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

Ariel Margolin

Blog Assignment #9

Calling Grand Central inspirational is the understatement of the decade; it is perhaps the most noteworthy place to the creative soul as this is the main entry point into the city, a place where new, bright-eyed hopefuls enter, and where weary, down-beaten wayfarers wave their hats goodbye. In my tour, I found quite a few spots where I could see a story-point being developed, places that would complement the story’s narrative beautifully and bring the idea being delivered to new heights.

This balconied walkway instantly struck me as the quintessential place of character self-reflection. When I saw it, the first image to go through my head was of a male character with his elbows resting on the side, looking of pensively.

This quaint nook within Grand Central I could see being a place where two characters are discussing something rather important.

This ramp to me is a lesser-known space of Grand Central where the last scene is played out as the character walks off into the decision he has made. The feeling of it being the end of something or a segway into another place would serve to add to the drama.

The story I came up with would be of a short film. This film’s story line would be of a 30-something man who has decided to rekindle the relationship with his estranged father after an out-of-the-blue phone call. As the protagonist arrives to Grand Central to take the train out of the city, he is engulfed in indecision. The balcony would be the place where his predicament sets in and he has a good thinking regarding it, and the cameras would follow his thoughts regarding the rocky relationship he left behind all those years ago. He would decide against going and turns back, but before leaving he has a drink at the bar. In the Grand Central bar, he sees a father and son having a good time and reverses his choice, deciding to see his father. The credits would roll as he turns his back and walks down the ramp signaling his decision.

Listening to the audio made exploring Grand Central all the more valuable. As New Yorkers, we walk around and about landmarks that are famous and valued all over the world, without really knowing much about them or even observing them. The information that I learned from the audio tour really added value to my visit and helped me add to my true New Yorker knowledge. I had visited Grand Central Terminal once before and recently, too; between work appointments, my mom and I were around Grand Central and she asked me when was the last time I had been there. Admitting that I’ve only seen it in Gossip Girl, my mom insisted that we walk through the Main Concourse on our way to our next meeting. Being in Grand Central Terminal for a longer period of time and with the help of the kind audio tour voice, I noticed and learned many things about this legendary place. Here are some of my notes:

• Oh, look! There’s a fish on the ceiling, that my zodiac sign! There must be more to the lights on the ceiling.
• The question is, how were those lights changed out? Well, people actually got themselves up there and changed them with long-lasting LEDs. That must simply be part of maintaining such a complex and prized landmark. – Learned from Audio
• Window Audio: It was very loud when I listened to the information about the windows. I learned that they open because there must have been ventilation before air conditioners. I also learned that they were (obviously) designed to let in light and then if I look I might notice… oh I didn’t hear that last part. And then I saw someone walking in the window. Let me listen to that again. So it turns out that each window has five passageways that connect different buildings on the sides of Grand Central Terminal. And this was all thought of in 1903???
• In the midst of all of the people that simply didn’t stop walking for a second, quickly in straight lines or in diagonals or rapidly around tourists, there was a beautiful couple. A woman wearing an exquisite white lace dress and nude Christian Louboutin heels that you couldn’t take your eyes off,  next to a tall handsome man wearing a clean-cut luxurious suit. They stood out of the crowd and at the same time blended in with the grandiose setting that was once filled with movie stars.

A true story:

For me, living in America means opportunity, education, higher standard of living, and being far away from great-grandma, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. So, time spent with these people is sacred. Being in Bulgaria for a year was a great opportunity for me to spend time with them and every day I wish I had spent another moment with them. I am most lucky to have health. My family is healthy and I wake up every day feeling grateful for this. When something is wrong, I remind myself that I am the luckiest person because everyone is healthy. And one day, on Tuesday to be exact, I wake up and the first thing I learn is that my healthy, active, loving grandpa has passed. So sudden and so abrupt, that it is still hard to believe.

After a long morning, filled with details and feelings I don’t wish upon anyone, I decide there is no way I am going to Grand Central today. Sharing this is my dad, he reminded me how much grandpa loved New York City and how happy he would be if I used this opportunity to explore a wonderful place. I agreed and it was the best way I could have spent that afternoon. I walked around and listened to the audio and distracted myself from my reality. I learned new things and realized how massive Grand Central actually is. And after listening to the tour, I returned the audio and sat on the steps in the Main Concourse.

