Hey, that’s Grand Central Station you must be hollering out to your friends and family! But chances are you are preaching to the converted. If you’ve been to NYC, or even wandered through its history, the cacophony and the sheer volume of humans who pass through each day, it’s one of the world’s best tributes to what humankind can do when it wants to. Grand Central Terminal (officially Terminal, though almost everyone says Station) dominates Midtown Manhattan as one of the most recognizable public spaces on earth. Opened in 1913, it was financed by the legendary tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt to replace a chaotic, steam-powered rail depot. Grand Central is an enduring cultural icon because it blends monumental Beaux-Arts architecture with a labyrinth of engineering marvels and cinematic romance. It was designed not just to move passengers. The
first thing that stops visitors in their tracks is the soaring, 125-foot vaulted cerulean ceiling featuring 12 gold-leaf constellations and 2,500 stars. And if that’s not enough, you can spend an afternoon uncovering and discovering the art, the marble and the immense thought put into it. The “Oops” Detail: Shortly after opening, an eagle-eyed commuter noticed that the entire zodiac map was painted backwards. The Vanderbilt family quickly spun this error into a luxury branding flex, claiming it wasn’t a mistake but rather intentional—designed to show the heavens from God’s point of view rather than man’s.
The Cigarette Patch: Look closely at the edge of the ceiling near the constellation Cancer, and you will spot a tiny, dark rectangle. When the city meticulously cleaned the ceiling during a massive restoration, they realized the thick black grime wasn’t train soot, but rather decades of 70% nicotine and tar from millions of New Yorkers smoking indoors. They left that one patch uncleaned to serve as a historic warning. Perched directly atop the central information booth is the four-sided brass and opal glass clock. It is the ultimate geographic anchor of Manhattan—the birthplace of the phrase, “Meet me at the clock.” Beyond its beautiful Beaux-Arts design, the solid opal faces are estimated by auction houses to be worth between $10 million and $20 million. We could go on and on, but it’s only pale comments until you stop, look and drool. Watch the video above.
If you want the full nine yards (no pun intended) step out of the station and on to one of the AMTRAK trains there. The company has had its ups and downs, and comparisons to Europe or Asia rail, AMTRAK has a long way to go. We’ve done it, several times, and the AMTRAK experience is getting better every day. Take the train. Leave the car. Save the planet.
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