Grand Central Terminal

Saturday the weather was really cold and snowy, yet we still wanted to get out of the apartment and do something. We have been meaning to visit the Transit Museum Store in Grand Central Terminal, and since it was an indoor activity, it was the perfect choice for the day. 

Before heading into Manhattan, we did some reading on Grand Central and learned some interesting facts. Our visit kind of turned into a tour of the terminal. Grand Central Terminal, owned by the Vanderbilt's, was finished and opened in February of 1913. That means it turned 100 years old last year.

There is a section of hallway on the lower level between the Oyster Bar restaurant and the dining concourse that has arched ceilings. This 2,000 square foot section is known as the whispering gallery. We have walked through this hallway at least a dozen times and never knew that it was magic.

We stood in opposite corners and talked quietly. We could hear each other's voices as plain as if we were standing side by side. It was really cool. We found that it works better if you each face the wall when you talk. Apparently, lots of people know about this, because there were a lot of people there trying it out. This is my favorite discovery about Grand Central.

 

I've always admired the light fixtures that run along either side of the terminal's great hall. Apparently, the terminal was progressive in its day...its light fixtures were all powered by electricity. They left the bulbs bare on the fixtures to show off that fact.

We also learned that the terminal's famous blue-green ceiling, the one that sports the constellations, didn't always look so pristine. In the late 1990's they cleaned and restored the ceiling, which was basically covered in black grime. They analyzed some of the gunk they were removing and realized it consisted mostly of nicotine and tar, instead of the expected train smoke. They left one brick uncleaned so people can see how dirty the ceiling became because of all the smoking. The brick is much more visible to the naked eye than in the below picture. My little camera only zooms in so much. If you follow the line that runs through the Cancer constellation all the way to the bottom, you can see the black spot off to the left of its end - that's the brick. Like I said, it is more impressive in person.

Another cool fact about the ceiling is that it contains a hole from the late 1950's when they displayed a Redstone Rocket in the terminal. The rocket was just a tad bit too tall to stand upright, so they cut a circular hole in the ceiling to accommodate its height. They displayed the rocket in hopes of calming the American public's fears that Russia was outperforming the U.S. technologically in the space race. They left the hole in place as a reminder. You can still see the hole, located right above the Pisces constellation. Again in my less than stellar photo, it appears as a grayish dot.

I have always loved that they have the U.S. Flag displayed in the main room of the terminal. Apparently the flag was placed in the terminal right after 9/11 and has been there ever since.

The upper floors of the building by far are the most beautiful and ornate. As you go deeper towards the train and subway tracks, the place definitely loses its grandeur, and the granite, detailed moldings and golden aura turns to dirty, grey stone platforms. 

There are many, many more details and stories about this building that covers 48 acres. You can read more about the terminal here, here or here. It definitely is a fascinating building.