Roughly, the population of San Fransisco walks through this place every single day. Those are about 750,000 people, lives, stories, loved ones, with pets, children, problems, and adventures. And walking around the precise clock on the information desk made me think that not one of these people can run away from time. Everyone is battling against the clock. Will you be late to work or to class? Should you run to catch the train? When will your coffee cool so that you could drink it and do you have time to run to the bathroom before you’re late?

Grand Central Terminal is a microcosm. It has created a place where the fight against the clock is illustrated in full detail. Observing the people running around the Main Concourse and catching segments of conversations, I thought about how every single person in this grand place has a story and a train to catch, theoretically. I tried to imagine different stories that people have and where they are headed to. I wanted to tell every grandpa that his grandchildren love him. I wondered what each person wanted to tell the world and what message they would send to the world in this moment of their lives.

I felt very grateful that all of the coincidences and planned events in my life have led me to a moment in which I found a place to escape in the heart of New York City. Grand Central Terminal is a wonderful place for movies and stories and poems that want to catch a glimpse of life while its happening. Grand Central Terminal is a place that New Yorkers could escape and imagine they are in a Gatsby movie or in Bulgaria or just wherever they want to be.

View from the steps.

IMG_0799

Ellen Stoyanov

I’ve been in Grand Central many times and I’ve definitely stopped to look around a few times. But I never really explored. I never knew about the The Whispering Gallery but it was my favorite part of the trip. I learned that if two people stand in diagonal corners of the gallery and speak into the wall, it will sound like the other person is standing right next to you and speaking. I was kinda skeptical and couldn’t believe it when it proved to be true.

The first thing I actually noticed when standing in the middle of Grand Central was was the mural on the ceiling. I’m a strong believer in zodiacs and I was so excited to see the constellations on the ceiling. I was excited to see my Taurus sign up there, but I noticed that 6 of the signs were missing, which was unfortunate but realistic because the art didn’t go all the way around. It was really cool to see that and to see little lightbulbs light up some of the stars on the ceiling.

While listening to the walkthrough, our group headed toward the Market. We realized that there was a mural somewhere in the Graybar Passage. The little phone that told us facts about Grand Central showed a picture of the mural and we walked all around to try to find it, but we just couldn’t. We looked at all the walls and just couldn’t figure it out, until we looked up. We thought the mural would be on the wall but it was actually on the ceiling. It was the only ceiling in the whole hallway that was painted. 

On May 15^th, 1995 two little girls were born in a small Dayton, Ohio hospital. One was named Kristina and the other Olympia, born just 5 minutes apart. The families of each of the girls had no knowledge that the other existed and took the girls to their homes after a few days at the hospital. The girls grew up separately and eventually met eachother in preschool. They were placed into the same class and instantly became best friends. They had so much in common besides their birth date. Kristina and Olympia joined soccer together and had lunch at the same cafeteria table every single day. They shared everything from Barbie dolls to fruit snacks. Kristina and Olympia were inseparable until Olympia’s father got transferred to New York for work.

At 12 years old, the best friends were separated completely. Once Olympia made the move to NYC, they tried to keep in touch by writing letters and sending eachother presents, but eventually the distance got the best of them. Kristina’s family bought a new house and Olympia’s letters eventually got lost in the mail.

Fast forward 10 years and Olympia was still living in NYC. She decided to attend Fordham in the Bronx and commute to school every day. She went through Grand Central on a daily basis but never really stopped to examine the station. One Tuesday, as Olympia was on her way to class she got an email from her professor cancelling the class. Instead of heading to school anyways to prepare for the following class, Olympia decided to stay around Grand Central and see what she has been missing. She first stopped by the market and grabbed herself some pasta and found herself a seat to eat her food.

On this same day Kristina found herself making her way to the NYU dorms to finalize her move to NYC. Her things have flown in and everything was waiting for her at her dorm. She decided to make a stop in Grand Central because she’s watched Gossip Girl one too many times not to take in the beauty of the well known station. She walked down to the main concourse and looked up at the ceiling looking up at her zodiac sign; the Taurus. There was one attraction that she has always wanted to see. The Whispering Gallery.

While Olympia was enjoying her meal, she realized that she never experienced the wonder of The Whispering Gallery. She has heard about people going there and able to hear someone from across the gallery as if they were right next to them. She walked down to the gallery and examined her surroundings. She saw a girl standing in the conrner speaking into the wall just like she was supposed to. Olympia crossed the gallery and stood in the diagonally placed corner and whispered “Hello?”. “Hello. What’s your name?” she heard in response. Quickly she turned around because the voice seemed to be coming from someone standing right next to her, but no, it was the girl across the room. The gallery really does make the voice travel. Olympia whispered her nickname “Oly” in response and the voice said “Hi, I’m Kris” back. Before Olympia could hear Kristina’s response, her phone rang and she had to walk away to answer it. Her friend wanted to meet up for coffee and so she made her way up to Fordham.

