Grand Central Terminal's Secrets and Stories: An Audio Tour

Overview

Grand Central Terminal is one of the world’s top ten tourist attractions, with hidden features and fascinating stories. It’s also the setting for hundreds of famous films and novels, from Hitchcock’s North By Northwest to Salinger’s Catcher In The Rye. On this tour, you’ll spot the details others miss, like why its famous starry ceiling is backwards, why it has a hole for a rocket, and why it neglected to clean one tiny spot. You’ll learn how Grand Central birthed the phrase “red carpet treatment” and the word “commuter.” You’ll find out how “air rights” were conceived here – and how they made Grand Central possible and nearly destroyed it. As you walk around Grand Central Station, finding its often overlooked corners, you’ll learn how this historic landmark was created “by accident." By the end of the tour, you’ll have a deeper appreciation for this architectural masterpiece and engineering marvel that pioneered many features now common in transportation hubs worldwide.