Grand Central Terminal or Grand Central Station as it is more often referred to, is one of New York’s iconic landmarks. It is on everyone’s list of what to do in New York
Before you enter the swinging bronze and timber doors of 42nd Street, take a moment to look up. It’s not often that two icons of a city can be seen in one frame. Over the entrance, a sculpture of Minerva, Hercules and Mercury stand atop the large Tiffany glass clock. In the other corner, the top of the glistening Chrysler Building peers over a nearby building.
Millions of people have passed through these building’s halls on their way to catch a train, eat at one of the famous restaurants or just ogle at the amazing architecture.
Grand Central Station was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1869. After an accident in 1902, steam trains were outlawed and the electrification of the railway resulted in a new and larger station being built. Buildings and apartments were included in this grand design and on February 2nd 1913, Grand Central Terminal was opened.
The main hall is magnificent. Large arched windows at either end allow light to stream onto the marble floors. Two stairways at opposite ends of the concourse lead to the mezzanine level where large chandeliers hang. The central information point with its famous four sided clock, has become everyone’s meeting point as they arrive or depart on the trains. Some of the beautiful old ticket booths are closed as a result of todays’ modern vending machines but their elegance remains. A large American flag hangs high over the hall as it has since 9/11 and remains to this day.
Stairs lead down to two levels of platforms, forty four in all, that make Grand Central the largest train station in the world (according to platform numbers).
The famous Oyster Bar and Restaurant is on the dining level just below the main concourse.
Don’t rush inside but stop outside under the arched entranceway. You may notice people standing in the corner and talking to the wall. No they are not mad, they are just learning one of Grand Central Station’s secrets. If you stand in one corner and whisper into the wall, your friend standing in the other corner will be able to hear everything you say, loud and clear. The acoustics of the low ceramic arches have created this well known ‘whispering gallery’.
Another secret involves the amazing painted ceiling. Painted by French artist, Paul Helleu, the ceiling features zodiac constellations. Look up and see if you notice anything out of place. If you’re like me, you’ll have to be told that the zodiacs on the ceiling have been painted backwards. There are many theories as to the reason why but nothing is conclusive. You may also notice that there is a small dark patch on the ceiling. This has been left to show the comparison of the original ceiling colour before the restoration.
Before you leave, visit The Campbell Apartment, the restored private office of tycoon John W Campbell that is now the ultimate cocktail bar.
The Apartment was restored in 1999 and the room now evokes the atmosphere of the thirties. A perfect place for a quiet cocktail! Even though it is located in a corner of Grand Central Station, access is via 15 Vanderbilt Ave.
Have you been to Grand Central Station?
Grand Central Terminal
89E 42nd Street
New York
www.grandcentralterminal.com
Good morning, Jenny.
I was going to say good morning, ‘Lady with no name’ – but I’ve just found it!
Anyway, what I dropped by to say is I absolutely adore this building. Never been though I would like to think one day I might.
What is so appealing is that there have – by what you say and show – been superb restoration works. If we turn a blind eye to the modern day trappings of ticket machines and things like that, it’s easy to imagine the glorious and romantic days of steam with all the elegance that went with people dressing to travel. Unlike today when everyone seems to be in the obligatory uniform of jeans and T shirt!
And I have a horrible feeling you have just made me realise why my site isn’t getting many visitors 🙁
Time to review what I do…
Kind regards,
L
Thank you for visiting Linda and commenting.You certainly can imagine those early days of train travel as you wander through the station. It’s an elegant station! I hope you get to visit one day. Good luck with your blog.
Well that just shows how much we know about New York – I’ve never even heard of Grand Central Station. What an amazing building though. It would definitely be on my must sees if we did go.
Julia
I’m glad I’ve bought it to your attention Julia..only so that you don’t miss it if you do ever get to New York. It’s one of the iconic sights that should be seen…a stunning building and a tribute to another time in New York’s history.
I;ll have to include a stop here on my next trip to NYC. It really is a gorgeous piece of architecture.
It’s amazing architecture Leigh. Whilst you are there you can easily conjure images of train travel in the those early days!
Amazing! I’ve never been, but your photos make it look so impressive, and I love the idea of the whispering wall. What an amazing piece of architecture it is, and I bet a first time visit inspires a great big, “Oh my!’. Can’t wait to visit one day and your story has certainly inspired me.