After her little trip to Grand Central and fun encounter with a stranger at The Whispering gallery, Kristina traveled down to meet her new roommate and get ready for the semester.

Grand Central Station is certainly a place that evokes awe. With soaring ceilings sprinkled with constellations and Beaux-Arts scrollwork, it is truly a unique building in the cityscape of Manhattan. When I entered the Main Concourse, for the first time in quite a while, I was blown away. Pictures, as its grandiose is often lost, have not done the icon justice. Seeing it for myself, walking through the nooks and crannies, and truly learning about them has shaped a unique perspective for me of Grand Central Station. Some facts and features, though, left an even deeper impression on me:

• The windows are really walkways, there are two walls of glass that connect the four towers in the corners. They painted windows during WWIl to block light from reaching enemy planes.

• The Biltmore room, named for the hotel on top of it, was known as the Kissing Room, reminiscent of the hugs and kisses that occurred there when people traveling from far away returned home.

• The ceiling is painted cerulean blue and depict the zodiac constellations. 60 stars, the most notable constellations, are actual lights that were changed by hand above the ceilings.

• Grand Central Station really lends itself to romance of the trains of the past, especially those like the Pullman sleeping and dining cars. 

Using these notes, I tried to imagine a story that would illustrate the childlike experience of wonderment in being in Grand Central Station. The result:

Her little footsteps are deafening in the screaming world around her. She darts behind strangers and weaves her way through the scarves and coats of the crowds, searching. The rays of moonlight are blackened, and she looks upwards to the only source of light coming from the twinkle of the constellations strewn across a cerulean sky. She runs to the Biltmore Room and gazes at families hugging and crying and families kissing and rejoicing. They look at her, but she is unaware of their pitiful glances; instead, she looks at her face in the shining buttons of their uniforms. They came home tonight. She races up and down the stairs and raises her eyes towards the paint-covered windows, trying to see into the artificial night. She salutes the flag that hangs over her head, just as she has seen him do. Poking her fingers through the holes of her sweater, she raises her arms heavenward and dances in the darkness, just as she always had with him. He’s coming home tonight. So, she waits. And waits. And waits. The clock adorned with the acorn strikes one, strikes two; one world war, two. He has been gone, but he has not left her. She, his child, is not alone. He’s coming home tonight. But she’s been waiting. And waiting. And waiting. The people pass by in a blur, disappear under the archways, and meet in the center. As the vision of his smile grows, her eyes become heavy. Tick-tock, and she sleeps at the clock. They approach her as they have done for weeks and take hold of her hand. They lift her up, untangle her fingers from the holes in her sweaters, and straighten the red ribbon that sits atop her head. They try to remove and bring her home, bring her mind home. But she is awakened and makes a dash for the windows and stares out into the painted darkness. He’s coming home tonight. And she continues to wait. And wait. And wait.

When assigned to go on an audio tour of Grand Central Station I was kind of bummed thinking that it was I have been a bunch of times and didn’t need to learn about. I thought I had all of the insider knowledge of Grand Central Station before the tour, however, the tour made me realize how little insider knowledge I actually had. I received prior insider knowledge due to me commuting to Grand Central Station once a week. One of the most efficient modes of transportation for me is to take a train from Grand Central Station to the Scarsdale train station, which is about 5 minutes away from my house. I have been in and out of Grand Central hundreds of times and each time I discover a new part or aspect of it. Today, when going on an audio tour of Grand Central I easily learned more about the building’s history and structure than any of my previous visits. During my previous visits, something that has occurred a dozen of times and always stood out to me is seeing a bride and groom take wedding pictures in the main concourse of the Grand Central Terminal. It amazed me that at a train terminal was the setting people wanted their most cherished pictures taken. The abundance of people taking their wedding pictures here emulate Grand Centrals beauty. The architecture is truly spectacular. The main concourse where over 700,000 people walk through on any given day (including a groom in a tuxedo and a bride in her white gown) consists of magnificent Beaux-arts architecture and walls of glass which are 60 feet glass windows.

