April 11, 2019

Shopping at Hudson Yards

I wasn’t sure what to expect as I made my way to Hudson Yards. It only opened three weeks before my visit, and I had heard very mixed reviews from my local friends. Still, I approached with an open mind. First impression – it’s huge! It has multiple floors of retail space, residential floors, The Shed (an arts center), gardens, and “The Vessel,” which is a large, interactive sculpture with 154 interconnecting staircases which you can climb and explore – with a ticket, that is. I was definitely wowed.

While there were still storefronts yet to be filled, there were quite a few high-end stores on the first floor, such as Cartier, Patek Phillippe, and Fendi. Most of the stores on floors 2-4 were aimed at more mass market audiences – Banana Republic, Madewell, Athleta, H&M, etc. In essence, a very typical mall with some new names for me, such as Heidi Klein and Mack Weldon. Click here for a list of store listings.

shopping at hudson yards nyc

Hudson Yards is home to the first Neiman Marcus in New York City

Up on the 5th floor, I was very excited to visit Forty Five Ten for the first time. Instead of just one store front, they had multiple little boutiques – vintage, men’s, a more contemporary shop, and (my fave), a higher end women’s fashion store. I scored a great coat by Palmer/Harding, and I have a Volmer tri-metallic bag on my wish list. I just love when I discover unique brands I’ve never heard of – to find something I won’t see coming and going.

Floor 5 is also where you enter the new Neiman Marcus, which occupies space on floors 5-7. I have been in countless Neiman Marcus stores, and this one definitely felt a bit different. The main thing I liked was that on the women’s designer floor, all the merchandise was on the floor right next to each other, as opposed to being housed in “in store boutiques.” Therefore, I could pick up a cool blouse by Chloe and turn around and pair it right with a pair of trousers from Etro. It really made it easy to mix and match collections. I love that!

I also enjoyed a scrumptious Greek salad and popover at their restaurant, The Zodiac Room. It has a very art deco, clubby vibe with a mix of dark woods, muted green and lots of curves. Of course, I had to leave room for one of their giant chocolate chip cookies from their Epicure department on the 5th floor.

Satisfied that I saw all I wanted to see at Hudson Yards, I then walked the High Line down to the Meatpacking District. It was a perfect way to walk off the lunch and enjoy the ever-changing skyline of Manhattan.

The construction going on all around was quite amazing. Also, the walk allowed an up-close view of one of my favorite buildings, designed by Zaha Hadid. Although I’d never want to live with everyone being able to peer into my pad, I certainly adore the sculptural quality of the building.

Descending the staircase into Meatpacking, I was excited to visit a few of my favorite stores in New York City. Which ones, you may ask? Well, you’ll have to subscribe to see that list…

What’s my opinion of Hudson Yards in a nutshell? I’m glad I visited, but there are many other shopping experiences in New York City that I’d place above going here. I come to NYC for a more quintessential experience – the meandering neighborhoods, varied architecture, and never knowing what you might find when you turn the corner…not a mall.

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