Vessel.
What can this possibly be?
You are going to learn all about this amazing new cultural landmark on the west side of
Manhattan, drawing daily crowd since it opened in March, 2019.
It has been called many things but for now let's say it's an interactive sculpture that
you walk into and climb up for the view outside, as well as looking in.
It is quite simply a place to have fun, an amazing structure, the height of a sixteen
story building.
It's part of Hudson Yards, which is the most expensive private real estate development
in American history.
There is easy access with the number seven subway line, just one step away from Times
Square, or you can walk here along the High Line.
And admission is free, but you do need a ticket that you can get online and other ways we
will be describing during the program.
Your first stop for photos will be this round blue light on the ground, where you look up
into the interior of the structure.
There are helpful staff and security personnel around, but it's curious and kind of nice
that there is nobody here to tell you where to go.
There's no signs even, you just look around and you see, well okay, there's a staircase,
let's start walking.
Yes, it's all about the stairs.
You walk up, and then you walk down, with many stops along the way to enjoy the view.
The structure consists of 154 intricately connecting flights of stairs.
And that's all it is, is a series of staircases that are connected by 80 viewing platform
landings.
It's a good idea to stop as often as possible on the landings to enjoy all the different
views and perspectives from different heights and different angles.
It's not difficult.
Anybody in normal condition can do it, even this little boy, for whom the steps must seem
four times higher than for us.
The kid has a lot of grit, and we did see and make it all the way to the top.
See, there is no age limit for coming into vessel.
There is one elevator, but you don't want to take it, because it is so slow, and you
have to wait on line.
You could make a reservation ahead of time for the elevator on the website.
It only takes six people at a time, and just makes one trip every fifteen minutes.
Primarily its intended for those with mobility issues.
How many steps are there?
2500, but don't worry about it.
You don't have to walk every one of those steps.
If you take a direct route up, it's about 250 steps.
And you're not going to be doing it all at once, in a big rush.
You want to take your time, stop, catch your breath, take some pictures, enjoy the view,
including looking down at the railyards and the Hudson River.
Vessel and all the skyscrapers of Hudson Yards are built on top of twenty-eight railroad
tracks on huge platforms, supported by 300 caissons, or concrete, piles five feet in
diameter, drilled deep into the bedrock, providing a solid foundation.
They'll be covering over those open tracts of the Long Island Railroad with another platform,
and building more structures on top of it.
Construction is going to continue here for many more years.
It's only about half finished – condominiums, offices, shops and a park.
The developer is billionaire, Stephen Ross, the owner of the Related Companies, a global
real estate development firm, and he also owns the Miami Dolphins.
The English architect of vessel is Thomas Heatherwick, who said that he intends the
visitor to climb and explore the structure "as if it were a jungle gym."
His design for vessel originated from his childhood experience where he fell in love
with an old discarded flight of wooden stairs outside an abandoned building.
It was also inspired by the metal fire escapes structures outside the old Manhattan buildings,
and some water wells in India, with staircases descending deep into the ground to reach the
water level.
As you get towards the top and looked down, you gain a little better perspective on the
shape of the structure, but it is really an optical maze.
It's somewhat confusing.
It's been compared to the drawings of M.C.
Escher, with staircases that go nowhere.
But here we finally do get somewhere, you reach the top, and that gives you a nice feeling
of satisfaction, a major accomplishment.
You made it.
The views looking out are excellent but perhaps the views looking to the inside are even better.
And the views keep changing as you walk around, so by all means when you make it to the top,
don't just stop and take a picture, and then turn around and go down again.
You can walk all the way around the top of it, make the most of your climb, and get every
angle.
And then as you're going down, you can do the same thing, walk around, see different
sides, different staircases, until you're ready to go.
You'll have a view looking down at the roof of the Shed, an open-air theater we will show
you later.
It's a busy place with lots of people enjoying themselves, but it never gets crowded, because
your admission ticket only let you in at a certain time, so they are able to control
the number of people in here, usually no more than 1000 people.
But once you're inside, there's no rush, there's no limit on the amount of time you can stay
in here, but usually about one hour is the typical visit.
The multiple staircases going up and down are also great for traffic control, because
with the stairwells going off in every direction, you can choose one that does not have many
people on it.
Another clever design element that helps is that as you get higher, the staircases get
shorter, so it's easier to climb as you go up towards the top.
Walking down is a breeze, but take your time and continue walking around, checking different
angles.
The Public Square and Gardens around it is designed as a new gathering place for Manhattan's
west side, with eventually fourteen acres of public open space.
When finished, you'll end up back where you started at the bottom, in the center once
again, taking more pictures, looking up at the structures inside.
You just can't stop taking pictures here.
It's so photogenic.
From this angle we can get a little better view of the overall shape of the structure.
How many sides does it have?
There are ten, which makes it a decagon in its outline, but in total it is such a complex
geometric shape of the sort that has never been built before, it's hard to find a terminology
to describe it.
Therefore, a lot of nicknames have popped up, such as pinecone, beehive, donner kebabs,
rib cage, a Faberge egg, a spaceship, a big trophy cup, a pineapple, a vase, a wastebasket.
Is it a piece of art, is it a park?
It is an interactive urban sculpture.
To the right and another view of the Shed we will take you in soon.
Vessel was built in Italy, were they prefabricated seventy-five large carbon steel segments,
and then shipped them over, and right up the Hudson River directly to the site where it
was then assembled.
Vessel is the central focal point of the Hudson Yards complex, pulling the diverse site together,
creating a balance within a skyscraper grid of futuristic metal and glass.
And it comes with a shopping mall right next door, with 100 high-end stores including fine
dining and a food court.
Now we realize another important function of vessel – it's a magnet to lure shoppers
into the area so that they can kiss their money goodbye.
If you're going to shop, do it after your visit to Vessel because packages are not allowed
inside Vessel, and also there is a free public toilet here in the mall, you might want to
take care of that first.
You can get your entry ticket for Vessel at some kiosks inside, but as mentioned before,
it's better to do that online, up to two weeks in advance, to be sure to get your timeslot
that you want.
The mall is an integral part of this new city within a city that's been created at Hudson
Yards, with apartments above and office spaces and recreation areas, along with the shops
– a place to live, work and play.
And it can be very inexpensive if you just keep your purse and wallet closed.
There are other attractions to consider, such as the Edge – it's on top of this building
1100 feet above ground, making it the Western Hemisphere's highest outdoor observation terrace.
Also nearby, you've got Penn Station, one block over.
There is the Intrepid aircraft carrier museum, the Circle Line cruise terminal and the High
Line.
Next door we have the Shed, which is an art center for the twenty-first century, with
live performances, and painting, digital media, theater, sculpture and dance in an unprecedented
movable structure.
The roof and walls can open and close, making this an indoor-outdoor venue.
When you're finally done, the 34th St., Hudson Yards subway station is right here and it'll
take you to Times Square in one stop.
The station, just opened in 2015, with a high quality, modern, urban design.
If you would rather take a walk, Hudson Yards is right next to the Highline, that very popular,
urban, elevated park that used to be a train track.
You could walk south on it to Chelsea Market, that restaurant complex less than a mile away,
and then continue just beyond to the Whitney Museum – so many things to do in this wonderful
part of town.
We have videos about the Chelsea Market, the High Line and other parts of Manhattan you
can find in our collection.