THE ARTS IN NEW YORK CITY Fall 2017 | Baruch College | Macaulay Honors

**Disclaimer: I did not read anyone’s story ahead of time, so we have similar themes then great minds think alike!**

Notes:

• The train stop aspect was really cool, it gave you a feel of the old steam trains
• Many people are walking busily and not taking in the beauty of the station
• The stars on the ceiling are lights
• The clock is the most accurate clock
• The whispering walls actually work
• The train lines have express and local as well
• The chandeliers are very heavy
• The windows can open
• One of the halls is booked for weddings up to four years from now

I was pleasantly surprised by this trip. When I think of Grand Central I think of commuting, not necessarily art. I was in a group with Jayne and Amy. We decided to take the express tracks on the map. I was surprised that the clock had sliding doors in the booth. I wish the tour could have taken us to the levels underneath. The signs on the ceiling were also so beautiful, because the ceiling is so vast that it actually begins to look like a sky-like dome. Also, the whispering hallway was definitely our favorite part of the tour. We were trying to decode the science behind it. I know that countless movies and shows have had scenes here, and Jayne even reminded me of Gossip Girl being filmed here which is one of my favorite shows. There are two historical elements that I find the most fascinating. One is that the windows were painted black during World War II to decrease the chances of the building being a target. Then, the second one is that Grand Central was about to be cut from existence if it weren’t form some Hollywood stars, and the former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy. It is so fascinating to think that anyone would want to shut down such a beautiful building.

For my short story, I would use two locations. I would use the whispering walls and the Eastern grand staircase. This story takes place in 2016 as the year is winding down and the holidays are taking place. There is a woman, the lead character, who has not seen her boyfriend in two years. She fears for his safety as he is a lieutenant in the army. She wishes he could return home for the holidays, but she knows that he already told her he would have to skip another year. Then, she receives a package in the mail. This package includes some riddles and puzzle pieces that involve going around the city, and the main point is that she ends up in Grand Central. After a day of roaming around the city and collecting hints, she ends up in Grand Central. One of the final riddles tells her to go to the hall with the whispering walls. She goes and she turns to the wall and asks it the question that was on the sheet, “What is my holiday present this year?” The wall replies with a “Follow me to find out.” She is puzzled and decides to turn around to the diagonal wall to see her boyfriend’s sister. She is so happy to see her, and she is told to follow. They walk to the Grand Staircase on the East end. There, her boyfriend is standing in his uniform with many balloons. She runs to him crying, and then he gets on one knee and proposes. The whole station is clapping for her and balloons are released.

The reason why I created a story of this nature is because no matter how cliché it is, Grand Central has an air of love. This is the perfect love story and setting.

-Marie Traore

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 5th, 2017 at 2:41 pm and is filed under Blog #9. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.