The Hudson Yards, PART TWO

Last week we introduced you to the newly opened Hudson Yards and provided lots of basic, down-to-earth information. CLICK HERE for a fantastic video of the grand opening ceremony (sound on/full screen). This week we’re going to focus on the shops and restaurants you will find as well as “The Vessel” (New York’s answer to the Eiffel Tower) and “The Shed” (a performance and exhibition space that expands and contracts).

Because I had gone to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (900 ft. or 274m) and my pal had climbed to the top of Ayers Rock or Uluru (1,142 ft. or 348m) in Australia – we wanted to go to the top of The Vessel in New York (a 16-story, 150 ft. or 46m) structure – and we did!

NEIMAN MARCUS: THE BIGGEST RETAILER AT 30 HUDSON

This is the luxury department store chain based in Dallas, Texas. It has 42 stores across the United States and two Bergdorf Goodman stores in Manhattan. That said, there has never been a Neiman Marcus in Manhattan until Hudson Yards – where the 188,000 sq. ft. store spans Levels Five, Six and Seven.

I’ve heard repeatedly that Hudson Yards is geared to “The One Percent” and this seems to be true at times. For example, the first scarf we looked at in Neiman’s was lovely but it clocked in at $460. Then my friend opted for a coffee break at City Bakery on the Fifth Floor and found the tab totaled $10 for a small coffee and one cookie.

Neiman Marcus (a rear view of the name) looking out at The Vessel

THERE ARE JEWELRY AND APPAREL SHOPS GALORE

You’ll find the fabulous, Paris-based Cartier that was founded in 1847 as well as Piaget, Van Cleef & Arpels and the American Tiffany & Co. that serves customers around the world with its 300 stores. These are savvy, sophisticated jewelers so they must have known what they were doing when they signed up for Hudson Yards. The apparel shops include: Louis Vuitton, Dior and Fendi followed by Kate Spade and Coach (they served champagne on the opening day). And finally there’s Zara, H&M, Uniqlo and J. Crew or, said differently, “Hudson Yards Covers the Waterfront.”

NOW DON’T BE ALARMED AT WHAT I’M REPORTING

I just read that, by 2024 this $25 billion project will have 16 residential and commercial buildings – MOST OF THEM BUILT ON A GIANT PLATFORM OVER AN ACTIVE RAIL YARD. Well, guess what? When I was standing on the Fifth Floor I felt the floor shake! I thought I was imaging things so I said to my friend, “Did you feel that?” She quickly answered, “Yes. Let’s get out of here.” I am NOT making this up – I’m just reporting. And yes, we headed down.

The active rail yard: a giant platform was built over it to hold Hudson Yard

THERE ARE LOTS OF PLACES TO EAT AND DRINK

We passed a Shake Shack and it was jammed with young people looking to dig into a Shake Burger with crinkle-cut fries. There is also the gourmet food market, Citarella, (which is a favorite of mine). It offers sushi, hot soup, fresh seafood, meats and cheeses as well as flowers and produce.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE $150 MILLION “VESSEL”

There’s been a lot of talk about this climbable sculpture conceived by British designer Thomas Heatherwick. This steel showpiece, which has 154 interlinked flights of stairs offers great views of the Hudson River and anchors the five-acre Public Square and Gardens where a whopping 28,000 plants will grow in the soil – which will be temperature-controlled to offset the heat of the rail yard below.

On Friday, July 26, 2019 we went to the very top of The Vessel: took a “see everything” elevator up and walked all the way down

AND FINALLY, THERE’S THE OTHERWORLDLY “SHED”

This creation has a one-of-a-kind feature: a telescoping shell that allows the building to expand and contract to accommodate a variety of events and crowd sizes. You have to see its giant wheels to believe it!

The huge wheels on The Shed – and yes, they really move to change the size of the theatre

There’s even more to see than I’ve described in this blog and the earlier one – so do come and view “Manhattan’s New Playground.”

A marvelous shot of “The Shed” on the left and “The Vessel” on the right

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