Penn Station is definitely the one of the worst places in New York City. Everyone knows that.

And if you don't agree, you must love stepping on week-old pizza mashed into the floor, pushing through crowds of high schoolers drunk for the first time, and seeing homeless people washing their clothes in the bathroom sinks.

Honestly, we don't really understand the disproportionate beauty between Grand Central and Penn Station. 

What's up with that? Why is Grand Central a palace with marble floors and domed, constellation adorned ceilings and Penn Station is a disgusting joke?

But anyway, life's important questions aside, there's a new public plaza outside Penn Station and it's actually sort of nice.

[anad2]

The architecture team Snøhetta-- the ones who designed Times Square - devised and built the public plaza. It was unveiled on Sunday.

van_alen The quagmire of Penn Station just got a new perk: a public plaza designed by @Snohetta, a Van Alen International Council firm. @curbeddotcom notes that the stepped terrace recalls the seats at the @tkts booth in nearby Times Square, the result of a 1999 design competition hosted by Van Alen and @officialtdf. #midtown #nyc #publicspace #urbandesign

Vornado, Penn Station's landlord who also controls nine million square feet in the area, green-lit the public plaza as a part of a plan to improve the area surrounding Penn Station. 

The Wall Street Journal reported Vornado's intention to pour "hundreds of millions of dollars" to make the surrounding office buildings more attractive by improving infrastructure, creating new retail, and yes, by building public plazas.

[anad]

The plaza contains a painted road that grants pedestrians double the space, and wooden benches that double as planters. Sculptures by Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein adorn the area, and already set up is audio equipment that hints at the promise of performances. 

[via & Feature Image Courtesy: Curbed NY]