Hudson Yards: What to See in New York’s Newest Corner

Hudson Yards is a brand new New York neighborhood built in just a handful of years on the west side of Midtown Manhattan, around 34th Street next to the Hudson River.

This private real estate development, which opened in 2019, is the largest private investment in US history (so far, $25 billion has gone into it!). Not since the Rockefeller Center went up in the 1930s had New York seen an investment on this scale.

The project has taken plenty of heat, mostly for feeling inauthentic and looking nothing like the other Manhattan neighborhoods, which took decades to take shape.

To push back against that criticism, the developers are bringing in beloved New York shops and restaurants, like Whole Foods and the appetizing store Russ and Daughters, which already have outposts in the neighborhood.

The truth is that Hudson Yards is worth visiting. It is another face of a New York that keeps reinventing itself, and there is plenty here for us visitors.

What to See in Hudson Yards

There is a lot to do in Hudson Yards, a development that is modernizing Midtown West with luxury condos, office towers housing giants like Facebook, a cultural center, shops and celebrity chef restaurants such as the one from Spanish chef José Andrés.

The whole development revolves around the climbable installation The Vessel, that copper structure of endless staircases that has become one of the most visited spots in Manhattan.

Here are the details for visiting the attractions at Hudson Yards:

1. The Vessel

Along with the Edge observation deck, the highest open-air observation platform in Manhattan, The Vessel is the other main attraction at Hudson Yards. Since it opened in 2019, it has become a new New York icon.

The Vessel is a monumental walk-through structure designed by English architect Thomas Heatherwick, with 154 flights of stairs, 2,500 steps and 80 viewing platforms offering different perspectives on the Hudson River, New Jersey and Manhattan.

This climbable sculpture has generated plenty of conversation, not only for its design but for its closure in January 2021 after a series of suicides. The good news is that it will reopen to the public in late 2024, with reinforced safety measures.

2. The Edge Observatory at Hudson Yards

In March 2020, the Edge observation deck opened on the 100th floor of 30 Hudson Yards. It has since become one of the most popular attractions in New York.

As soon as you have your travel dates set, book your ticket early, because it is still new and slots sell out fast. You will probably also want to go up to Summit, the One Vanderbilt observatory that is even newer and just as in demand! Buy those tickets ahead of time too.

Edge is not the highest observatory in Manhattan (that would be One World Observatory), but it is the highest open-air one.

The coolest part of this Hudson Yards observation deck is that the platform juts out about 65 feet from the side of the skyscraper and has a glass floor section that lets you look straight down. Vertigo guaranteed!

3. The Shed

The Shed is the cultural center of Hudson Yards. Its clever twist is that the structure can expand or contract at will thanks to a system of wheels you can see on the outside of the building.

4. The Shops at Hudson Yards

The Shops is a seven-story luxury mall, very much in keeping with this multibillion-dollar development. You will find it at 20 Hudson Yards.

It is a great spot for photos of The Vessel, and you will pass through it when you visit the Edge observation deck, since the entrance is inside The Shops.

5. Mercado Little Spain

Mercado Little Spain is a food hall created by a trio of famous Spanish chefs: José Andrés and brothers Albert and Ferran Adrià.

The idea is to bring authentic Spanish cooking to New York, which is why the various stalls import most of their ingredients and products from Spain. It is a great excuse to graze on tapas in one of Manhattan's buzziest neighborhoods.

This market joins the trend of specialized food halls like Eataly (in the Flatiron District and Downtown Manhattan) and Le District at Brookfield Place in the World Trade Center.

6. The High Line Extension

From Hudson Yards you can step onto the newest section of the High Line, that long park built on an abandoned rail line that starts farther south in the Meatpacking District, runs through Chelsea and now reaches Hudson Yards.

As you can see, this trendy neighborhood is an excellent place to start or finish a walk along the High Line.

The History of Hudson Yards in New York

For 30 years there were plans to modernize this industrial stretch of Manhattan, one of the last undeveloped parcels on the island.

After rezoning, billionaire Stephen M. Ross won the rights to build this real estate development, which has already received a $25 billion injection in its first phase.

Ross owns the Miami Dolphins and founded The Related Companies, a luxury housing firm in New York.

This first phase of Hudson Yards, opened in 2019, consists of 4 office towers, 2 residential buildings, a hotel (the exclusive Equinox Hotel) and a mall (The Shops).

The second phase, due in 2024, calls for 8 more residential buildings along the Hudson River, a public school and rental apartments for middle-income residents.

The plan involves decking over the yards, the rail tracks running into Penn Station, in order to build on top of them. It will permanently change the look of this underused, industrial-feeling neighborhood.

The Challenges of a New New York Neighborhood

In its first few years, Hudson Yards has established itself as one of New York's favorite office districts, drawing big companies willing to pay steep rents to be in the neighborhood of the moment.

Despite all the criticism this development has faced, it has been an economic success. Office vacancy here is low compared with the Manhattan average.

Another plus for Hudson Yards is that it improved the appeal and infrastructure of an underused part of Midtown Manhattan, with a subway extension and an extension of the original High Line, for example.

As a luxury residential area and shopping destination, the project has been less successful. People question the high rents and the lack of the everyday New York businesses that give the city's neighborhoods their character.

But people said the same thing about the revitalization of DUMBO in Brooklyn, and look how successful that transformation turned out to be. Nobody calls it a new neighborhood anymore. Hudson Yards just needs time.

How to get to Hudson Yards

The easiest way to get to Hudson Yards is to get off at the 34th St – Hudson Yards subway station on the 7 line. From there, walk along 34th Street toward the Hudson River.

This new Midtown West neighborhood is relatively small, sitting between 10th and 12th Avenues and 30th and 34th Streets on the west side of Manhattan.