Any trip to New York City should include a visit to Grand Central Station. It may seem a bit strange to do this as in most other capital cities visits to their railway terminus do not feature on city guides. Grand Central Station NY is different. Walk into the railway station and look up at the immense elegant painted roof. Use the 42nd Street main entrance to experience the full impact of the grandeur of the main concourse built between 1903 - 1913.

I was not expecting how charming this NYC landmark turned out to be. The three large windows with curved tops at the end of the main hall give a cathedral like atmosphere to the building. This is helped by the line of similar but smaller windows along the length of the roof that during the day let in a lot of light. The iconic 100 year old architecture is special. It has been used in many films. The most recent being X men.

Its correct name is Grand Central Terminal but is commonly referred to as Grand Central Station. The underground New York subway metro station built under the railway station is technically the real Grand Central Station. But that is just a technicality.

The circular marble and brass pagoda in the center of the Main Concourse has a hidden, spiral staircase leading to the Information Booth on the Lower Level. 1994 During the restoration the clock was moved, just slightly, to align with the compass points of the building.

The vaulted ceiling is 125 feet high and measures 275 feet long by 120 feet wide. Look up at the ceiling and you will see arching over the 80,000 square-foot Main Concourse is a painting that is supposed to portray the Mediterranean sky with October-to-March zodiac and 2,500 stars. Sixty of the largest stars are illuminated and mark the constellations. If you know what the northern night sky should look like you may be able to spot an error.

 Some of the constellations have been painted back to front. The artist said this was not an error and that he had meant for them to be shown this way because he was copying the way medieval painters and map makers depicted the heavens as the would be seen from outside the celestial sphere. I think he was just making up a good story to cover up his mistake.

In 1913 electricity was new and not widely used. To show off, beautiful large nickel and gold-plated melon shaped chandeliers with electric light bulbs were commissioned and installed in the Main Concourse and Vanderbilt Hall.

The original plans called for two marble stair cases to be built but only one was constructed. During the restoration the second staircase was built. The staircase on the west side of the building by Michael Jordan's Steakhouse is the original staircase and the staircase leading to Metrazur on the east side of the building is new. The Eastern balustrades are slightly less elaborate to differentiate to old from the new. They are both modeled on the grand staircase of the Paris Opera House. Tennessee marble has been used to pave the floors.

You may notice that images of oak leaves and acorns has been used as decorations in different place around Grand Central Station. Have a look around the fountain and entrance to the platforms. The Vanderbilts who provided a lot of the finance for the station came from a humble background. They were new money. The images refer to the saying 'from an acorn a mighty oak shall grow'.

New York Grand Central Station Central Market

Off the main concourse is Grand Central Market packed with fresh Produce. There are five restaurants and cocktail lounges, a dining concourse with 20 less formal eateries including oyster bars, and 50 shops. Grand Central Station is also the site of art and cultural exhibitions and other events throughout the year.

A brief history of New York's Grand Central Terminal Station

Railroad and shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt built the first Grand Central Terminal in 1871, called the Grand Central Depot. It served three distinct rail lines, the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, New York and Harlem Railroad, and the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad. Each of these Railroad companies maintained its own waiting room, baggage facilities and ticketing operation at the station. After a catastrophic 1902 train collision in the smoke-filled Park Avenue Tunnel that killed 17 and injured 38, steam trains were banned.

The old station was pulled down and a new double level terminal for electric trains was constructed. This is the current Grand Central Terminal Station you can visit today. The architectural style in this Edwardian era is described in America as 'beaux arts'. It was designed to be grand and impressive. It had a massive marble staircase, long 75-foot windows and a unique star-studded ceiling. It was an immediate hit on the opening day. The design received many good reviews.

As New York developed many shops and office buildings were built nearby including the 77-story Chrysler Building. Grand Central Station soon became the busiest railway station in New York, filled to capacity in the morning and evening rush hour with commuters from the suburbs.

In 1967 New York City's new Landmarks Preservation Commission stepped in to designate Grand Central Terminal as a landmark protected by law, stopping the development plans that had been submitted to demolish the attractive Grand Central Station and replace it with modern office 55-story skyscraper tower.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority gained long-term control of the Grand Central Terminal in the form of a 110 year lease in 1994. They started extensive sensitive renovation work which returned the station to its 1913 splendor. It is a surviving example of the grandeur of old New York in the middle of modern Manhattan.

New York Grand Central Station Holiday Fair Christmas Market

If you are in New York for some Christmas Shopping you would have noticed that it is cold out there on the streets. Warm yourself up and enjoy the Indoor Holiday Fair Christmas market. It is held in the Vanderbilt Hall and there are 76 stalls run by some of the City's top shops. Browse among unique gifts like hand-painted table linens; handmade men's, women's and children's clothing; imported African crafts; mosaic mirrors; children's toys; and Japanese art prints.

The roof is used in a dazzling festive light show. It runs from the middle of November to Christmas Eve 10am - 8pm but it is closed on Thanksgiving Day. If you fancy braving the cold there is another Christmas market in Union Square in Manhattan for a bigger and more traditional Christmas experience.

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