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| The Vessel at Hudson Yards, NYC |
by Suzanne Ordas Curry
For anyone obsessed with architecture, New York City or the future
it’s worth the trip to visit Hudson Yards.
Coming into NYC through the Lincoln Tunnel, I had seen the
progress of these mirrored silhouettes over the last few years, though it was
only in the last year really that these imposing skyscrapers were noticeable to
the casual observer.
I had been reading articles about them, New York magazine had a
great article on how they came to be. In a nutshell, the plan came to fruition
during the Bloomberg administration. It is a 20 billion dollar complex with
varying uses, retail, commercial residential and entertainment. Though the
recreational aspects are for anyone, many of the shops and residences are
intended for the high-end user.
There are several skyscrapers bursting though the clouds, the
signature Vessel - a structure to climb in probably unlike anything you have
seen before, and the Shed – a movable entertainment space which will house new and groundbreaking art
and performances. I hear that 10% of all tickets will be heavily discounted for
low-income residents.
Hudson Yards is the last large parcel of land to be developed in
the Big Apple, and it sits atop a railyard. It's about 28 acres. There is a 7 feet concrete platform
at its base. The 7 line runs there now.
I went to see it on opening day.
Here are some of my impressions.
Skyscrapers Too High for Superman
The buildings are a sight to behold. You just look up, and up, and
up and you look in the other direction and you do the same. The only thing is
they kind of all look the same. But don’t get me wrong, these buildings are
super cool. They have changed the skyline forever, especially from the Jersey
side. That precipice is very Dubai-ish, though I doubt I will ever have the
nerve to step on it.
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| Looking out onto the recreation area at Hudson Yards Photo Suzanne Ordas Curry |
Food, Glorious Food
I had a hard time finding food. I clocked a mile on my phone just
going up to all the floors (and one escalator was not working) following signs
that said Food Hall or restaurants. I found a few sit-down restaurants, but
they were fancier than what I was looking for. If there was a “food court” like
malls have I could not find it. I ended up eating at a French bakery- Bouchon- that had
salads. I asked where I can eat it and they said ‘There is no seating but we
will have another restaurant that will have seating.” I think I clocked another
half mile looking for a place to sit and eat. I knew there was seating outside
so if I didn’t see anything else on the way down, that would be my destination.
I ended up eating sitting on the ledge of the hardscaping. No table.
The Future
So I was very excited about the green aspects that I had read about regarding these buildings. They generate their own electricity through solar, all the buildings are “smart”. Okay, so why then was I handed my $13 salad in a plastic bag? Also, why was the trash bin overflowing? And where were the recyclable bins?
The Vessel
I had seen so many photos of this beforehand, that I knew what to
expect. It was a very imposing, futuristic, shiny piece of art, a sight to
behold. And the concept of just climbing stairs for the sake of climbing stairs
is really appealing to me. It’s like hiking for city dwellers. What a great
workout.
Even though it was opening day, it wasn’t too crowded so I asked
several staff if I could get in. (There were plenty of people walking around and
clearly marked so you knew who to talk to.) They wouldn’t even let me stick my
head in to take a look. But, tickets are free. When I got there, about 5pm,
there was just a little line to get in. All the staff was very helpful in
explaining how to get tickets. They told me all the tickets for that day were
sold out, in fact they were sold out for all of March. They said there would be
more tickets would be online at 8am.
For tickets and info:
I did not go into the Shell, the place that is slated to hold all
kinds of fantastic, unusual and groundbreaking performances. I am not sure it
was even open. I also did not to into any of the other buildings except for the
one with the mall in it. I stayed there about two hours, put lots of steps on
my health checker, looked at the view of Jersey, walked around the perimeter of
the Vessel and went up to the fourth floor. I didn’t go all the way to the observation
deck (not even sure it was available yet), well, because if a simple escalator
was not working I was not taking my chances on an elevator to the stars. I
watched the sunset and the sparkling buildings turn from reflecting sunshine to
reflecting the night lights of the big city. It was a great first trip, and I
will be back.
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| The Shed Photo Suzanne Ordas Curry |
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| The indoor mall at Hudson Yards |
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| The view of New Jersey |
