You'll Be Surprised To Learn These 11 Fascinating Secrets About New York's Grand Central Terminal
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Lea Monroe
Author
One of the world’s most visited attractions that New Yorkers often take for granted, Grand Central Terminal is an architectural treasure. Opened in 1913, you’ll find visitors from all over the world when you step foot inside of this elegant station. Personally, I always keep my eyes peeled for magical, animated books flying around because I can’t help but think that this place looks like a scene out of a future remake for the 1994 film The Pagemaster. This place is just undeniably full of life and boy if walls could talk! Amazing and chaotic, you’ll be surprised to learn these 11 fascinating secrets about our famous station:
New Yorkers, time to put your knowledge to the test!
Because a New York minute can go a long way, the departure times are all one minute earlier than when the train actually leaves. Giving you literally an extra minute to attempt to get to where you need to be.
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Anyone want to place bets before we reveal how much this famous four face clock is worth? Right on top of the Information Booth, you'll find the opal clock that is said to be worth upwards of $10 million dollars!
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You'd never know it, but just below the Information Booth in the middle of the station there's a spiral staircase! The staircase leads to the lower level Information Booth, a true hidden feature!
While it's easy to look up and become fascinated by this amazing work of art, you probably didn't notice that the painting is backwards. Yup! An error made by a French artist, the Vanderbilt family ended up claiming that the mistake was made on purpose, meant to be viewed as God would see everything from above.
If you take the time to look up and appreciate all that is above you in Grand Central Terminal, you'll find stunning chandeliers that aren't worthy of your wildest dreams. Bare and beautiful, the light bulbs are meant to remind visitors of the power of electricity. Amazing!
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If you aren't familiar with this restaurant then it's most likely that you've never stepped foot inside of Grand Central Terminal. Oyster Bar experienced a terrible fire in 1997, leaving almost all of its jaw-dropping ceiling ruined. If you look up and pay close enough attention, you'll be able to tell the difference between the original tiles and the newer, shinier ones.
In the Big Apple, you'll experience a lot of unusual things. So, to see a person standing in the archways of Grand Central Terminal with their back to the world and their face up against the wall isn't anything to give more than a second glance. Or is it? Just outside of Oyster Bar, you'll find archways that work as the coolest set of Walkie Talkies you'll ever play with. It's debated whether or not this feature was added on purpose, if two people stand in arches that are diagonal from each other, they'll be able to hear their whispers! Giving this amazing feature the name the "Whispering Gallery". And yes, this works even when it's noisy all around you!
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First off, I just want to tell my readers that I love you all dearly. It is because of this love I have for you, that I didn't turn today's post into an article on why I love this clock and all of the reasons why I could stare at pictures of it endlessly. With that said, this incredible beauty took numerous years to complete and has undergone extensive restoration in recent years. Many walk by this historical 48-foot high gem every day, not realizing it's the World's Largest Tiffany Clock.
The staircases you'll almost always find a crowd around and featured in your favorite TV shows or movies, they're surprisingly not completely identical. When Grand Central Terminal underwent renovations, the west staircase was built one inch smaller than the other side, to remind everyone of the history that the staircases weren't built at the same exact time. Who knew!
To many New Yorkers, The Campbell Apartment has been a long time favorite gem of Grand Central Terminal. A unique bar with a dress code that immediately lets you know you're not in Kansas anymore, the luxurious lounge will belong to a new lease-holder at the end of this month, one who has a different vision for The Campbell Apartment. While the upscale secret of the station has always been known as a place where you couldn't arrive in anything other than an outfit worthy of someone hanging out in the presence of James Bond himself, the new lease-holder hopes to change the vibe, allowing you to see visitors that are wearing jeans and a shirt. While the change of pace may sound like something that would be refreshing, the hearts of many are broken over the recent decision to evict The Campbell Apartment's longtime owner. So hurry, go experience this secret lounge before its history changes!
11. Added Bonus: Did you know there’s also a secret tunnel underneath the station that was once used by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to assist in hiding his paralysis?
To read more information about this secret tunnel, click here to read our post!
Whoever said secrets are no fun, clearly didn’t know any good secrets. To find out more about the Big Apple, check out these 10 Secrets You Never Knew About Central Park!
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