Midtown West – Culture

Midtown West was once home to industry, shipping piers, and the arrival point for immigrants and commuters alike. The west side of Midtown has also served as the city’s garment district, once home to New York City’s clothing factories and fashion design studios. Recent years have seen large investments redeveloping the area, including the massive Hudson Yards and surrounding blocks, The High Line, and new investments in rail infrastructure.

 

The Shed

The cultural heart of the Hudson Yards redevelopment, the Shed hosts concerts, theater performances, and more throughout the year. The design of the building features a telescoping outer shell that can open along an enormous track to create covered outdoor spaces in the adjoining plaza accommodating as many as 2,000 people. The Shed features rotating selections of programming and an annual Gala.

 

The Vessel

A landmark architectural structure built at the center of Hudson Yards, The Vessel shimmers in evening sunsets. The hexagonally shaped staircase ascends over the plaza with more than 2,000 stairs, 80 landings, and 154 separate flights. A series of tragic accidents closed the structure to public tours in 2021, but the Vessel is set to reopen to visitors in the coming weeks with new safety measures in place. However, even without access to the staircases, the vessel is a stunning public sculpture and is particularly pretty in late afternoon sunsets.

 

John J Harvey Fireboat

The floating museum was first launched in Brooklyn in 1931, named for FDNY pilot John J. Harvey. It was the first fireboat powered by an internal combustion engine and could pump 18,000 gallons of water. Volunteers saved the boat when it was decommissioned in 1994, and in 2001, she was pressed into service to pump water into lower Manhattan during the 9/11 attacks. Today, the boat serves as a museum. Docked on the Hudson River at Pier 66, the boat offers frequent, if irregular, tours.

 

Public Art in the Moynihan Train Hall

When the 1935-constructed James A. Farley Building was converted into an extension of Penn Station, the overhaul included funding for public art throughout. The remarkable Beaux-Arts post office was restored, preserving an icon while adding new works. The station features a triptych by Kehinde Wiley in the 33rd Street entrance. (Wiley previously painted the official portrait of  President Obama for the Smithsonian.) The station’s triptych features hand-painted stained glass featuring young black New Yorkers breakdancing. The 31st Street entrance displays a stunning work known as The Hive, a 1:100 scaled architectural model of the city suspended from the ceiling by the European artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset.

 

Madame Tussauds New York

Check out the Madame Tussauds wax museum for something a bit more lowbrow than public artworks. The museum features replicas of celebrities and politicians and highlights local stars like Andy Cohen, Jimmy Fallon, and Awkwafina. There’s also a dedicated exhibit with Marvel Universal characters or the opportunity to star alongside your favorite Broadway Musical cast.

 

Walk the High Line

The northern terminus of the High Line elevated park wraps around the Hudson Yards development, offering spectacular views of the Hudson River, New Jersey’s skyline, and for railfans, views of LIRR, Amtrak, and NJTransit trains parked in the yard. A new connector segment opened in 2023, linking the High Line directly to Moynihan Train Hall.

 

The Edge

No guide of Midtown West would be complete without a nod to the tallest building in Hudson Yards, which features the city’s highest outdoor deck. Of course, there are plenty of other observation decks in Midtown, but at 100 stories up, the Edge offers views of the Empire State Building and World Trade Center.