Undiscovered New York: Top 5 Grand Central Hotspots

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Today marks the first post in a new series for Gadling called “Undiscovered New York.” According to the latest statistics, there were 46 million visitors to New York City in 2007. There’s no doubt New York ranks among the world’s great tourism destinations in the U.S., if not the world. And with hotspots like the Empire State Building, Times Square, shopping in Soho and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it’s hard to argue otherwise.

But beneath the glitzy veneer of shiny skyscrapers, gaudy neon lights and trendy downtown boutiques, lies a New York that some visitors never get a chance to see. Beyond Broadway and away from Times Square are more than 300 square miles of territory spread across 5 unique boroughs, just begging to be explored. Join along as Gadling’s New Yorker-in-residence takes you inside some of the city’s lesser known highlights, hidden gems and forgotten spaces. We’ll hit some old favorites with a fresh look, and also visit some out of the way spots that wouldn’t find their way on to a “typical” New York tourist itinerary.

First up is this week is a closer look at one of Manhattan’s most famous landmarks, Grand Central Terminal. Though a train terminal has sat in this location since the 1870’s, the building as it is seen today dates to 1913. Sure, thousands of commuters pass through this majestic old structure every day without a second glance. And plenty of visitors also hurry through its wide passageways, stopping to check out the amazing ceiling in the main atrium before heading to the United Nations and Chrysler Building nearby. But If you haven’t had a chance to meander through all the parts of this amazing structure, here’s five reasons you should give it a second glance. Keep reading after the jump for our top 5 Grand Central hotspots.Hotspot #1 – The Campbell Apartment
Gaining its name from railroad magnate John W. Campbell, who used it as his office, the ornately appointed Campbell Apartment was built to resemble a 13th-century Florence-style Italian palace. After Campbell’s death, it was transformed into a closet for the transit police to store their guns and also as a jail. Thankfully, some kind souls have returned the room to its original glory in form of a swanky bar for your drinking pleasure. If you’re facing north, the entrance is on the west side of the terminal building. Oh, make sure to wear dress shoes – I know from personal experience they won’t let you in otherwise!

Hotspot #2 – The Oyster Bar
Another gem of Grand Central is the building’s Oyster Bar, a restaurant which first opened with the terminal back 1913. Except for a fire in the 1990’s, the restaurant has been serving delicious seafood ever since. Not a lot of restaurants can make that claim! Save an appetite if you’re around for lunch because the Oyster Bar has some of the best seafood around. I’m partial to their raw bar – toss back a few oysters while you take in the cavernous space and old-school interior furnishings. And make sure to stop at the Whisper Gallery just outside the entrance.

Hotspot #3 – The Food Court
It’s not widely publicized, but New Yorkers in the know will tell you that Grand Central boasts one of the best food courts in the whole city. If you’re thinking of the Orange Julius and Burger King at your mall back home, guess again. This food court is up to demanding New Yorker foodie standards, including sushi, Indian food, cheesecake and local favorites like Two Boots pizza, Brother Jimmy’s BBQ and a mini-kiosk of legendary midtown eatery Dishes. If you didn’t already stuff yourself on seafood, grab a table and some lunch here and watch thousands of frantic New Yorkers rush to catch their trains. It’s people watching at its best.

Hotspot #4 – The Main Concourse
No trip to Grand Central would be complete without a stop at the glorious main concourse atrium. The astrological mural on the ceiling was created by artist Paul César Helleu. Did you know Helleu actually painted it backwards? Woops. Apparently it was painted based on a rendering the artist found in a medieval manuscript. Also of interest is the hole in the ceiling above the image of Pisces. Back in 1957 the concourse played host to an exhibit of the new American Redstone rocket. The problem was the missile was so large it couldn’t fit through the doors – hence the hole to get it inside. The mark from the hole remains to this day.

Hotspot #5 – The Secret M42 Basement
Unbeknownst to most visitors, but deep within the bowels of this huge building is a secret basement known simply as “M42.” The room contains the electrical converters used to power the building and the electrified tracks. During World War II, the room was a closely guarded secret, as the power it provided was critical to all rail traffic along the Eastern Seaboard. Apparently even Hitler was aware of the room – rumor has it he tried unsuccessfully to send spies to sabotage it! This one is off limits unfortunately – you’ll just have to take my word for it…

Where have U.S. presidents traveled and a personal sighting

by Jamie Rhein on

The latest Concierge.com has an interesting slide show accompanied by text that covers various travel habits and destinations of American presidents through history. For example, Abraham Lincoln never left the United States, and Teddy Roosevelt is the first president to have traveled overseas while in office. Air travel had nothing to do with the amount, it seems. For example, check out Thomas Jefferson. He was an international traveling man for sure.

