Andy Cohen honored with a corner and trash can in Hudson Square
Photos by Emma Milligan
New York City has long honored notable residents with street co-namings. Hudson Square is taking a different approach for TV personality Andy Cohen by commemorating the Bravo host with a trash can. The Hudson Square Business Improvement District paid tribute to Cohen, whose long-running show “Watch What Happens Live” has been filmed in the neighborhood since 2009, by renaming a garbage can on the corner of Vandam and Hudson Streets. Cohen attended the ribbon-cutting for the newly dubbed “Andy Cohen’s Corner,” where he received a commemorative plaque and a key to the neighborhood that opens nothing.
Because city agencies are the only government bodies authorized to co-name streets, the BID sought an innovative way to honor Cohen. With options limited, they chose to use one of their Bigbelly trash containers, which can be used for messaging and branding, as the medium for the commemoration.
The trash can now displays “Andy Cohen’s Corner” in yellow against a blue background on one side, while the other side reads “Watch What Happens Live on this Corner,” referencing Cohen’s long-running show.
Samara Karasyk, president and CEO of the HSDBID, told the New York Times that Cohen had been open to the idea and agreed to appear at the ribbon-cutting event. Karasyk called the tribute “a very New York thing to do” and clarified that she didn’t view Cohen as a “trashy guy.”
“Hudson Square is a neighborhood that thrives on creativity and a good sense of humor, and who better than Andy Cohen to receive a tribute that embodies those qualities,” Karasyk said.
“As a member of our community for more than a decade, Andy knows Hudson Square inside and out and his cultural impact has helped put this corner of the city on the map, so we figured it was time to make it official—trash can and all.”
Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal presented Cohen with the official proclamation for the trash can, while the HSDBID awarded him a plaque and key.
“Manhattan is unlike any place else in the world, and initiatives like Andy Cohen’s Corner capture the energy, creativity, and spirit that define our borough,” Hoylman-Sigal said. “I am grateful to Andy and the HSDBID for shining a spotlight on our neighborhoods, strengthening our public spaces, and always elevating Manhattan on the global stage.”
He added: “Andy reminds us that pop culture and public life don’t just coexist here, they thrive together. We are proud to honor the true Mazel of Manhattan.”
The renaming comes just a week after Cohen co-hosted New York City’s annual New Year’s Eve festivities with Anderson Cooper, an event known to get a little wild as midnight approaches and the champagne flows. During the broadcast, Cohen notably criticized former Mayor Eric Adams, calling his administration “horrible” and “chaotic” while chastising him for his pardon by former President Donald Trump, according to the New York Post.
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