The basics
Hudson Yards is a 28-acre mixed-use development on Manhattan's Far West Side, built on platforms constructed over the Long Island Rail Road's main rail yard. It opened in phases from 2019 onward and represents the largest private real estate development in US history by floor area — a fact its developers repeat often.
What's there
High-end retail (The Shops at Hudson Yards), several restaurants, the Edge observation deck, the Vessel (a honeycomb-shaped interactive sculpture), the Shed (a large arts centre with a retractable outer shell), and millions of square feet of office and residential space. On paper, it covers everything.
Why New Yorkers are divided
The development received roughly $6 billion in tax incentives and subsidies from the city and state — making it one of the largest public subsidies for a private development in the city's history. Critics argue this was a massive transfer of public money to some of the wealthiest developers in the world. The Vessel was temporarily closed after multiple suicides (a design that allows visitors to look down from great heights, with limited barriers); it has since reopened with restrictions. Supporters argue the development extended the subway (7 train extension), created jobs, and transformed an underused rail yard.
Whether it's worth visiting
The Edge deck has a legitimate and dramatic view. The Shed programmes genuinely interesting events and exhibitions. The Vessel is unusual. Everything else — the retail, the restaurants — is indistinguishable from a very expensive shopping mall and not distinctly New York in any way. Worth a specific trip if the Edge or Shed has something you want to see; not worth going out of your way to browse.