The thrill is coming to the outdoor observatory at the 1,200-foot tall 30 Hudson Yards.
The upcoming 2.6 million square-foot skyscraper that will be the new home of Time Warner will boast a 1,000-foot high outdoor observation center — and, we’ve learned, an additional “thrill device.”
Jay Cross, president of Related Hudson Yards, which is developing the multibuilding mixed-use West Side project, piqued our curiosity in November when he said the yet-to-be-revealed attraction was available on cruise ships.
“You can choose to pay for it separately and crap your pants,” Cross said during an off-the-cuff speech at the Young Mens’/Womens’ Real Estate luncheon in November. He has not commented on it further, nor would a Related spokeswoman.
We began our search and soon crossed off the leisurely North Star. This is the new glass-enclosed capsule that quietly hovers 303 feet above and around the new Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas. The ship just happened to take its maiden voyage from Bayonne, NJ, last month. While the North Star brings riders higher than the Statue of Liberty, frankly, it’s not that scary.
What we’ve learned is that the Hudson Yards’ observation deck — slated to become the tallest outdoor deck in the city — could have a glass walkway that may slant and tilt for even more chills and thrills.
In Chicago, the Willis Tower’s Skydeck and the John Hancock Tower’s 360 Chicago have competing glass walkway experiences. The Willis Tower’s “Ledge” tilts out to provide an even scarier 30-degree-angle view.
My only experience with a glass walkway was at the top of the W Hotel in Dallas during a tour of its now-shuttered nightclub, Ghost Bar. While we can stand unfazed on the edges of an under-construction World Trade Center, climb on the shaky outside ladder of a skyscraper or perch on any parapet in town, we crawled and clung for dear life to this simple glass deck.
Such a “ride” on the Hudson Yards deck could become a real draw for those seeking an adrenaline rush.
Cross tossed out some other interesting factoids about the Hudson Yards project during his chat. The sculpture by Thomas Heatherwick, reported earlier to have been commissioned at a cost of $75 million, will be 150 feet high, which works out to $500,000 a foot.
Cross expects this to become the central meeting place for visitors and is the focus of the 4 acres of public space near the equally iconic Culture Shed and its moving roof.
Speaking of thrills, we’ve learned that indoor parachuting ride iFLY, which offers skydiving-like experience aboard the Quantum of the Seas, is looking for a city spot to launch its patrons.
Many folks have parachuting on their bucket lists and, thankfully, iFLY can provide that a little closer to the ground — or get you hooked to keep coming back for more.
Jimmy Fallon and sidekick Steve Higgins floated around in the iFLY vertical wind tunnel on the Quantum of the Seas last month, having what they described as “a blast.”
Winick Realty Group brokers Daniel Spector and his daughter, Leanna Spector, now hope to find the amusement facility a nearby land base.
Winick was chosen by iFLY’s national consultant, Howard Samuels of Samuels and Co., to find sites in Brooklyn; Paramus, NJ; and in the area surrounding Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island.
In case you want one in your backyard or maybe atop your building, the tunnels require at least a 45- to 60-foot tall 6,000-square-foot building.
We hear investor Jack Terzi is in contract to buy 240 E. 54th St. just off Second Avenue from the Gould family for $21 million.
Timothy Sheehan and Daniel Kaplan of CBRE had quietly marketed the 30,000 square-foot garage building until a sign was recently posted.
Terzi, who heads JTRE Holdings, plans to convert the building to retail and already has tenants lined up, sources said. None of the parties returned requests for comment.
The Mount Sinai Health System wants to pocket around $50 million and shed a partially occupied 11-story building adjacent to Mount Sinai Roosevelt.
The 102,000 square-foot building at 432 W. 58th St. is now used for medical research laboratories.
The square footage is deceiving, however, as two huge basements leave only 80,000 square feet above grade. It is also overbuilt, so if it’s demolished, a mere 65,000 square feet can be rebuilt.
NGKF Capital Market’s David Noonan and Jennifer Schwartzman along with Mark Weiss are leading the marketing charge.
“Lay out the choices and then talk to the zoning advisers,” Noonan suggested for anyone ready to take a purchase plunge. “It will make a good condo or community facility a block from Time Warner and is in that part of the Upper West Side pushing out with new development.”
Bids are due on Dec. 10, and sale proceeds will help the hospital pay for clinical facility and infrastructure objectives