A story I would create in Grand Central Station with my insider knowledge on the structure would be a love story between a man and a woman who bump into each other and meet in the main concourse of Grand Central Station at 6:35pm on a Sunday afternoon. After meeting, their relationship escalates and they meet at the food court of Grand Central Station for a date at a different food place every week. Due to the man living in Crestwood and the woman living in Stamford, Grand Central Station because the foundation and the place of gathering. Before each date the man walks to the Biltmore room in Grand Central and gets his shoes shined at Eddie’s Shoe Repair and buys the woman flowers from DAHLIA. The lovebirds continue to have their Grand Central date once a week for the next seven years. After seven years of unconditional love, the man brings the women to the middle of Grand Central and when “the clock”, the four-faced clock over the information desk in the middle of Grand Central, hit 6:35 on that Sunday evening, the man got down on one knee and proposed. It was a huge scene as hundreds of family and friends cried from the second floor of the main concourse. Grand Central police officers, engineers and strangers applauded during the proposal. The man and woman continued to utilize the magnificent Grand Central and took their wedding pictures there.

Andrew Langer

The Man bought flowers for the Woman at DAHLIA in the Biltmore Room

The Man got his shoes shined before each date at Eddie’s Shoe Repair in the Biltmore Room

“The Clock”- Is the place where the Man and Woman meet and where the Man proposed to the Woman

Grand Central Station holds a significant place in my heart. Not because I’m a daily commuter that takes the trains from Grand Central Station, but because it was the first place I visited as a tourist of this great City. Upon our arrival to New York from Texas, many friends and family wanted to show us the wonders of New York City. As a 10-year-old, the one thing I remember from those trips to the City were not the bright lights or even the tall skyscrapers, it was the Whispering Wall from Grand Central Station. The idea that someone 20 feet away from me could hear me talking was something that not only perplexed me, but it made my young self believe that anything was possible in my new hometown called New York City.

Although Ron, Sarin and I visited the Grand Central Market, the Biltmore Room, the Ramps, the Golden Clock, Ticket Booths, and other sites on the audio tour, the Whispering Wall ironically spoke the loudest to us. Upon getting the map of Grand Central Station, I immediately knew where I wanted to go first so I could show Ron and Sarin the moment where my mind was blown. I wanted to be the one that showed them this hidden treasure of New York City because then they would always remember our trip to Grand Central Station together and recall it to the Whispering Wall, just as I had done when I heard we were visiting Grand Central Station.

Story:

In the fall of 2008, the Baruch Foreign Exchange Program began inviting young High School student to come enjoy a semester in New York. Andrew was 14-year-old foreign exchange student from Australia eager to learn about the wonders of New York City. Upon his arrival, his host family was eager to show him the best spots of New York City. The Smith family wanted to make sure Andrew felt comfortable in his new environment so they did everything in their power to make him feel at home.

When Mrs. Smith asked Andrew what he wanted to see in New York City, he asked to be surprised. Anything would make him happy but something not many other tourists experienced was what Andrew really wanted. He wanted the experience that would give him the ability to brag to his other Australian friends who were dying to go to New York City.

To grant his requests, the Smith family took him to the heart of New York City. They showed him the best spots in the City, from Rockefeller Center, Central Park, Times Square, the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, Statue of Liberty and even Gantry State Plaza to see the skyline of the City in its best view.

Andrew had taken a million and one pictures and was satisfied with his trip to New York City. He had visited all the popular spots in the City, something he always dreamed of. The one thing that was missing was the surprise factor from the trip. In every location he visited, he was blown away by the lights and tall buildings, but had expected all of it because he had seen it on every tourist site.

After 2 months, Andrew finally got his surprise moment as he was leaving New York City. In Grand Central Station, he was waiting for the train that would take him to JFK Airport. While waiting, he saw a class of students on the bottom of the ramps making a considerable amount of noise. Curious to see what he was missing out on, he decided to go take a look. Upon investigating the students as to what they were doing, he understood why they were so surprised and excited. He decided to give the Whispering Wall a try. To his surprise, he could hear the voice of a student across the platform. Not sure how this was possible, Andrew smiled to himself and realized that as he was leaving New York City, the City itself surprised him more than anyone else ever could. This was an experience not even the Smith’s knew, this was his little secret with New York City in the confines of Grand Central Station.

