New York City isn't exactly the kind of place you'd go to "get away from it all," but one spot in Manhattan is striving to help people go underground when they need to -- literally. The borough is currently at work finishing the Lowline, which bills itself as "the world's first underground park." The acre of space was once a trolley terminal, but it has essentially been abandoned since 1948. That has all changed thanks to co-founders Dan Barasch and James Ramsey, who are hoping the Lowline will soon offer a beautiful, lush space where people can take a break from the busy world above by venturing just below the surface. There, they will be surrounded by a year-round garden that utilizes state-of-the-art skylight technology to provide the greenery with all of the sunlight it needs. Barasch and Ramsey hope the project will prompt others to follow suit, turning unused spaces into cultural and educational oases. The Lower East Side is expected to formally unveil the Lowline to the public in 2021.
Parks in the Big Apple:
- In 1858, New York's Central Park became the first landscaped park open to the American public.
- Flushing Meadow-Corona Park in Queens opened the country's first fully accessible playground to children in 1984.
- Staten Island's Greenbelt Park is three times larger than Central Park and is considered one of America's most biologically diverse green spaces.