Complete Coverage: NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – After 10 years in the making, the Hudson Yards development is officially open to the public. Anderson Cooper and Andra Day were joined by choirs, Broadway stars, athletes, even Big Bird for the grand opening Friday. Full Video: Hudson Yards Grand Opening Ceremony “Today, we are a new neighborhood where the West Side all comes together. Today, we created a new model for the world to see a neighborhood development that encourages sustainability and resiliency. Today, we created a dynamic hub of creativity and innovation. Today, once again, we showed that New York will always be the greatest city in the world,” Related Companies CEO Stephen Ross told the crowd. Hudson Yards is the most expensive private real estate project in U.S. history, featuring more than 100 stores, restaurants and luxury condos. It’s the city’s largest development since Rockefeller Center. A new city within a city will be officially unveiled today… Hudson Yards shops and restaurants are open to the public starting at 12 noon, and so is the Vessel, a giant sculpture art-piece that you can climb for free @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/MPIrww8EJq — Natalie Duddridge (@CityNatalie) March 15, 2019 The sprawling complex that sits on top of a Long Island Rail Road yard was six years in the making since they first broke ground. “It was a little bit like open heart surgery, swinging steel and really working with the railroad,” said Hudson Yards President Jay Cross. “There was a lot of structural gymnastics.” Web Extra: CBSN New York’s Alice Gainer Tours The ‘Vessel’ Within Hudson Yards It’s a place where New Yorkers can work, live and play, with 18 million square feet of commercial and residential space. “We’re not just selling a building,” Senior Vice President Sherry Tobak said. “The reason why people are living here is because of the lifestyle.” Condos start at $3 million and range up to $32 million, but there will be 1,100 units of affordable housing. The neighborhood is expected to generate new jobs and opportunities for New Yorkers with 100 shops, dozens more restaurants, 14 acres of gardens and parks, and even a performing arts center, called “The Shed,” which has a retractable roof. There’s also “Vessel,” a 150-foot structure the public can visit and climb. Absent from Friday’s festivities was Mayor Bill de Blasio. The project was initiated by former mayor Michael Bloomberg. For a chance to check out the Vessel, click here.<doc-sep>Share All sharing options for: Inside the Chaos of Hudson Yards’ Opening Day The opening of Hudson Yards — a $25 billion development, with tons of taxpayer subsidies — is a big deal in New York City, and New Yorkers showed up for it. The flagship retail space, the seven-story mall called the Shops at Hudson Yards, was flooded the second the doors flung open at noon, and many people beelined for the myriad restaurants and food options that popped up along with it. Developer Related has been pushing a Friday, March 15th opening for some time now. Somehow, despite how notoriously difficult it is for restaurants to open on schedule in New York due to construction and red tape, most of them opened today, albeit many with limited hours or menus. Eater staffers went to cover opening day with observations and first impressions on a live blog, while photographer Alex Staniloff joined to take photos of the space. From David Chang’s Asian convenience store Peach Mart and Thomas Keller’s luxury fortress TAK Room to Kith’s branded ice cream and another Shake Shack, take a look around the mall below — and for more info on which restaurants to head for if you’re willing to fight the crowds, see this guide. Mercado Little Spain The José Andrés Spanish market and food hall, created with Ferran and Albert Adrià, opened after 5 p.m. Friday with limited kiosks. See more pictures of the interior here. Kāwi and Peach Mart Momofuku kingpin David Chang has a full-service restaurant called Kāwi, run by chef Eunjo Park, and a convenience store called Peach Mart, a take on popular ones in Asia. See more photos and info about Kāwi here, and more images of Peach Mart here. Milos Wine Bar Luxe Midtown East restaurant Estiatorio Milos takes over two floors in the Shops, with the bottom floor functioning as a wine bar. It will have a yogurt bar, packaged goods, and small plates, among other casual offerings. “We think people who live and work here, this will be their home away from home,” VP of marketing Noah Weinstein says of the space. Estiatorio Milos On the sixth floor is one of the most upscale restaurants in the building, Estiatorio Milos. It has an outdoor area with a clear view of the development’s flagship, $200 million art piece. Belcampo This restaurant with