Tackling “The Edge” in NYC

Last year we visited Hudson Yards and wrote extensively about it in a two-part series. Now we’re back again to take a look at “The Edge” which is billed everywhere as, “The highest sky deck in the Western Hemisphere.”

To refresh your memory CLICK HERE TO READ OUR “HUDSON YARDS, PART ONE.

THEN CLICK HERE TO READ OUR PART TWO.

I reread both of these to bring myself up to speed and noticed that I said we wanted to climb The Vessel in Hudson Yards because my friend had climbed Ayers Rock in Australia (which is no longer allowed) and I had gone to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

Now it’s time to put another notch in our belt so we planned for a trip to The Edge in May 2020. But as the Scottish poet and lyricist, Robert Burns famously said in 1785, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Note: we also have Burns to thank for “Auld Lang Syne” that old chestnut that we all mangle once a year – right to the end – depending on how much booze we’ve imbibed.

So now I find myself writing this and wondering if we will – indeed – be able be able to visit The Edge in May because of the current coronavirus scare that we’re all dealing with at the moment. The Edge opened to the public on March 11th and seems to be going forward so here is some basic information that may, or may not, come in handy.

Opening day visitors to The Edge observation deck could look 1,131 ft. to the street from glass panels (top). Or, they could experience 360-degree views of the Big Apple and beyond (below). Photos and caption: Courtesy of the New York Post of March 12, 2020.   

• The Edge is 1,131 ft. above ground or 100 stories down and has a glass floor

• It will be open 365 days a year from 8:00 am to midnight
• The Edge sits at the top of 30 Hudson Yards, the office tower designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox

• It’s suspended in mid-air and gives one the feeling of floating in the sky

• This sky deck also offers breath-taking 360 views of New York City

• The Edge also has nine-foot glass walls that angle outward from the deck – one can lean on these for an extra rush (I’ll pass, thank you very much)

• There’s also an outdoor staircase connecting the 100th and 101st floors

• The deck weighs 765,000 lbs. and is 15 sections – all bolted together and anchored to the east and south sides of the building

• Admission is $36.00 for a general admission ticket purchased online

• One can purchase a general admission ticket on-site for $38.00

• Seniors, active and retired members of the military and other groups will be eligible for special rates

• There will also be a restaurant, bar, café and event space on the 101st floor

• The triangular Edge extends 80 ft. off the south and east sides of the 100th floor

• You can reward yourself with champagne after you’ve completed your Edge visit in the cocktail lounge on the 101st floor. Go and have fun! This is a totally unique experience.

UPDATE AS OF JUNE 6, 2020

Well, here we are. In my wildest thoughts I never thought the NYC lockdown would go on this long. Things are much better, of course – and businesses are gradually going back to the way they were BUT it seems we still have a long way to go.

That said: it’s a big “NO” to see life from the 100th floor where The Edge is located. But, we are definitely going to go on this adventure at some point in the future. Stay tuned.

Shaun Nelson-Henrick

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