The new Westfield Mall and the new Eataly in Downtown

Last week, Manhattan Downtown area got a new destination. Finally, the Westfield Mall World Trade Center was completed and opened on Tuesday – with a John Legend surprise performance! For those not familiar, the mall is located inside the WTC Transportation Hub, the structure of the picture below, that resembles a bird – and some say it was inspired by the Museum do Amanhã, in Rio de Janeiro.

Also known as Oculus, the WTC Transportation Hub’s concourse will conveniently connect visitors to 11 different subway lines, the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) rail system, Battery Park City Ferry Terminal, the World Trade Center Memorial Site, WTC Towers 1, 2, 3, and 4, the World Financial Center and the Winter Garden. It will represent the most integrated network of underground pedestrian connections in New York City. It will serve 250,000 daily commuters and millions of annual visitors from around the world. At approximately 800,000 square feet, the Hub, designed by internationally acclaimed architect Santiago Calatrava, is the third largest transportation center in New York City, rivaling Grand Central Station in size.

I’ve been there two days after the opening, took some pictures and I’m gonna share my impressions with you.

The structure – I have heard controversial comments about the place’s architecture. Some people think it’s beautiful, some people think that spoiled the area. I’m from the first group: I was amazed with the grandeur of the architecture. In the main area, the ground floor and the second floor have shops. The structure is underground and there is a glass side, providing natural light, and consequently it is possible to see the outside. If you are on the ground floor, right in the middle, and looks up, you can see the One World Trade Center perfectly fitted. Magnificent. There are also several high areas – perfect for taking pictures. It’s impressive.

The mall – even with so many stores (over 40 have opened), they ended up being naturally incorporated into the architectural design. What I mean is that they do not appear more than they should. If you are in one of the high points of observation, the stores will not call your attention, because of the size of the pllace. What I realized is that the most luxurious shops were located at the first and second floors of the main area. Names like Dior, Kate Spade, Apple, Hugo Boss and Vince Camuto are in prime location. Other popular stores such as Sephora, Mac, Aldo and Victoria’s Secret (still closed) are in the hallways. The Westfield World Trade Center Mall has a concierge desk where you can pick up a map (it helps you). What I liked about this mall was how much it is democratic. Unlike, for example, Brookfield Place, which only has luxury names, Westfield World Trade Center Mall has a selection that ranges from London Jewelers and Pandora to Forever 21. That is, there are options for all budgets, with clothing, accessories, cosmetics, shoes, stationery, etc. There are many stores that are not opened yet – you can click here to check all the names. One of the brands that I most celebrated the presence is Kiko! It is an Italian brand of makeup with very good products and fair prices. You can click here and see some products to keep an eye.

The new Eataly – one of the highlights of the Westfield World Trade Center mall is due to the second unit of Eataly in the city, which opened a few days before the official opening of the mall. In fact, the new Eataly is on the third floor of the 4 World Trade Center building – see the map below – but the building is connected to the mall. In the same building there also a Banana Republic store, and soon, an H&M. Now, speaking of Eataly! For those who do not know, Eataly is a famous Italian gourmet market. It has four restaurants (pasta, meat, fish) and you can also shop – from products imported from Italy, to meats and fresh pasta. The place also has a wine bar, bakery, salad place, juice bar more! The area is bigger than Eataly Flatiron and one of the advantages is that this unit also serves breakfast. Particularly, I enjoyed the new Eataly and I though it is great that the market is on one side and the area restaurants – with wonderful views of the One World Trade Center – is in another. I was there at 1pm on a Thursday and the restaurants were crowded, but two hours later they were already empty. I think the restaurants are not accepting reservations yet, but worth keeping an eye on the website.

So, that’s it! The area is now full of things to do – remember that Century 21 is across street from the mall and not far away is located Brookfield Place, which is also worth a visit because of the amazing views and Le District, French gourmet market . I talked about them here.