an ethical meat ethos comes from the Bay Area, courtesy of CEO Anya Fernald. Belcampo uses meat from its own farms. Here, the restaurant is a combination of counter-service and full-service. Learn more about it here. Hudson Yards Grill Hudson Yards Grill is the casual American restaurant from Michael Lomonaco. It’s opening just for dinner, and with a menu featuring everything from prime rib to pizza and sushi, it’s sure to be more of a crowd-pleaser for big groups. Lunch will come later. TAK Room This is influential chef Thomas Keller’s entry into Hudson Yards. The midcentury, continental American restaurant has been hosting private events but won’t be opening to the public until later this month. Wild Ink London-based hospitality and catering company is behind Wild Ink, a pan-Asian restaurant from chef Peter Jin. It too has a view of development’s centerpiece art. Read more about it here. Queensyard and Queensyard Cafe Queensyard and its corresponding cafe also comes from a British company, the buzzy D&D London that’s also behind critical dud Bluebird. Technically, four different concepts exist within the restaurant, and though D&D isn’t known for its food, it’s very well known for creating a scene. On the first day, tables were booked at lunch. William Greenberg This is an outpost of a historic Upper East Side kosher bakery. It’s known for black-and-white cookies. Van Leeuwen The popular Greenpoint-based ice cream shop has a location here on the third floor. Bluestone Lane Right next door is a location of Australian cafe chain Bluestone Lane. Shake Shack Danny Meyer’s homegrown burger chain, located on the fourth floor, was slammed from the beginning. Jack’s Stir Brew Coffee chain Jack’s is on the fourth floor. Fuku David Chang’s fried chicken fast-food chain Fuku, located on the second floor, was also busy during lunch Friday. Some new items have debuted here, including an Indian street food called vada pav. Citarella The gourmet grocer, here on the second floor, has a prepared foods section that was packed with the lunch crowd. Blue Bottle An outpost of the Bay Area-based coffee chain is located on the second floor. Kith Trendy fashion brand Kith has an ice cream bar here, inside the experiential Snark Park. A cup of soft serve costs $10. The Drug Store This cocktail bar is serving mocktails until it gets its liquor license. Owned by wellness beverage brand Dirty Lemon, the idea is that popular drinks here could eventually inspire bottled drinks. And finally, the overall mall<doc-sep>
Verena Dobnik Associated Press New York – New York’s $25 billion Hudson Yards development is open to the public, offering both basic daily life amenities and luxuries that have earned it the nickname “Manhattan’s mini-city.” People lined up Friday to climb the 2,500 steps to the top of a massive, honeycomb-shaped sculpture called Vessel – the visual centerpiece of a complex of high-rises on Manhattan’s West Side with pricey commercial and residential space, plus about 100 shops and restaurants. CNN’s Anderson Cooper hosted the inaugural ceremony, joined by singer Andra Day, Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and a lineup of New York business luminaries. CNN will be a tenant at Hudson Yards along with its parent company, WarnerMedia. Other well-known corporate tenants include the BlackRock money manager, L’Oreal USA, Equinox and Coach. Hudson Yards bills itself “the cultural center of Manhattan’s New West Side,” and on its first day, the culture came in the form of familiar brands at the five-floor retail mall – from Dior, Fendi and Neiman Marcus to Uniqlo, Banana Republic and H&M. New employees being trained inside the shops got last-minute tips before customers arrived at noon. A hungry crowd packed the affordable Shake Shack, with a line winding out the door. The powerhouse figure at the opening was developer Stephen Ross, the CEO of Related Cos. that partnered with Oxford Properties Group to build Hudson Yards, where the price of apartments ranges from about $3 million to $32 million. “Today, we created a dynamic hub of creativity and innovation,” Ross told a standing-room only crowd of hundreds gathered under Vessel. “Today, once again, we showed that New York will always be the greatest city in the world.” Another prominent guest was Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York that finally last week settled its bitter labor dispute with Related over use of union and non-union workers; the two sides are now collaborating. Only half of the 28-acre community by the Hudson River is completed, including the highest observation deck in the Western Hemisphere atop a 100-story building, and The Shed, a 200,000-square-foot art center with a telescoping outer shell. The rest of Hudson Yards is to be constructed by 2025.