Grand Central Station is so grand and so huge that at first it’s hard to take it all in. I wandered around for quite a while in awe. The whispering wall is certainly a must to check out when you visit Jo.
Lovely post! Grand Central Station is one of the beautiful places in N.Y. City. I was there this summer and was just in awe with my camera. Thank you for sharing
Thanks Cornelia. I agree, it is a stunning building. Did you get to see the Campbell Apartment as well…a real step back in time. I’ll pop over and see if you’ve posted your photos. Thanks for stopping by.
One of my favourite places in NYC!
There’s so much to love about New York isn’t there Tash! It’s one of my favourite cities too!
Grand Central is certainly filled with vibrant life as you would expect in NYC. I did not know about the whispering wall when we visited. I love the romance of Grand Central and the clock outside at night. The first photo is a beauty.
Thanks Jan. I didn’t realise that not many people knew about the whispering wall. The station is certainly one of the grand old buildings of the city.
I was so excited to reach Grand Central Station – and because I started that trip in Boston then ending up in Grand Central Station was actually my first stop in New York City – and it lived up to my expectations! I just stood in that massive hall and took pictures for ten minutes before I even surfaced in NYC. So impressive. Love your blog post to remind me of it all!
I’m glad I could bring back some memories for you Amanda. It is an amazing place…I can only imagine what you were thinking when you saw this as your first intro to NYC….nothing like our train stations!!
I love Grand Central Station!!!! I go there every time I go to New York. Now I want to go back because I didn’t know about the whispering wall. My son is working on Long Island right now and they have been evacuated because of the storm. Let’s hope everyone is OK.
It’s hard to think about what is going on in New York at the moment. I saw a photo of Grand Central Station with no one there…eery! I hope your son is OK. A good reason to go and see him and check out the whispering wall!
After all these years of hearing any place full of crowds being compared to Grand Central Station, I now know what it looks like!! Obviously not TOO crowded to get those great shots!! Love the idea of the Whispering Wall – it’s probably a similar principle to a dam wall downunder near Adelaide!
No it wasn’t too crowded the day we were there but then again we weren’t there at rush hour..that could be another story! I’ll have to check out the Adelaide dam wall. We tried this one out and it works! I stood in the corner and whispered sweet nothings to my husband who actually heard everything!!
I’m loving the cocktail bar. I could get very comfortable there 🙂
And had no idea about the whispering wall, either. Love little factoids like that.
We could easily pass a few hours there, couldn’t we Linda! You’ll have to check out the whispering wall when you’re next in New York!
That’s an amazing photo of Campbell’s Apartment. Grand central is wonderful – can’t imagine it wanting to be torn down at one point! Great post!
I know..can you imagine New York without Grand Central Station. It’s a shame that Penn Station was demolished. Campbell Apartment was a step back in time!
I went to the Grand Central Station for the first time this year in July. It was my first stop after I dropped my bags off at my nearby hotel. I loved it!
I visited the oyster bar and it was delicious accompanied with a nice glass of sparkling wine to celebrate my arrival.
My thoughts go out to those who were hit by Sandy.
Murissa
It’s hard to visit New York and not see Grand Central Station. What a great welcome for you Murissa! Did you stop at the whispering wall before going into the Oyster Bar.It’s tragic the destruction that Sandy has caused but Im sure New Yorkers will rally and the city will be back on its feet soon.
Hi Jenny. Love your NYC posts, but especially this one about Grand Central. I went to New York for the first time a couple of months ago and was really looking forward to seeing this building. It didn’t disappoint!
I tell you what though, I didn’t know about the cocktail bar. Looks like we’ve got yet another good reason to go back the New York!
Cheers.
Thanks Jim. I’m happy I can provide you with a reason to go back to New York…not that you need one! It’s a fabulous city isn’t it!
Loved this post, Jenny! It brought back wonderful memories of my one and only visit to Grand Central Terminal. I enjoyed the little bits of history you shared; I didn’t know about the apartment or the whispering gallery. Someday, I hope to return to NYC and revisit the station; it’s a lovely building.
Thanks Gayla. New York is one city I could live in. There’s so much to see and do there. Grand Central Station is a great example of there being more to it than you initially see. I hope we both get back there in the near future.