Hudson Yards…..My Recent Visit While in NYC

When recently making my annual trip to New York City in December to see my brother, Steve Tyrell, performing at the Cafe Carlyle, I must say that I went with some definite Retail-destinations in mind to visit as I usually do in December. However, this time my itinerary featured a serious contrast that felt very different than in the past. For one, as a long time Barney’s customer, I insisted on making a trip to the soon-to-be-abandoned Madison Ave. store to have my own private wake service and pay homage to the immensely creative store that is going to be no more! It was a heartbreaking visit that I cannot even publish pictures of. However, on a brighter, flip side of this adventure I had planned to make a visit to what is NEW retail life in Manhattan and visit Hudson Yards, which opened in March of this year. As an equally loyal Neiman Marcus customer for many, many years I was anxious to see at Hudson Yards, NM’s first entry into the Big Apple. I saw it, I loved it and happy to say it was blessedly buzzing with customers on that rainy afternoon before Christmas.

That evening, after Steve’s performance, in the suite, I met and visited with Sara, a friend of theirs that handles P.R. for Hudson Yards. She sent me much information about this spectacular development that I had been wanting to visit and that had caused such controversy during NY Fashion Week! It is definitely something to see and so happy to be able to share her professional photography which I have intermingled with my IPhone pics.

First, for those of you that have not kept up with NYC retail, I will share a little info that I received about this newest “neighborhood” in Manhattan. Hudson Yards is being referred to as “transformative”. It is not a stand-alone development…..a creation of a new mixed use neighborhood, that includes public parks, cultural institutions, affordable housing and thousands of square feet of retail and dining space. It is designed to be the lower Manhattan link to Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen. The neighborhood brings the community together with incredible art, architecture, and public space. There was much fan-fare at the opening of this newest Manhattan venture that celebrities in all walks of life…….city leaders, Broadway stars, artists, sports icons, fashion designers, etc. all showed up for the grand opening.

There are three distinctive components of Hudson Yards that should be experienced while visiting…..

• The Public Square and Gardens, one of the signature spaces at Hudson Yards, containing five acres of public plazas, gardens and groves designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects in collaboration with Heatherwick Studio. The new park space seamlessly connects to the High Line, Hudson Park & Boulevard and Bella Abzug Park, creating a continuous chain of open spaces on the West Side from Gansevoort Street to Times Square, making it the largest network of public spaces developed in Manhattan since Central Park. The Public Square and Gardens is one segment of the 14 acres of open space at Hudson Yards.

• Vessel, the centerpiece of the Hudson Yards Public Square and Gardens, and the City’s new urban landmark designed by Thomas Heatherwick and Heatherwick Studio. Comprised of 154 intricately-interconnecting flights of stairs, 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings, Vessel offers the public a one-mile vertical climbing experience and some of the most unique views of Manhattan’s West Side. Free entrance with timed ticketing details are now available at “http://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com/discover/staircase/”>www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com/discover/staircase/>

• The Shops & Restaurants, New York City’s premier shopping and dining destination located at 20 Hudson Yards. The one-million-square-foot retail center brings together an unparalleled collection of shopping and dining experiences found nowhere else in New York, including offerings from leading brands in every category from luxury to fast fashion, first stores from many digitally native brands and imaginative cultural exhibitions. Some favorites of mine, of course, where I took the time to shop were: Neiman Marcus, Louis Vuiton, The Conservatory from Texas’ luxe retailer Brian Bolke, Forty Five Ten, Dylan’s Candy Bar and an amazing collection of individual stores for both Zara Womens, Men and Children’s and the same for H & M.…..fast fashion at its best. The culinary collection offers comprehensive and complementary experiences for morning, noon and night, across all food types and price points. Our lunch at Wild Ink was delish and very unique…..with an awesome view of the Vessel, the Yards and the Hudson River as we dined on Korean/Chinese dishes. Also there are Milo’s, which we love from upper Manhattan, Greenyard, Fuku, Momofuku Kaw and several small eateries, Bouchon, Blue Bottle Coffee to name a few, that featured sandwiches, baked delights and fun, kitchy tastes to pick up on the go! For dining there are just so many to choose from!!

In closing, shopping local is tops for when you are here at home, in H-town, but if you have travel to the Big Apple on your agenda for some time soon, I definitely recommend a trip, probably off of your ‘beatin-path’ to visit Hudson Yards…..it is something to experience!! In the meantime, check it all out on their social media. Click here, for Facebook and/or Instagram.