![]() Before 9/11, the staircase rising from the lower level was actually the only way to access the main level kiosk. This staircase allows workers to quickly access the upper and lower levels of the station. The brass spiral staircase is accessed through the sliding doors of the brass structure at the center of the kiosk. Metro-North workers inside the information kiosk beneath the iconic milk glass (also known as opaline glass)-faced clock in the center of the main atrium are guarding one of the terminal’s oldest secrets, a hidden staircase that connects the upper and lower levels. A SECRET STAIRCASE INSIDE THE INFORMATION KIOSK. Luckily, the German plans were foiled by a member of the Coast Guard, who spotted them before they could even make it to the station.Ĥ. If the saboteurs were successful in damaging the converters and shutting down the railway system, they would have halted 80% of troop and war material movement in the northeast. During the War, German saboteurs were sent to disrupt the converters, an attack that would have been a major blow to the American force. A simple bag of sand could have sabotaged the whole system. Especially during World War II, it was imperative that the railroads ran without a hitch, as trains were used to transport troops and weapons to the ports of the east coast. The converters, which weigh 15 tons each, are no longer in use, but one remains in place as a tribute to its former service. ![]() What was so important inside this subterranean room? Nine rotary converters that provided power for all of the trains that ran through Grand Central. If an unauthorized person made his way down to the M42 basement, he risked being shot. The location’s mere existence was only recognized as recently as the late 1980s. Ten stories below Grand Central Terminal’s main atrium there lies a space that is so secretive it doesn’t appear on any maps or blueprints of the terminal. ![]() A special key and a bit of nerve are required to gain access and traverse the elevated glass pathways. The catwalks that run across the massive windows connect offices so employees do not have to fight through the crowds within the station to get where they need to go. While most people will recognize the signature glass windows of Grand Central Terminal’s atrium, many may be surprised to know that those windows contain walkways. There is even a street entrance on Vanderbilt Avenue (between Madison and Park Aves.) between 42nd and 43rd streets. Alternatively, you can also take the elevators located halfway down the ramp that leads to the Oyster Bar and Tracks 100-117. The easiest way to access the facility is to head to the Campbell Apartment, where you will find elevators in the lobby outside the bar that will bring you directly there. At that time, a new fourth floor was built and new courts became more accessible to the general public. In the 1980s, the club was taken over by Donald Trump and catered to the rich and famous as a private court until the early 2000s. Gazdag founded the Vanderbilt Athletic Club in the terminal and constructed a 65-foot-long indoor ski slope made of astroturf and two clay tennis courts in the Annex. In the 1960s, Hungarian immigrant Geza A. The space where the full-sized hard court and two practice courts of the tennis club are now located, called The Annex, once served as an art gallery and then as a television studio for CBS. The courts, run by the Vanderbilt Tennis Club, are open to the public but few people even know they are there. The hidden tennis courts on the fourth floor of Grand Central Terminal. Hidden Secret Gems in Grand Central Station. As we re-open on September 7th we relish the opportunity to be of service again, and fill your hearts, and ours, with joy and do what we do best offer an amazing experience to our beloved New Yorkers and to our friends from all over the world.Hidden Secret Gems in Grand Central Station. “Dear friends, it has been eleven challenging months since we last saw many of you at the Grand Central Oyster Bar. A statement posted on their website reads: Thankfully, they will be reopening this fall, hopefully for good. The glamorous space was the hotspot of the Grand Central dining scene, and also boasts the title of the oldest restaurant in Grand Central Terminal. Indoor dining was only allowed at 25 percent capacity at the time, and there was no outdoor dining options for them as they are in the completely enclosed lower level of the transportation hub. The classic New York eatery first closed during the onset of the pandemic, reopened briefly last fall, and then closed again immediately due to lack of traffic and business. Grand Central’s legendary Oyster Bar & Restaurant will reopen September 7!
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