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The highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere is about to open in NYC

Collier Sutter
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Collier Sutter
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Just when you thought Hudson Yards, New York’s shiny new dystopian neighborhood, couldn't outdo itself, they announce something even more over-the-top.

The Edge, a 1,131-foot-high-observation deck (a.k.a. the tallest man-made viewing platform in the Western Hemisphere) is opening to the public this March. If you’ve ever wanted to feel like Spiderman—without the impending doom of scaling an actual skyscraper, that is—The Edge is as close as you’re gonna get. Think: A triangular platform at the top of 30 Hudson Yards where patrons can peer down on New Yorkers walking below like little ants.

Unlike the Empire State Building or One World Observatory, which can sometimes feel a little bit cramped, this new venue is prioritizing outdoor space. “It probably sounds corny, but it’s a fresh look,” says John Kelly, vice president of design and construction at Related Companies, the real estate firm behind Hudson Yards. “It’s 7,500 square feet of unenclosed outdoor space. It’s not walking around the structural core of a building, where everything is limited. It’s like an outdoor plaza.”

To get up to The Edge, you’ll enter through the fourth floor of 20 Hudson Yards, make your way through a tunnel and then take a swift, sixty-second elevator ride. What will you find at the top? Oh, just panoramic views of the entire city.

“It shouldn’t feel like there are lines of people around all the glass,” says Jason Horkin, Related Companies’ executive director of Hudson Yards experiences. “It should feel like you can walk around and do things, with lots of opportunity to move around through the space without it feeling cramped and crowded, and like you’re fighting for a position to take a picture.” 

If you’re terrified of heights, but still want in on the action, there’s also a Champagne bar inside the 100th floor where you can sip cocktails with the same 360-degree views of NYC but in more of an enclosed space.

The Edge will be open seven days a week all year round (yes, even in winter) from 8am to midnight. You can snag tickets now for the big March opening.

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