I absolutely love Grand Central Station. It is beautiful. I can only imagine the history in this place. Non stop! The architecture is amazing, the ceilings are beautiful the chandeliers are glorious, and all the marble... takes your breath away. I guess I sound silly but things like this thrill me. I love the beauty of it all.
Did you know? (Click for more exciting facts)
- Although the original Grand Central Depot was built in the same place as today's terminal, the location was not yet "central" to much of anything. The building was constructed to the north of the actual city.
- The original Grand Central Depot had a separate waiting room for immigrants so that other travelers could avoid associating with them.
- Although many people, including most New Yorkers, refer to the modern building as Grand Central Station, the correct name is Grand Central Terminal. A station is a stopping place along a route, while a terminal refers to either end of a railroad line.
- Each of the five chandeliers in Grand Central Terminal is gold and nickel-plated and has 144 light bulbs.
- The floor of Grand Central's Main Concourse consists of an entire half-acre of Tennessee marble.
- The southwest corner of the terminal was once the duplex apartment home of wealthy New York financier John W. Campbell.
- A decision of the Supreme Court in 1978 was needed to preserve Grand Central Terminal's landmark status and prevent developers from demolishing the building and replacing it with a six-million-square-foot office tower.
I love sitting and watching people. I love to hear the shouts of glee as some one comes running from one end to other with their arms stretched out just waiting to embrace their friend, family or love. It gives me a chill. Some faces are sad, others deep in thought. Business men, tourists, everyday people just moving from one end of town to the other. The fun (for me) comes when I try to imagine what they are thinking and make up a story in my head about it.
For example, I witnessed a woman scream with delight and take off running across the crowded terminal, so I watched her. Her path took her to a man standing near one of the marble staircases carrying nothing but a small back pack, looking ragged. A smile hit his face and he dropped his back pack and she jumped into his arms. That was cool, so I then start to imagine this romantic encounter. Thinking about what it took for them to finally be together and a silly "happily ever after" scenario. I am obviously a hopeless romantic.
It is hard for me to explore all the fascinating aspects of this building on the trips I take. My Mother and my children don't seem to share my enthusiasm for such things. They look and say, "Oh, nice!" and then move on. LOL! I try to force feed history down their throats and it is an agonizing effort. Maybe when they are older they will see what I see.
So if you ever visit the city be sure to stop in and check it out. You won't be disappointed.
