Grand Central Terminal Reviews (New York, New York)

Another Hundred People just got off of the Train...

Manchester, United Kingdom

November 12, 2010

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Best of IgoUgo Once given leave to stay by the authorities on Ellis Island immigrants would be funnelled to New York’s train stations, from where they would be distributed out across a continent. Grand Central Terminal was always the biggest of these. But as its ...Read more Once given leave to stay by the authorities on Ellis Island immigrants would be funnelled to New York’s train stations, from where they would be distributed out across a continent. Grand Central Terminal was always the biggest of these. But as its name – terminal – implies, it was also the end of the line, and domestic migrants used it to flock to New York to try to make good their dreams. In Copacabana Lola has ‘just arrived, track 17, all the way from Tulsa’ ; in Sondheim’s Company a character remarks that ‘another hundred people just got off of the train’. Grand Central is a place of arrival and a place of departure – how romantic, and how fitting for my first visit to the United States.

I spent two hours at Grand Central, and not because I was actually using the trains there (these days all services are local lines – Lola would not be able to get back to Tulsa, Okla, from here). Instead I turned up for a free tour. Every Wednesday at 12 :30 the Municipal Arts Society run a tour to explain the terminal’s history, architecture and legends. This is a free tour, though a donation at the end is expected. The tour is scheduled to last 90 minutes though our group’s guide – Marty – admitted in advance that he in particular often ran over. He did, but his detailed and (very) enthusiastic presentation was worth the extra. Certainly give yourself two hours to take part.

We started off in the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal (always ‘terminal’ – if you ask a local for ‘Grand Central Station’ they may well direct you to the nearby post office which is the only location in the city to go by that name). This huge vaulted space (470 feet long by 150 feet high) with its central ticket desk is instantly recognisable from a hundred cultural references. Yet it did not always look as good as it does currently. In fact, it is a miracle that the terminal even exists in its current form today. A tower block was almost built over it in the 1970s until public opposition from the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis stopped the developers in their tracks (pun unintended). Regardless, very little maintenance was carried out post-WWII. The ceiling was black with tar and nicotine from cigarettes. The windows had been blacked-out during the war and never uncovered. There was a hole in the roof dating from 1957 when a Redstone rocket had been installed here to pep up a populace worried by the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik. The central information desk was covered over with plywood boards. Plaster and paint flaked from walls and ceilings, rain collected in puddles, bums panhandled on the ramps leading to the lower concourse. It is to the enormous credit of Metro North that when they took over the lease in the 1980s/90s they spent an absolute fortune to restore it to its former glory – they even completed the original design by adding in the matching eastern staircase that had been left off in 1913 (in those days no one worthwhile lived to the east of Park Avenue so why bother providing them with a convenient entrance ?). It is now as breathtaking within as its original Beaux Arts frontage is without ; more so, I would say !

The main concourse connects the 42nd Street frontage (to the south) to the main level platforms (to the north). Stairways rise to the west and east. At its centre stands the main information stand, topped with its famous spherical clock, its four faces fashioned from thin-cut opal sheets (it has been valued at between ten and twenty million dollars). The chandeliers as well are intrinsically valuable, having been fashioned from gold (and not just gilded as had been assumed for many years). These latter hang from the towering barrel-vaulted ceiling. Now the black goo that once coated that ceiling has been removed (except for one small section) to reveal a turquoise sky, spattered with 2500 golden stars and constellations. The Vanderbilt family commissioned a French painter, Paul César Hellau, to decorate the ceiling with stars. After its unveiling it was casually pointed out to them that the stars were in the wrong place – they were actually gazing up at a mirror image of the night’s sky. Rather than admit that the artist probably had his original design the wrong way up they improvised – the constellations, they said, appear as they would do to God, looking down at the city from above !

Marty led us outside and across 42nd Street to admire the grand frontage. The clock outside is the world’s largest example of Tiffany glass. Notably Park Avenue here lifts off at Pershing Square and becomes a ‘circumferential elevated driveway’ (it wraps around the exterior of the building at first storey level). I have to admit there is something quite fun about finding yourself in a taxi which suddenly takes off and drives up above the roads and sidewalks down below. Here he explained about the growth of the railroads in New York in the 19th century and the dangers inherent with the early locomotives. ‘Commodore’ Cornelius Vanderbilt was the railroad tycoon who authorised the construction of the first Grand Central Depot on this site. This later became Grand Central Terminal – when the latter was constructed between 1903-1913 the tracks were electrified which meant that they could be safely buried in tunnels beneath the northern part of Park Avenue (boilers, fires and smoke were not an ideal tunnel combination in the 19th century and disasters were frequentl ; as such at one timem municipal laws dictated that the trains had to be towed through the tunnels by horses). This enabled the selling of the air rights over the tunnels, bringing in more capital.

We returned via the western Vanderbilt Avenue side entrance, where the 1920s office of John W Campbell has been renovated as a rather nice – if very manly – cocktail bar called The Campbell Apartment. It is very Mad Men, all heavy tartans and dark woods and with the office’s original safe in its false fireplace. From here we descended to the lower concourse and the Food Court. The most famous eatery down here is the Oyster Bar which has been in almost continuous operation since first opening in 1913. It is also a very bad place to divulge secrets in – the acoustic properties of the Guastavino tiles are such that whispers often carry across to the other side of the restaurant. All the other food stalls down here are one-offs or small local independents. No Golden Arches here ! Rebecca and I returned after the tour to visit Juniors, where we shared a big chunk of the New York cheesecake for $6.25. This is very good value, as it works out to only one cent for every three calories ! I was glad we only had one to share as it was certainly big enough for two.

