The Vessel is an interactive, Thomas Heatherwick and Heatherwick Studio-designed public sculpture meant to be an immersive experience where guests can climb up and around the 154 interlocking staircases for impressive views for New York City's newest neighborhood, Hudson Yards. When the copper-colored attraction first opened, it immediately became a popular destination for both tourists and locals to visit.
But in January of 2021, the Vessel closed indefinitely after a series of suicides.
Now, it's set to welcome visitors again starting this Friday with new precautions to help keep guests safe.
The two biggest changes for visitors are a new entrance fee and a restriction on solo guests.
From now on, you can't enter the Vessel alone. In order to visit, you'll have to come in a group of two or more.
"The Vessel was envisioned as a shared, immersive design experience," a spokesperson from Hudson Yards owner Related Companies told The New York Post. "Requiring visitors to attend in groups of two or more significantly enhances the safety of the experience."
The attraction will remain free of charge for visitors who enter within the first hour of opening each day, but after that tickets will now be sold for $10 each (children under 5 are still able to enter for free). The ticket sales will go toward additional staffing and increased training to "detect high-risk behaviors."
There will also be new signage at the entrance and messaging on the tickets themselves developed in partnership with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Born This Way Foundation, a mental wellness nonprofit founded by Lady Gaga.
The Vessel will officially reopen on May 28, but you can book tickets ahead of your visit starting today on the Hudson Yards website.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) open 24 hours a day, every day, or chat online. Crisis Text Line also provides free, confidential support to people in crisis when they text 741741.
