It might seem strange to bring people to a transit hub when they visit a city known for having some of the best live theater and art in the world, but if you ask me to show you around New York City, I’m definitely taking you to Grand Central Terminal. I’ve never lived very far from New York City, and this is one part of the commute that never gets old. I’ve seen Grand Central regularly since I was a child when my father put me on his shoulders to get a better look at “my friend the crab,” known to others as the constellation Cancer.
Far from the glass and steel modernist skyscrapers that make up much of Manhattan’s buildings from the mid-20th century, the opulent Beaux Arts Grand Central Station feels like a magnificent palace. However, this glorious building is for the people of New York — not its elite. Grand Central is one of the busiest train stations in the United States, with hundreds of thousands of people, locals, commuters, and visitors coming through the station every day.
No matter how many times I walk into the Main Concourse, I’m always struck by the sunlight streaming through the arched windows, the glimmering constellations on the vaulted ceiling high above, and the crowd rushing down its wide marble staircases and parting around its gleaming gold clock. More than a boat ride to the Statue of Liberty, the garish lights and crowds of Times Square, or an impressive nighttime view from the top of the Empire State Building, Grand Central feels like the heart of the city to me. It’s the epitome of an essential New York experience: having the most mundane parts of daily life happening in stunningly beautiful places steeped in history.
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How to see the best of Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal’s Main Concourse – Leopatrizi/Getty Images
New Yorkers get annoyed when tourists stop on the street to stare upwards, but we might make an exception in Grand Central if you step off to the side. Enter Grand Central Terminal through Pershing Square by the Viaduct so you can walk under the enormous Glory of Commerce statue. In ancient Greece, Zeus was the king of the gods; in New York, Hermes presides over the rest of the pantheon while beckoning people inside thanks to his association with travel and trade.
The celestial ceiling in the Main Concourse (pictured) is another reason to look up. Make sure to search for a tiny dark patch in one corner — it’s the accumulated filth from when smoking was allowed in the station. The entire ceiling looked like this until its restoration in 1996, but that tiny patch was left behind to show the transformation. Take time to notice the chandeliers and other light fixtures, too. When it was built, Grand Central Terminal was one of the very first buildings to have all electric lighting; having exposed bulbs on them all was a point of pride.
Head downstairs to find the Whispering Gallery, a beautiful Guastavino tile vault that would feel at home in a basilica or a mansion. If you and a friend stand in opposite corners facing inward, you can whisper into the wall and it sounds to the other person as if you’re standing next to them thanks to the way the sound carries across the ceiling. Another unique feature of the architecture is less romantic: The entire station is radioactive. Its gleaming polished granite walls have enough uranium in them to show up on a Geiger counter — but not enough to actually do you any harm, according to a nuclear researcher who spoke to ABC in 2011.
Eat, shop, and explore in Grand Central Terminal
Entrance to the historic Oyster Bar restaurant, Grand Central, New York City – Little Vignettes Photo/Shutterstock
There’s more than enough fun shopping and dining at Grand Central Terminal, from the gleaming Apple store and quirky Piq to essentials like Star Shoe Repair & Shine, to keep you occupied while you wait for your train. This beautiful train station is a destination in its own right. In fact, it’s tough not to miss your train when the Holiday Fair sets up in Vanderbilt Hall between mid-November and Christmas Eve! If you get hungry while you’re looking for secret stairs (in the information kiosk) or wondering if you can actually mail a postcard from the shiny gold Cutler mail chutes (you can) you have plenty of options. My go-to is a bagel from Zaro’s Family Bakery. It’s been in Grand Central since 1977, but the business dates back about a century in New York City.
There are upscale spots like the iconic Grand Central Oyster Bar, The Campbell (one of the country’s most stunning bars), the gorgeous French Grand Brasserie, or the chic Venetian Cipriani Dolci. In the Dining Concourse downstairs you can find more affordable stalls like my favorite chicken fingers and tasty pita bread at Chirping Chicken. For something sweeter, try a Shake Shack milkshake, Doughnut Plant (which often has gluten free options), or an adorable Magnolia Bakery cupcake.
Don’t miss the Grand Central Market upstairs, either. This hall is packed with vendors selling fresh food, spices, cheeses, chocolates, flowers, fruit, loaves of bread, and everything else that you might need to pick up on your way home to prepare a delicious dinner. Stop by the two that I frequent: Spices and Teas, where you can choose from bowls piled high with fragrant loose teas, and Dishes at Home, where you can pick up a hot meal that’s ready to go.
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Read the original article on Islands.