At last you have arrived. You greeted us with art, music and performances, but most of all you greeted us with innovation, imagination and that everything is possible in New York City.
It started Thursday eve, the opening of the mall to all… well to 13,000 invited guests. It was a night of entertainment from various artists while we walked the seven levels of diverse retailers and restaurants catering to all budgets; something some malls have ignored is to have retailers that everyone can experience on their budget. The eclectic choice of music electrified and amplified, creating an energy you do not find in other malls.
This is not your mom and pop mall. The interactive art alone makes you want to return to experience it over and over, like the flip sequence canvas where you can create messages of positivity like the photo below: #BeKind—yes, I wrote that ; or the Feeling Fabulous—just brings smiles to everyone. Then you see the lighted message “WE BELIEVE THE FUTURE IS OURS”—and hasn’t Hudson Yards made that come true. The future is ours, friends, and in every sense of what Stephen Ross, Founder and Chairman of Related, envisioned: a future of a new city that brings people together to experience something different, something extraordinary.
And extraordinary you will feel when you experience the Vessel. At first the sheer size makes you feel overtaken by this honeycomb structure, but then you see your reflection in the glow of the polished steel. As kids we would make funny faces when we saw reflections… go ahead, make your best funny face, take a photo and hashtag #HelloHudsonYards, because structures are to make us feel a connection—NO MATTER WHAT THE SIZE.
As you climb the top of the Vessel, you notice how the honeycomb shape frames our city. Each level and each landing frames our iconic buildings differently, creating connection and intimate moments with the views. This oversized structure now feels like something you can hold and hug—a feeling you want to feel again and again. Thank you, Thomas Heatherwick, for thinking out of the box and creating something unique where we will all experience something special.
To everyone who worked so passionately on Hudson Yards, thank you.
DowntownMom TM—Maria Hadjidemetriou is a downtown mom living in TriBeCa with her 10-year-old daughter, Julia. She is a freelance writer and a speaker on her rare genetic blood disease, thalassemia.
