The famed Grand Central Station is one of the most iconic places in New York City. It’s a place that you can visit as a tourist or if you are a local that wants to find a place to hang out. If you are in the process of traveling to New York City, you can check this place out for yourself. If you have just arrived and don’t want to carry your luggage around, you can use the luggage storage in Grand Central so you don’t have to worry. We’ll be taking a look at the 8 things that you didn’t know about Grand Central Station shortly. You’ll actually be surprised about some of the facts you didn’t know about. This place is no ordinary train station as you will find out below. You may be spending the day at the Empire State Building or checking out Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Yet, no trip to New York City would be complete without checking out none other than Grand Central Station (or as it’s called Grand Central Terminal). Keep reading to find out more about one of the crown jewels of the Big Apple.
About 750,000 People Pass Through Every Day
It’s true. More than 750,000 people will visit the Grand Central Station every single day. During the busiest time of the year like the holidays, that number will swell up to about 1 million. These passengers are diverse in terms of age, nationality, gender, and so on. In fact, 93 percent of the passengers that pass through here are college graduates. Because of this place, the corner of Vanderbilt Ave and 42nd Street is considered to be one of the busiest intersections in the city of New York. About 8000 people will pass through this intersection in particular every hour.
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No Trains Pass Through Grand Central
Even though close to a million people pass through Grand Central Station every day, not a single train does. At one point, this was a train station back when steam trains dominated the tracks. Since the adoption of electrified rails, this was no longer used as a train station per se. Hence why the name of Grand Central is known as Grand Central Terminal.
The World’s Largest Train Station
Two levels, 49 acres of land, 44 platforms, and 67 tracks. Yes, with those numbers, it’s considered to be the largest train station in the world, despite no trains ever going through here.
It Has An Upside Down Ceiling
If you look up, you’ll notice an astrological mural complete with well over 2000 different stars. Here’s where things get crazy. The ceiling is upside down. You are looking at a picture of the sky not from the ground view looking up, but from above. This was said to be a mistake that was never corrected. Yet, this ended up being one of the interesting features of Grand Central Station that people talk about to this day. They say that some of the most interesting things ever to exist happened by complete accident.
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The Whispering Gallery
If you go to the Dining Concourse, you’ll find an entryway that is arched. Stand on one corner and whisper to someone standing on the other corner. They will hear it without any issue. It’s one of the craziest discoveries you’ll find in New York City. Try it with a friend and you will be amazed.
The Clocks Are Very Expensive
How expensive you ask? About more than $10 million in total. These clocks are made from opal. Plus, they happen to be one minute fast. So if you feel like you’re late for something, don’t worry. You may be on time, but it may be enough for you to pick up the pace to get from point A to point B.
It Has Fancy Chandeliers
There is no train station on Earth that could have something this fancy. Grand Central Station has about 10 chandeliers. Each one has at least 110 light bulbs. Plus, the chandeliers have gold decoration. If that doesn’t spell classy, we don’t know what does. You might look up and wonder if you really are in a train station or a classy ballroom.
An Homage To The Vanderbilts
The Vanderbilts were responsible for building Grand Central Station. In fact, there are acorns and clusters of oak leaf located on every clock of the building. They are also engraved in the stone and on the light fixtures of the station. This symbolized one of the many things built by the Vanderbilt Family. Not to be outdone, the station itself sits on the corner of the avenue that shares the same name. Of course, who better than the name that was built by railroad to put together the world’s largest train station?