How Rust Became the New Urban Luxury Item

For a few hours last weekend, the last untouched section of the High Line railway on Manhattan’s West Side was open to members of the public who had signed up in advance and paid a small fee. This used to be a secret place that you would sneak into, if you were a bum, or an urban daredevil, or just someone who was lucky enough to know someone else who knew where a hole in the fence was.

Now, entry was by reservation only, and spots had been snapped up quickly. While the usual crowds jammed the manicured sections of the celebrated High Line park to the south, a relatively small group was admitted onto the elevated tracks to the north to see them in their naturally unnatural state.