The High Line park project in New York City is a really cool one -- they're taking an old, unused elevated train track and turning it into a public space with walkways and grass.
紐約市高架鐵道公園是個超酷的計畫，主要是將老舊廢棄沒用的高架鐵道，打造成一個有著步道和綠地的公共空間。
An elevated rail line abandoned nearly 30 years ago on Manhattan's West Side reopens recently as a landscaped public park that sits three stories above the city's streets.
紐約曼哈坦西城一段高架鐵道將近30年前被廢棄，最近它蛻變成比市區街道高三層樓的景觀公園，重新對外開放。
The High Line stretches 1.5 miles from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District all the way up to 30th Street along Manhattan's West Side, with dazzling views of the city and the Hudson river, including many landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. The rail line stands as high as 30 feet, and is 60 feet wide in some places, with railings of about three feet.
紐約市高架鐵道沿曼哈坦西城蜿蜒1.5哩，從肉品加工區的甘斯佛街直通30街，五光十色的城市和哈德遜河景觀，包括自由女神像和帝國大廈等地標盡收眼底。這條鐵道挑高30呎（約9米），有些地方60呎寬，柵欄約3呎高。
Many of those attending the opening ceremony noted how the High Line Park provides a new window for viewing the city's famous skyline. "Anytime you usually look at the city from high up, you're inside a building," said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. "But to be able to look from an elevated level and be outdoors is just a wonderful feeling."
很多出席開幕典禮的來賓表示，高架鐵道公園為觀賞紐約市最為人稱道的天空線另開一扇新窗。紐約市議會議長克麗絲汀‧昆恩說：「通常不管什麼時候從高處看紐約市，多半都在建築物內，如果能從戶外高處觀賞，感覺更棒。」
Paris recently converted a rail viaduct into an elevated park called the Promenade Plantee, but officials say the High Line park is the first of its kind in the United States. Similar projects are being considered in Philadelphia and Chicago.
巴黎最近才把一段鐵路高架橋轉變成一座叫「綠蔭步道」的天空花園，但官員指出，紐約高架鐵道公園是美國第一座這種公園，費城和芝加哥也在考慮類似的計畫。
New York's rail line was built in the 1930s for freight trains carrying dairy products, produce and meats to refrigerated warehouses and factories in the area. The goal was to raise the trains up and away from the increasingly crowded street level, which had become so treacherous for pedestrians that 10th Avenue was nicknamed "Death Avenue."
紐約鐵道建於1930年代，主要供貨運火車運送乳製品、農產品和肉品到紐約附近的冷凍倉庫和工廠，目的在架高火車，遠離日益擁擠的街道，當時街道行人已經寸步難行，以致第十街有個外號叫「死亡街」。
The last train ran on the High Line in 1980, and for many years, community groups and parks advocates sought to have it made over into a public space, while some neighborhood residents wanted it torn down. "People called it a blight, eyesore, crumbling relic," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
高架鐵道火車在1980年停駛，隨後很多年，社區團體和主張改建公園的人士希望把它改造成一個公共園地，但有些社區居民則希望將它拆除。紐約市長彭博說：「有人認為它是一大災難、一個眼中釘、一片正在解體的廢墟。」
"Rather than destroying this valuable piece of our history, we have recycled it into an innovative and exciting park that will provide more outdoor space for our citizens and create jobs and economic benefits for our city," Bloomberg said at the opening ceremony. "Ten years ago, detractors thought the High Line was an eyesore. Thankfully, there were a handful of people who looked at the High Line and saw also an extraordinary gift to our city's future. Today, we will unwrap that gift," he added.
「與其摧毀我們歷史中這段珍貴的片段，我們決定將它回收利用，並改造成一座創新有趣的公園，可以提供更多市民戶外活動空間，連帶也可為我們城市創造工作和經濟利益，」彭博在開幕典禮上說。「十年前，貶抑這項計畫的人認為，高架鐵道很刺眼醜陋，幸好當時有一小撮人從高架鐵道看到可以澤被我們這個城市未來的奇特恩賜，」他又說。
The High Line was nearly destroyed in 2001, but a judge blocked those plans after community advocates and the City Council filed a lawsuit.
高架鐵道幾乎在2001年拆除，但在社區律師和市議會提出訴訟後，一位法官裁定封殺那些計畫。
Inspiration for the $152 million project came during the years when the line was abandoned and fans noticed wild, self-seeding vegetation conquer the disused tracks.Those tracks remain, as do the original Art Deco railings, all blending into new pathways, seats angled toward the sunset, and naturalistic-style landscaping.
這項斥資1億5200萬美元的計畫，靈感來自高架鐵道荒廢那幾年，鐵道迷發現野生植物春風吹又生，已經攻占廢置的鐵道。最後不但這些鐵道留下來，連鐵道柵欄上原始的裝飾藝術也得以保留，融入新的步道中，座椅面對著夕照，呈現自然主義風格的景觀。
The park is a mix of concrete and green landscaping, with features like a wading pool and trees in some areas. Designers were able to incorporate the original train tracks into some of the landscaping, as well as preserve much of the natural wildflowers and other plant life that have grown there for years.
公園融合水泥和綠色造景，最大特色包括某些地區的淺水池和林木。設計師可以把原始的火車軌道融入部分景觀中，同時還保留多年來自然生長的大部分野花和其他植物。
When it is completed, there will be access points every two to three blocks, including some with elevators, organizers say. The park will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Dogs will not be allowed for the time being because many of the new plantings are fragile.
主辦單位表示，等全部完工後，每隔兩、三條街就有個出入口，有些還有電梯上下。公園從早上7點開放到晚上10點，由於很多新栽種的植物仍很脆弱，目前還不准狗狗進入。
Someday, around a year from now, one of your friends is going to say to you, “Let’s go to the High Line.”
一年後，有朝一日，你的朋友可能問你：「我們到高架鐵道公園走走吧！」
In the photo, the High Line park, which opened to the public on June 9, is viewed from a hotel above it in New York City.
圖（法新社）為6月9日從公園上方一家旅館俯瞰正式對外開放的紐約市高架鐵道公園的全景。