)

When i walked in the room, it looked like something from a science fiction movie. The plants growing was really cool and i thought the technology was fascinating. When the clouds covered the sun outside, the harnessed light would also dim inside here.
If you want something super fun and exciting, this might not be the best for you.
Right now, the lowline is in developmental/​experimental stages aka the lowline lab. So it is not the full park yet. However, they do show you what they are working on and how they are going about it. It was really cool to learn about what they are doing and how they are able to build such things. A cool, simple learning experience to get a taste of what will hopefully be coming soon in a larger scale.
it is free too! they recommend a donation!

Currently only open weekends until March 2015 (may be extended). It’s an informative exhibit and on-​site experiment for harvesting sunlight to grow an underground park. This is like a public preview and sample of what’s yet to come for the LowLine– in order to help raise public awareness.
To get the most out of the experience, definitely take time to read the poster material that explains the challenges and innovations being demonstrated here before walking into the plant area so that you have a greater appreciation of what’s happening in the experimental garden space. I think people who don’t take the time to understand what’s happening here won’t appreciate it as much.
Don’t forget to swipe once (or ten times) at the entrance to get a taste of the musical composition of the future subway turnstiles.
Entrance is free, a $ 10 donation is suggested, there are a few gifts that can be purchased as well to show your support of the project.

It’s an amazing concept, but they really should emphasize the LAB part of Lowline Lab. It’s apparently ¹⁄₁₀^th (or ¹⁄₁₀₀^th?) of what they hope it will end up being, so it’s just an island of sorts of plants that grow underground. Absolutely gorgeous, but I feel a little loss of having donated the suggested 10 $ (albeit for a great cause). Otherwise, it’s an awesome site, beautiful flowers, and really informational about the area’s history + what they’re doing.

Really great concept project that’s close to becoming a reality. You can stop by for a very short tour of some informational panels and then you go into the next room to see a large variety of plants growing underground. It was a little difficult to find but well worth the trip.

When i first found out about this, i was extremely excited to go visit. I dont know if its cause I hyped myself up but i was really disappointed after my visit. I absolutely love the concept of the Lowline and its genius how they were able to use revolving solar panels which are calculated to capture the solar ray according to the pattern of the sun’s rotation however the whole initial feel of the exhibit was lacking in pure entertainment/​enjoyment appeal. I know i shouldn’t compare it to the Highline (totally different thing) but I would not spending hours here just sitting in the dark. Something about it makes me feel a bit depressed. Love the beehive and the glow in the dark replica of the nyc street on the floor. There were organic and coffee vendors located by the main exhibit but the darkness made it very unappealing for individuals to sit, dine and dwell underground.

There’s a suggested donation of $ 12. I personally did care too much about the pictures and informational tiles they had inside. There wasn’t much other than some overpriced organic foods and a lack of lighting. The building itself has a brick gritty feel that would create an atmosphere if they actually put lights in there.
Instead, the ceiling is hidden in darkness. The place is quite small along. At the end, the polygon hanging sculpture does not fit the old building well. Under it is a big pile of mulch and moss that sticks of manure. This is nothing amazing the Highline. Just a stuffy, dark place with little to offer.

Also dubbed Gramercy Underground this park is the answer to Highline. Well not really but it was named like that perhaps to complement Highline. Plan to spend about 30 minutes here; the entrance is free. Try to read each and every screen, it’s very informational, and pause for few minutes at the entrance as the projection on the floor changes all the time. There is food and drinks sold inside and there are benches to sit and enjoy the view. No matter how much sunlight is being redirected through some robot-​carved lenses when you go outside you will be blinded by the real sunlight. The place is pretty small right now but very unique and I highly recommend for a visit if you are in the area.