Grand Central Terminal is not just a train station. It is a shrine in honour of both the golden age of locomotion and the ‘gilded age’ of New York society, where fantastically wealthy dynasties (many of whom had gained their position by pretty unscrupulous means) began to plough back their riches into the city, remaking (and in many cases renaming) it according to their desires. The size and ornateness of Grand Central is a tribute to an age when form was as important as function. The Municipal Arts Society’s free tour brings that age to life. This is not just a tour about a railway station, of interest only to civil engineers and trainspotters. This is a tour that sheds a light upon the development of New York as one of the world’s greatest cities. Close

From journals Welcome to New York, New York, New York - It's a Wonderful Town!

The Heart of New York City

by menezio

Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil

October 11, 2009

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Completely restored back to it's 1913 splendor, Grand Central has become a midtown destination for five exquisite restaurants and cocktail lounges, 20 casual international eateries in the lower level Dining Concourse, gourmet foods from the Grand ...Read more

Grand Central Terminal

by ripplefan2

Queens, New York

July 31, 2007

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Best of IgoUgo While walking along 42nd Street, it's hard not to stop and look at awe at the architecture that is Grand Central Station. Stretching from Vanderbilt Avenue all the way down to Lexington Avenue, this monster of a building is filled with some of New ...Read more While walking along 42nd Street, it's hard not to stop and look at awe at the architecture that is Grand Central Station. Stretching from Vanderbilt Avenue all the way down to Lexington Avenue, this monster of a building is filled with some of New York's coolest sights.

On any given day, you can get lost in the crowds of the main hall of the terminal, so keep your wits about you, especially if you are visiting it during the week and catch it at rush hour; it's nuts. But there is so much to do and try that Grand Central alone could keep you occupied most of the day.

Now, there is an old superstition that if two people, standing on opposite diagonal corners, and speak in normal voices, you can hear each other perfectly. The only problem with this is that the main hall is never empty enough to even hear your own thoughts, let alone a person speaking from across the hall. The best time to try it out would be at like 3am when no one is around, but the hall is closed. I guess we’ll never really know, but it's cool to think about it.

There is also, in the main hall, up on the ceiling, near the Vanderbilt entrance, a brick from when the building was first erected. Well all of the bricks are original, but this one has never been cleaned or re-painted so as to show the transformation of the building. It's a pretty unique sight and the color difference is amazing. Check it out.

Back to the building though. Besides the main hall and its shops, there is plenty to see in the rest of the building. In the basement for instance, there is a plethora of restaurants that offer everything from American cuisine to Indian and everything in between. The lines here get pretty freaking long fast, so either come before 11:30am or after 1pm (the lunch rush) and you should be alright. Now finding seating while down here is a whole other story. An available seat is like a credit card with no interest ever; it just doesn't happen. So you will either be eating your food standing or you will head somewhere else. The area surrounding Grand Central has so much to offer, that going hungry here is impossible. So, while walking humbly down 42nd Street, Grand Central should be a stop of yours just for its sheer beauty. But, if the architecture outside doesn’t grab your attention, the hoards of people entering and exiting the building should. The crowds are unbelievable, so keep your wallet in a safe place; pick pockets love crowds, beware. But enjoy! Close

From journal 42nd Street

Grand Central Station

by mtemail

Huntsville, Ohio

July 9, 2006

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Best of IgoUgo Grand Central Station is a terrific place! Its massive size and constant buzz of humanity will be amazing to all and I would recommend taking the kids there! The ceiling has a zodiac and star theme, and be sure to have the children find the one spot ...Read more

From journal New York City With the Whole Family!!!!! 2006

Grand Central Terminal

by Whiterabbit79

Merritt Island, Florida

December 23, 2005

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Grand Central Terminal--what a marvel. We entered the terminal via a side entrance that is located just past the Grand Hyatt on Park Avenue. You may think that by taking a side entrance to the terminal it will be less hectic, but you will be wrong. ...Read more

From journal New York City ... Winter Wonderland

Grand Central's Whispering Gallery

by KDKerr

Knoxville, Tennessee

May 24, 2005

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Best of IgoUgo A whispering gallery is an area with a domed ceiling where two people can softly converse even though they are standing many feet (or meters) apart. The two most famous examples are found within St. Paul's Cathedral in London and Statuary Hall in ...Read more

From journal Eating, Drinking & Merrymaking All Over NYC

Grand Central's Sky Ceiling

by KDKerr

Knoxville, Tennessee

May 6, 2005

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Best of IgoUgo In 1994, a restoration of Grand Central's "Sky Ceiling" depicting the zodiacal constellations began and was completed in 1998. It was meticulously cleaned to reveal its aquamarine color, and shimmering paint along with gold leaf was applied to the ...Read more

From journal Eating, Drinking & Merrymaking All Over NYC

Grand Central Terminal

by Jaysour

Maryville, Illinois

February 10, 2005

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We stopped in Grand Central Station for a quick bagel with cream cheese at one of the local shops. The inside of the station is just gorgeous, with all the intricate detail, from the marble steps to the huge windows overlooking all the ...Read more

From journal New York in a Day

Grand Central Terminal

by Muchmor

Belleville, Ontario

October 25, 2004

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Best of IgoUgo Grand Central Station is one of those places you have to go to whilst in New York, as it is featured in so many films. How many times have you seen people meet here or leave loved ones there, or seen people running from the police and disappearing ...Read more

From journal A Week in New York

Grand Central Terminal

by BeAdventureous!

Little Rock,, Arkansas

August 12, 2001

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The main concourse of Grand Central Station covers 375'. Built by Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1871 as a rail palace and gateway to the city its 125' vaulted ceiling features painted constellations and lighted stars. Hercules frames the 13' clock that ...Read more

From journal New York with Teen-agers at Christmas!

IgoUgo

Grand Central Terminal

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