– Abishek Johnson

Notes

• Childhood story
• Fascination with the stars/astrology of the roof (great expanse)
• Tall windows with streaming light from the outside
• Brilliant center clock
• Childs play with the talking walls
• Anticipating food from the market/dining course
• Expanse of the dining course=excitement (personal experience with magnolia bakery or junior’s)
• Excited kid about the bustling people and expanse of main concourse

Story

A Saturday morning, no, the Saturday morning that mom and dad are going to finally take me into the city again. I’ve waited patiently for this day to come. I bounced around the seats in the cart looking at the Hudson River and hills speed by as the train rushed along the tracks. Finally, the train hissed into the station. Holding both my parents by their hands, I began dragging them up the ramp pushing past the other tall adults.

Speed walking across the concourse, we finally reached the brilliant center clock. I twirled as I soaked in the great expanse of the grand concourse. Looking up, I stared in awe at the brilliant blue, star-covered ceiling. Looking around I admired the bustling commuters, admiring their lives and anticipating my own future.

“Mom, mom can we please get cheesecake,” I yelled as I tugged on her jacket’s sleeve. She looked at my dad with a judging stare. “Well, you do know it’s still pretty early for cheesecake,” my dad replied. I tightly hugged his arm and looked up with glistening eyes.

“Please!”

My mom gave out a loud sigh, “Fine, fine. Junior’s?”

I screamed out with glee dragging them down the stairs into the dining course. Pushing past the numerous of people, I finally made it to the long line for Junior’s Cheesecake. Wrapping my hands around the plastic container with strawberry cheesecake, I hurriedly handed out the forks and ran to a table nearby. In less the thirty seconds, I scarfed the sweet treat down leaving only two bites left for my parents. Staring up at my parents I gave them the usual look I always give them whenever we pull into Grand Central. My dad looked at my mom. “She wants to do the game,” he said as he rolled his eyes. My mom nudged me in the shoulder, “You want to talk to the walls?” I jumped out of my seat and nodded my head so aggressively I thought it was going to fall off. My dad laughed and took my hand and brought me to the talking walls. My mom stood at one corner of the wall while my dad and I stood at the other corner. Leaning out faces into the corner I gave out a loud, “Hello!” Waiting a couple of seconds, I soon heard my mom’s simple, “Hello there.” I giggled and made my dad speak into the corner, looking around at the curious faces of the passing people.

These were the moments I remember as a child. These were the moments I truly appreciated my surroundings. Whether it was the simple act of walking across the Grand Concourse or tasting the delicious cheesecake, that unfortunately isn’t available in Grand Central anymore. As I walked in Grand Central, as I have numerous of times before, I remembered these moments with a new perspective and truly reflected on how much appreciation I have for Grand Central.

Claire Ng

Notes:

• Sky ceiling with Zodiac signs painted on it
• Windows on both sides of the Main Concourse that you can walk through
• Beautiful Mural on the ceiling of the East side hallway
• Thousands of people on their way to work and traveling
• Old sign with train names in the Biltmore Room

On the morning of October 31st, Ally is on her way to school in the city. Her first class is at 9:05 and she is just getting off the number 7 train at Grand Central 42nd Street at 8:30. Ally usually transfers directly on the number 6 train to go downtown with out exiting into Grand Central Station. But, since today she is pretty early for class, she decided to exit. She walks down a large tiled hallway into the Main Concourse of Grand Central Station. Ally was truly amazed when she walked in. Being a New Yorker and passing through Grand Central everyday to get to school, she was taken back by the fact that she was so at awe with what she was seeing. She was a New Yorker. These things should be normal to her. But she had never seen Grand Central Station in this light before.

As Ally stands in the Main Concourse, she stares up at the ceiling. There are beautiful zodiac signs painted high above her head in gold against a blue background. She spots her the bull of the Taurus on the ceiling. As she begins to turn around and stare at the other things she’s never taken the time to see at in Grand Central, she sees the huge windows on either side of the Main Concourse. They flood the whole terminal with beautiful natural light. But then, she sees someone walking through the windows! Amazed, she goes to the information desk and asks the man at the counter about how to get up to walk through the window. He tells her that unfortunately only people who work in the buildings are given access to them. The windows were built that way to allow the people who work in those buildings to pass through the terminal quickly. Ally then asks the man at the information desk what time it was. He responds saying its 9:15. Ally says that he must be wrong she couldn’t be late for class! The man tells her that the clock in the main concourse is the most accurate clock because it sets itself every second with the atomic clock in the naval observatory in Maryland. Ally then accepts that she is most definitely  late to class even though she swears she couldn’t have spent that much time in Grand Central Station. I guess time flies by when you’re amazed by the beautiful secrets New York holds.