In just a few years, New York’s High Line has arguably become one of the city’s top tourist attractions, ranking among iconic spots like Central Park and the Statue of Liberty as a must-see destination. Perhaps it makes sense, then, that a mini-High Line is coming to a terminal at JFK, giving travelers short on time a similar opportunity to enjoy Manhattan’s skyline.
The New York Times reports that JetBlue has built a $200 million extension to Terminal 5, a revamp that will make travel easier for its international passengers. The extension includes “a glass-walled arrivals hall complete with 40 automated passport readers, a disease-control area, a lab for inspecting plants and fruit, and holding cells for suspected smugglers,” and yes — a park.
While the rest of the extension opens Wednesday, the rooftop park is slated to open next year:
And by next year, the terminal’s designer, Gensler, hopes to turn the roof of the arrivals hall into an open-air park with a dog walk, a play area for children and a few patches of grass.
Not only will it be “the only outdoor space accessible to all passengers in any of the terminals at Kennedy,” but the project has generated 1,090 jobs and generated $74 million in wages. Cheers all around.
(Photo: JetBlue)
