Hudson Yards is one of the newly renovated neighborhoods in Manhattan focused on modern urban life and biodiversity. It’s located in the southwest side of Midtown between Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen and is home to a number of new landmarks including The Shed, The High Line, a brand new shopping mall, Hotel Equinox, and Edge, a new way of experiencing New York city from the sky. Manhattan’s new West Side has lots to offer and Edge is a must-do to enhance your visit to the Big Apple. Edge is a modern, frameless observation deck with glass panels spiking out at a hundred stories up in the sky with a unique 360° view of Manhattan. And yes, it is as breathtaking as it sounds!

Edge Outdoor sky deck. Courtesy of Related Oxford

Edge is a popular attraction, so plan to allow time for the queues. While you are waiting on the ground floor there is an installation on the ceiling and walls of the lobby: a LED map of Manhattan on the ceiling keeps lighting different areas, while videos on the walls explain the history of that neighborhood. Thereafter, there is a long passage leading to the elevators with energetic installations giving some idea about the engineering of the building as well as explaining the way the building has been designed to be sustainable.

Edge at Sunset. Courtesy of Related Oxford

Right in front of Edge, The Vessel is the other iconic new building at the Hudson Yard public plaza. This honeycomb-like construction, whose pieces were all made in Italy, is a copper 16-story tower – about 46 meters tall – of 154 flights of stairs by British designer Thomas Heatherwick. Unfortunately, due to a series of suicides after its opening, the access to the tower is currently restricted to its floor plan. This is a great shame, not least because the structure invites playful exploration of its criss-crossing, maze-like terraces.