Browsing through the slides and texts is a bit of a history lesson, along with a glance at how presidents are tourists like the rest of us–except for the Secret Service. If you’ve ever seen a U.S. president in person, you’ve noticed the folks in suits.

The folks in suits is what tipped me of that I was about to get a presidential sighting when I was in Poland years ago. The first Bush–George Herbert Walker was in Warsaw at the same time. I was initially tipped off to some important happening by the American flags festooning the light posts of the street where we happened to be walking.

“Look at all those flags,” we said. “What’s that about?” The large parked cars with American diplomat license plates were another clue. “Hmmm, that’s interesting.”

“Isn’t President Bush on a world tour?” someone in my group asked. The dark suited men carrying walkie talkies and wearing sunglasses cinched it. We’d hang out with the rest of the commoners to see what came next.

Regardless of ones politics, there is something exciting about the hoopla that surrounds a presidential visit, particularly if you happen to be at a place where you didn’t expect a sighting. We might have been heading off for a bite to eat or to a museum. I can’t remember. As the years pass, the experience I remember most about the visit to Warsaw was that slice of time.

Before the motorcade approached, minutes after we stopped, the energy in the air crackled. People in the crowd craned their necks and stood on tip-toes, stretching for a glimpse. As the car road by and turned into the fortress of some official goverment type building, there was a flurry of waves and shouts in Polish.

My view of President George Bush, the elder, version and his wife Barbara was from a distance, but I could see both of them waving through the car window’s glass for a few seconds before they disappeared behind a gate and we continued on to wherever we were heading.

The photo is of President Dwight Eisenhower’s motorcade in Kabul. [Flickr/ Library of Congress via pingnews.]

Photo of the Day (9-10-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

As I was searching out shots of Denmark in the Gadling Flickr photo pool (they’re not many), I came across this one. Kronborg Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site is in

Got $10 million? Buy the world’s most expensive car

by David Breisch on

The world’s most expensive car is officially up for sale – well, ‘world’s most expensive’ according to Forbes, at least, although I suppose $10 million has to come pretty close. That’s the asking price for a Bugatti Type 41 Royale, a beautiful automobile designed by Ettore Bugatti and one of the rarest cars in existence. It came about in the 1920s when he was expecting to win a lucrative contract from the French military to build 16-cylinder aircraft engines. When the contract never materialized, Bugatti thought that using an engine half as big would make for a pretty cool car.

And he was right. The Royale produces almost twice the power of any V-8 built by any car company today, and remains the largest engine of any privately-sold vehicle. Unfortunately for Bugatti, production started right before the stock market crash of the late 20s. Hence, only six were ever built, and two of the six were never even sold – remaining with the Bugatti estate. One was apparently bricked up behind a fake wall during World War II. They were finally sold in 1950. The current owner of this particular car is unknown, though believed to be Japanese, and they have commissioned London’s Bonham & Brooks to sell the vehicle for at least $10 million. Interested? The phone number is 011 44 20 7393 3822. Go ahead. Make a bid.

Museum Day: Get cultured and learn something for free

by Jamie Rhein on

If the ticket price of the admission to museums makes you hesitate before pulling out your wallet, on Museum Day, September 27th, the price is right. It’s free–not all museums, but many.

Several museums and cultural sites across the U.S. have been enticed by Smithsonian Magazine to not charge on the 27th to promote Museum Day.

You do need an admission card for free admission, but one pass will get you and a friend in the museum of your choice’s door.

If you use the drop down menu on the Museum Day Web site, you can find out which museums are free in any state. I checked out New York state and found dozens. Reading the list is one way to find out the variety of museums there are.

One museum that fits the historical site category caught my attention in particular. Huguenot Street is in New Paltz and is where I dressed up like a Huguenot when I was in high school and gave tours on what was called Huguenot Day. The house in the picture is one of the houses that is part of the tour.

I found out about Museum Day from Tom Barlow, my friend at Wallet Pop. He swears that I told him about it last week. Where was I? I have no recollection. Here’s the link to the Museum Day admission card.