Take a tour of Hudson Yards, inside and out

The day has finally arrived: Part of the Hudson Yards megaproject is open to the public, who can now visit its luxury mall (excuse us—“vertical retail”), climb the interconnected staircases that make up Vessel, and gawk at the buildings that ring the entire development.

Of course, it’s not quite finished: Within the eastern rail yards (the section bounded by 10th and 11th avenues), several buildings—including the tallest one, 30 Hudson Yards—are still under construction. The western rail yards (between 11th Avenue and the Hudson River) is still little more than an idea, although we do know it will include more housing than commercial space, and high-profile architects (Calatrava, Gehry) have been tapped to design its buildings.

But for now, there’s still plenty to see and do—check out the site, and what you can see and do there, below.

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10 Hudson Yards

The home of Coach, L’Oreal, and other brands anchors the southeastern corner of the Hudson Yards site, and has been open for two years. The High Line Spur, which will open this spring, will run alongside the building and across Tenth Avenue.

15 Hudson Yards

On the site’s southwestern corner, 15 Hudson Yards—a collaboration between Diller, Scofidio + Renfro (lead architect) and Rockwell Group (lead interior architect), along with Ismael Leyva Architect—is on its way to welcoming residents. Closings will soon begin at the 88-story tower, which has nearly 300 pricey apartments and amenities like a 75-foot-long swimming pool and a fancy coworking space.

The tower is a departure for its architects, who had previously signed on to design the Shed, the adjacent performing arts center. “[At] first we thought, ‘This is not what we do. This is not in our wheelhouse,’” Liz Diller, a principal at DS+R, told Curbed in January. “Then we decided, ‘Hey we really want a good neighbor. We really want a nice building next to us.’”

The Shed

DS+R and the Rockwell group also collaborated on the Shed, the multidisciplinary performing arts center that will open on April 5. It’s unlike any other venue in the city: It straddles the High Line, and is covered in a weatherproof skin known as ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, or ETFE. There are multiple exhibition and performance spaces, and the ETFE shell can move in (to abut 15 Hudson Yards) and out to accommodate crowds as needed.

The first performances will include Soundtrack of America, “a concert series celebrating the unrivaled impact of African American music on contemporary culture,” and Reich Richter Part, a series of collaborations between Steve Reich and Gerhard Richter, and Richter and Avrö Part.

Vessel

Thomas Heatherwick’s 150-foot-tall curio, which sits amid the tall towers of the Hudson Yards site, will open to the public, though it won’t be truly open—those who want to visit the sculpture will need to reserve a timed ticket for entry. (A free one, but still.)

Heatherwick’s studio envisions Vessel as a gathering space, to be used by the public in any number of ways. Stephen Ross, the Related CEO, sees it as an attraction to rival the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in popularity. How it will actually be used remains to be seen.

Signing up for a ticket gives Vessel visitors an hourlong window in which they can arrive, but it doesn’t limit how long you can spend on it. You can book tickets up to two weeks ahead of time, but there will also be some available for same-day climbs (those can be booked every day at 9 a.m., or by speaking with on-site helpers, known as “Vessel Ambassadors”). Find more information on how to visit Vessel.

The Shops & Restaurants

It’s a mall. Hudson Yards bills it as a “vertical shopping center,” but—much like the Time Warner Center, Related’s other mixed-use development a mile and a half north of the megaproject—it’s a mall, albeit one with luxury brands (Dior, Cartier) and high-end restaurants from the likes of Thomas Keller, José Andrés, and David Chang.

The seven-story mall is anchored by Neiman Marcus, which plopped a flagship store in the megaproject. Other notable spots include Forty Five Ten—a Dallas-based brand opening its first NYC store—and Snark Park, an Instagrammable experience by Snarkitecture. Elkus Manfredi designed the buildings, which is wedged between 15 and 30 Hudson Yards.

Eateries include a Spain-themed food hall from José Andres, and Belcampo, a restaurant from California chef Anya Fernald. Eater NY has all the intel you need on the restaurants.

30 Hudson Yards

This tower, designed by KPF, is still under construction. The Shops and Restaurants sits at its base, and the observation deck is at the apex of the building. It’s due to open sometime next year.

35 Hudson Yards

Sales will officially launch today at 35 Hudson Yards today, which bills itself as a more luxurious alternative to its residential cousin across the plaza. (And it’ll have the prices to match: Condos will start at $5 million. And this is, after all, the building where Ross snapped up a 92nd-floor penthouse.)

The building, designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, is actually a bit of a hybrid: In addition to the condos, it’ll will also be home to a hotel operated by Equinox, and office space. The supertall tower has a base made of Bavarian limestone, which gives rise to a glassy tower with setbacks that culminates in a curved topper.

55 Hudson Yards

The building at the corner of 33rd Street and 11th Avenue is still in the works; when it’s complete, it will be home to a few law firms, including Cooley LLP, Milbank, and Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, along with several healthcare and private equity firms. Unlike the other buildings on the site, its facade isn’t dominated by glass; the windows are framed by iron, making it a nice contrast to the rest of the site.

Edge, aka Hudson Yards Observation Deck

The viewing platform, which hangs 65 feet off the edge of a supertall skyscraper (hence the attraction’s name, Edge), is under construction along with the rest of the KPF-designed tower, and is expected to open in 2020.

The platform itself is made from 15 different pieces of steel and glass, which were assembled, puzzle-like, at the building’s apex. And thanks to its perch at the western edge of Manhattan, much of the city is visible—as far as Queens and Brooklyn to the east, and New Jersey to the west.

Hudson Park and Boulevard, and the 7 extension

If the public is familiar with Hudson Yards at this point, it’s because of the park that runs between 33rd and 39th streets, and the subway stop that opened in 2015. Both are still going strong: The park now connects to the northern side of the Related parcel, continuing the seating areas and landscaping on the public plaza. And the 7 line extension had more than 3 million riders in 2017—a number that’s sure to grow now that Hudson Yards is open to the public.