Images courtesy of RiseNY

If you love the vertigo-inducing excitement of SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, Midtown’s high-in-the-sky observation deck, you can look forward to RiseNY‘s pairing of aerial adventure and cultural museum exhibit, powered by the city’s first flight simulation ride. Opening December 17 at 160 West 45th Street, the new immersive attraction combines the ultimate feeling of flight with the inspiration of the city’s most famous sites and moments.

Up, up and away

Credit: Max Guliani for Hudson River Park

Pent-up aggression, post-Halloween boredom, or just a desire to do something useful with your jack-o-lanterns that have seen better days–they’re all good reasons to join in the fun at a pumpkin smash. Post-holiday pumpkins make fabulous compost material, and several (free!) events around the city are offering a chance to “squash” your way to a greener community while teaching kids about composting. To quote Noreen Doyle, president and CEO of Hudson River Park: “By encouraging our community to smash, bash and crash their leftover pumpkins into compost, we can all play an active role in working towards a greener future.”

Pumpkin smashing and more ways to recycle unwanted goodies

All photos: Alexandre Ayer / @DiversityPics for the Garment District Alliance.

The Port Authority bus terminal in Midtown may not be one of New York City’s most beautiful places, but the world’s busiest terminal recently got a beauty boost in the form of a 40-foot-high, 600-foot-wide gallery wall that features the diverse and fabulous faces of over 1,200 New Yorkers. The Garment District Alliance (GDA) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) have collaborated to bring the giant photo gallery, “Inside Out: NY Together,” part of an international initiative by world-renowned artist JR, to the Manhattan bus gateway.

See more smiling faces, this way

Photo Credit: Jakob Dahlin

Following more than 30 years of planning, Brookfield Properties’ eight-acre mixed-use development Manhattan West officially opens today. Located on the blocks between 32nd and 33rd Streets and Ninth and Tenth Avenues, the $4.5 billion project serves as a much-needed link on the far west side, bordered by the new Moynihan Train Hall to the east, Hudson Yards to the West, and the High Line to the south. Manhattan West’s master plan was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and consists of six buildings–four office, one residential, and one boutique hotel. There’s also a 2.5-acre public plaza designed by James Corner Field Operations, as well as a Whole Foods, immersive retail, and tons of restaurants including two from Danny Meyer.

See it all here

Photo credit: © Albert Vecerka/Esto

A one-acre working farm opened at the Javits Center rooftop this week, providing a genuine farm-to-table experience for visitors of the convention center. The farm will include over 50 crops and 40,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables, which will be used in meals served on-site. The 200,000-square-foot rooftop, which also includes an enclosed glass pavilion, outdoor terrace, and a solar farm, is part of a $1.5 billion expansion project that has added a total of 1.2 million square feet of event space at the Javits Center.

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High Line Moynihan Connector, spur connection, © SOM, JCFO | Miysis

Governor Kathy Hochul has unveiled designs for a 1,200-foot-long elevated pedestrian pathway that will connect the High Line to the recently opened Moynihan Train Hall. The $50 million project will also connect Chelsea with other West Side destinations like Hudson Yards, Manhattan West, Penn Station, and the Javits Center. The plan was first floated by former Governor Andrew Cuomo in January as part of his extremely ambitious agenda to redevelop Midtown West. Under the direction of Governor Hochul, the pathway is expected to be completed by Spring 2023.

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All photos by Evan Joseph

The private club and wellness center at Jean Nouvel’s residential tower in Midtown West is a work of art. New images of the lavish full-floor space at 53 West 53, which rises adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art, were released this week, unveiling for the first time the club’s elegant gym, squash court, golf simulator, saunas, and 65-foot lap pool that is surrounded by a green wall made up of 3,500 plants.

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Artist rendering by Anthony George

A new attraction coming to Times Square next week hopes to wheel in tourists. A 110-foot high outdoor Ferris wheel will open next Tuesday on the plaza between West 47th and West 48th Streets, as the New York Post first reported. Dubbed the Times Square Wheel, the limited experience runs from August 24 through September 12. The pop-up attraction is part of a larger effort by the Times Square Alliance to promote the neighborhood as the city continues to recover from the pandemic.

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Photo: Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on Flickr

A former police tow pound on the Hudson River is now a public park. Pier 76 officially opened on Wednesday following a three-month, $31 million construction project that involved stripping the tow pound to its frame and removing the sides and roof. The structure’s steel skeleton remains at the 5.6-acre site, with new areas to walk around, benches to sit and enjoy the waterfront views, and panels highlighting the area’s history as a major shipping port.

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A new Mexican restaurant opened in Manhattan this week, but unlike most others, it’s not on land. La Barca Cantina is located on a three-story boat at Pier 81 off West 41st Street, and it will take short cruises throughout the day as guests enjoy Mexican-inspired street food, tequila, mezcal, and cocktails.

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