Spotlight - 01.2020

34 TRAVEL

Foto: Evan Joseph Images; Kida/Shutterstock.com

Spotlight 1/2020

New ultra-slim skyscrapers

One of the most obvious changes in New

York is the city’s skyline, which is trans-

forming at a speed not seen in decades.

Ever-higher and slimmer buildings are

going up, especially along Central Park.

The latest and most prominent of these

is the pencil-thin tower on 111 West 57th

Street, also known as the Steinway Tower.

At 435 meters, it not only offers fantastic

views of Central Park, but is currently also

the slenderest skyscraper in the world,

with a width-to-height ratio of 1:24.

The tallest of Manhattan’s new sky-

scrapers (472 meters) is Central Park

Tower. The trend of constructing ex-

tremely tall and slim buildings started

about ten years ago; improvements in

materials and structural engineering

helped it along, and New York’s complex

zoning laws were a motivating factor, too.

Developers can buy a small area of land,

then buy unused air rights from adjacent

plots and stack these to gain permission

to build a tall tower. The new residential

high-rises are home to luxury apartments

for the super-rich: so-called trophy prop-

erties. In fact, 57th Street has been called

“Billionaires’ Row” for its great number of

ultra-slim buildings.

Probably the most elegant of them is

432 Park Avenue, a 425-meter-high struc-

ture designed by Uruguayan architect Ra-

fael Viñoly with a footprint that is a per-

fect square. While it’s a pleasing addition

to the skyline, you can’t help but notice

how many of its windows remain dark at

night. It makes you wonder whether the

apartments are actually places to live in or

just investments for the super-rich.

New ferry stops

With more than 800 kilometers of coast-

line, New York City is ideally suited for

a mass transit system on the water. The

NYC Ferry network on the East River

first opened in 2017 and is constantly

expanding, finally offering an attractive

alternative to the subway. The ferries

are not only fast and inexpensive: for the

price of a subway ride, you can now also

go up the river to places like DUMBO in

Brooklyn, Astoria in Queens, or even all

the way to Rockaway Beach — a perfect

day out. The new ferries have panorama

windows, outdoor seating on the upper

deck, and kiosks selling everything from

snacks and sunscreen to charging cables.

With a drink in your hand and the wind in

your hair, there is probably no better place

to admire the skyline from the water.

New shopping: Empire Outlets

Twice an hour, the massive orange com-

muter ferries, which can carry up to 6,000

passengers, run from the downtown fer-

ry terminal across New York Harbor to

Staten Island — at no cost! It’s a beautiful

half-hour ride with excellent views of the

Lower Manhattan skyline and the Statue

of Liberty. Previously, most travelers to

Staten Island simply took the next fer-

ry straight back to Manhattan. But this

has changed with the recent opening of

New York City’s first outlet mall: Empire

Outlets on Staten Island’s North Shore

— just steps from the ferry terminal. It’s a

well-designed mall with big-name brands

such as Nike, Gap, and Levi’s, all of which

offer low prices.

Of course, new retail outlets are just

a small part of New York’s never-ending

process of growth and renewal. With all

that is in flux here, this ever-changing city

that even has the word “new” in its name

appears to be living up to its promise.

adjacent plot

[E(dZeIs&nt plA:t]

, Nachbargrundstück

admire [Ed(maI&r]

, bewundern

charging cable

[(tSA:rdZIN )keIb&l]

, Ladekabel

commuter [kE(mju:t&r]

, Pendler-

developer [di(velEp&r]

, Bauunternehmer(in)

footprint [(fUtprInt]

, Grundfläche

glamping [(glÄmpIN]

, glamouröses Camping

mass transit

[(mÄs )trÄnsEt] N. Am.

, Massenverkehrsmittel-

residential high-rise

[)rezI)denS&l (haI raIz]

, Wohnturm

shore [SO:r]

, Küste, Strand

slender [(slend&r]

, schlank, schmal

stack [stÄk]

, stapeln

structural engineering

[)strVktS&rEl )endZI(nI&rIN]

, Hochbau

zoning law [(zoUnIN lO:]

, Planungsgesetz

If you go

Getting there & around

Fly in to John F. Kennedy

International Airport (JFK) or

Newark Liberty International

Airport (EWR). See http://www.jfkairport.

com and http://www.newarkairport.com for

transport options to the city.

For ferry routes, see http://www.ferry.nyc/

routes-and-schedules/route/east-river

Stay

The retro-chic TWA Hotel at JFK

http://www.twahotel.com

Glamping on Governors Island

in New York Harbor

http://www.collectiveretreats.com

See and do

Hudson Yards with the Vessel, the

Shed, and the Edge

http://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com

High Line Park

http://www.thehighline.org

The Museum of Modern Art

http://www.moma.org

Statue of Liberty Museum

http://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/

statueoflibertymuseum

Spyscape (spy museum)

spyscape.com

Museum of Illusions

http://www.museumofillusions.com

Shop

Empire Outlets

empireoutlets.nyc

Eat

Mercado Little Spain at

Hudson Yards

http://www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com/

food-drink/mercado-little-spain

More information

http://www.nycgo.com