The Hudson Yards real estate development is on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan, and was built on a platform over the West Side Yard for Long Island Rail Road trains. When it opened to the public in 2019, people compared Hudson Yards to Las Vegas or Dubai—modern cities built out of context to the surroundings.
“Hey internet, how about we rename ‘Hudson Yards’ to ‘Little Dubai’?” was posted on Twitter by Joshua Frankel on December 28, 2013. “It looks like something that belongs in an office park in Dallas. Then again, as the centerpiece of the sterile, corporate Hudson Yards (aka NYC’s ‘Little Dubai’ neighborhood), maybe it’s appropriate…” was posted on Twitter by Lloyd Trufelman on February 20, 2018. “I’ve started thinking of Hudson Yards as ‘Little Dubai’” was posted on Twitter by kristina on February 23, 2018. “All Hudson Yards, what the neighbors already call Little Dubai, looks pretty good” was posted (in Spanish) on Twitter by Ícaro Moyano Díaz on February 27, 2019.
“Welcome to Little Dubai, New York City’s newest neighborhood” by Matt Shaw was posted on The Architects Newspaper on March 14, 2019. Shaw called it “the mirage-like, instant Hudson Yards (henceforth Little Dubai), New York City’s newest neighborhood.”
A similar Hudson Yards nickname is “Dubai on the Hudson.”
Wikipedia: Hudson Yards (development)
Hudson Yards is a real estate development in the Chelsea and Hudson Yards neighborhoods of Manhattan, New York City. It is the largest private real estate development in the United States by square footage, and has been compared to Roppongi Hills, a Japanese development similar in scale and use. Upon completion, 13 of the 16 planned structures on the West Side of Midtown South would sit on a platform built over the West Side Yard, a storage yard for Long Island Rail Road trains. The first of its two phases comprises a public green space and eight structures that contain residences, a hotel, office buildings, a mall, and a cultural facility. The second focuses on residential space, along with an office building and a school.
Wikipedia: Dubai
Dubai (/duːˈbaɪ/ doo-BY; Arabic: دبي Dubay, Gulf Arabic: Arabic pronunciation: [dʊˈbɑj]) is the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On the southeast coast of the Persian Gulf, it is the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the country.
Dubai is a global city and business hub of the Middle East. It is also a major global transport hub for passengers and cargo.
(...)
Dubai has attracted world attention through large construction projects and sports events, in particular the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. As of 2012, Dubai was the most expensive city in the Middle East. In 2014, Dubai’s hotel rooms were rated as the second most expensive in the world.
Twitter
Joshua Frankel
@frankelfrankel
hey internet, how about we rename “Hudson Yards” to “Little Dubai”? http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2013/12/16/nyregion/development.html … #LittleDubai #HudsonYards cc @juddgreenstein
4:17 PM - 28 Dec 2013
Twitter
Lloyd Trufelman
@NYConvergence
Replying to @NewYorker
It looks like something that belongs in an office park in Dallas. Then again, as the centerpiece of the sterile, corporate Hudson Yards (aka NYC’s “Little Dubai” neighborhood), maybe it’s appropriate…
8:00 PM - 20 Feb 2018
Twitter
kristina
@kchodorow
I’ve started thinking of Hudson Yards as ‘Little Dubai’
3:37 PM - 23 Feb 2018
Twitter
Ícaro Moyano Díaz
@viejomoeb
Replying to @fabiang @Sabria @little_spain
Todo Hudson Yards, lo que los vecinos ya llaman Little Dubái, tiene muy buena pinta. No te pierdas The Vessel.
Translated from Spanish by Microsoft
All Hudson Yards, what the neighbors already call Little Dubai, looks pretty good. Don’t miss The Vessel.
2:26 PM - 27 Feb 2019
The Architects Newspaper
LITTLE DUBAI
Welcome to Little Dubai, New York City’s newest neighborhood
By MATT SHAW • March 14, 2019
In a recent review titled “The Case Against Hudson Yards Dining” on Eater, the inimitable food critic Ryan Sutton examined the food and beverage options at the mirage-like, instant Hudson Yards (henceforth Little Dubai), New York City’s newest neighborhood. The dining scene is not a pretty picture, and the food options are just part of the bigger picture, dovetailing with the urbanism to expose the ugliness of 21st-century development culture.
(...)
Dubai is a place where these large private developments have happened so fast that they do not relate to one another on the street-level. The piecemeal nature leaves hotels and malls and gated communities difficult to access because nothing was planned to connect at the street. While Dubai’s infrastructure haphazardly connects these megadevelopments with curls of spaghetti-like roads and onramps, Hudson Yards has similarly managed to bend New York’s infrastructure to its will—the 7 subway line was extended to the northern entrance to Little Dubai’s main plaza.
Twitter
Lloyd Trufelman
@NYConvergence
More Lloyd Trufelman Retweeted Margaret Sullivan
NYC’s newest neighborhood: “Little Dubai”...Lloyd Trufelman added,
Margaret Sullivan
@Sulliview
Yep. At its heart, writes @kimmelman, devastatingly, Hudson Yards is ‘a supersized suburban-style office park.’ https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/03/14/arts/design/hudson-yards-nyc.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage … https://twitter.com/aoscott/status/1106174029973475333 …
9:01 AM - 14 Mar 2019
Twitter
Chase Purdy
@chasepurdy
More Chase Purdy Retweeted Sam Dolnick
I’m still waiting for “Little Dubai” to catch on as a neighborhood nickname. “Hudson Yards” just won’t do.Chase Purdy added,
Sam Dolnick
@samdolnick
Remember when the NYT dining critic visited Guy Fieri’s restaurant? @kimmeman’s review of Hudson Yards is season scathing, and just as irresistible. Enjoy.
https://nyti.ms/2u5e9kX?smid=nytcore-ios-share …
9:03 AM - 14 Mar 2019
Twitter
John M. Archer
@the_sagittary
“Welcome to Little Dubai, New York City’s newest neighborhood “
https://archpaper.com/2019/03/little-dubai-hudson-yards/ …
AKA Hudson Yards.
1:28 PM - 14 Mar 2019
Twitter
Architects Newspaper
@archpaper
Welcome to Little Dubai, New York City’s newest neighborhood, writes Executive Editor Matt Shaw about Hudson Yards
2:30 PM - 14 Mar 2019
Twitter
Dan Miller
@dmi11sfresh
Welcome to Little Dubai, New York City’s newest neighborhood
9:10 AM - 15 Mar 2019
Twitter
Mask
@OctopusMask
Replying to @CurbedNY @AndraDayMusic
Greetings from Little Dubai!!!
10:49 AM - 15 Mar 2019
Twitter
AD The Mayor
@Andrew_Devlon
Replying to @CharlieRubin_ @nytimes
little dubai
11:56 AM - 15 Mar 2019
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Entry from March 15, 2019
Little Dubai (Hudson Yards in Manhattan)