This massive domed station, which opened in 1913, is the most recognizable train terminal in the world and it’s hard to believe that it was ever demolished. A two-year, $ 196 million renovation in the 1990s saw the famous ceiling sparkle with stars and astrological symbols of the night skies restored to their former glory.
Pick up a map of Grand Central from the information booth in the main lobby before heading under the marble arches along your way. It’s here that train seekers will find the New York Transit Museum Gallery and Store, with exhibits of transit memorabilia, including a working signal tower and an antique turnstile housed in a 1930s subway station. Vanderbilt Hall, the former main waiting room, has a calendar of events, promotions and entertainment, and the station offers many opportunities to eat and shop.
Places like Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse NYC and the Cipriani Dolci cocktail lounge, inspired by a Florentine palazzo on a balcony, are to the west, while to the east you can find gourmet meals in the Grand Central Market. The Lower Level Dining Lobby offers inexpensive eats and take-out at 20 casual restaurants, while shopping ranges from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Store and Discovery Channel Store to Banana Republic and Aveda. Private and personalized tours of the station are available by appointment and free tours are offered on Wednesdays and Fridays at 12:30 pm. M.
As seen in many Hollywood movies and primetime TV shows, Grand Central Terminal is always bustling with activity.
