Bet you were expecting some hate?
We've conditioned you for that, haven't we? We couldn't help railing against Penn Station because we hate squat, dirty, crowded train stations.
We couldn't help coming at Port Authority either, because, well it's even worse than Penn Station isn't it?
Everyone who works at Port Authority is mean, and its layout is wholly confusing, in addition to the fact that it's a complete sh*thole.
Then, of course, we had to speak out against Times Square because of course its the antithesis to everything good. It represents the decline of humanity and the conquest of flashy, soulless capitalism, so of course we hate Times Square.
When it comes to Grand Central, though, well, we have no hate.
Grand Central is a palace, and we love being there. Sometimes we go there when we don't even have to, just to be inspired with a sense of wonder. Read on to find out why Grand Central is heaven.
1. Shake Shack
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It's obvious that Shake Shack represents everything good on earth; whether we're eating their delectably crispy fries or their juicy burgers, or even slurping their creamy milkshakes, we're happy.
So yes, there's a Shake Shack in Grand Central Terminal, and it's alight with just as much delicious goodness as any Shake Shack located anywhere else in the city.
This particular Shake Shack's been delighting customers left and right since its opening in October of 2013. They also recently started serving breakfast from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on weekends, which made things even more excellent.
To keep the Shake Shack party going, let's also mention the fact that they serve Frog's Leap Shack Wines, which area ll made from organically grown grapes and designed with Shake Shack's menu in mind.
They have beer, too, of course.
2. The Apple Store
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Everyone in NYC knows it's impossible to get an appointment at the Genius Bar at most NYC Apple Store locations.
If you try to sign up on 5th Avenue or West 14th Street, they'll have you waiting for days. When you try to sign up for an appointment at the Apple Store in Grand Central, however, they'll usually be able to see you that day.
What's the explanation for their availability?
We're not sure, we can't really explain it, but we also know it's really lovely to spend some time waiting for your trains surfing the internet in the marble studded Apple Store in Grand Central.
3. Cell phone service
grandcentralnyc This is our favorite view of the Terminal. What's yours? #grandcentral #mainconcourse
You don't even have to exit the subway at Grand Central Station to experience the glory of this point.
Anyone who regularly rides the 4, 5, or 6 will know what we're talking about here. For those of you who don't, let us explain.
You're on your way to meet someone, somewhere, and you need to send a text message, check your email, or look up the address of where you're going.
You don't have service anywhere else on the green line at all, but when the train screeches to a halt at 42nd Street, Grand Central, you're blessed with one moment of cell phone service.
In that moment your phone is flooded with text messages, you receive all your emails, and you're blissfully able to Google the address of the restaurant where you're meeting your friends. Hallelujah.
,4. The ceiling
Have you ever looked up at Grand Central?
Its ceiling is a regular daytime planetarium, fixed with a gorgeous turquoise finish, and a rendition of the constellations glimmering on the ceiling. It's got 2,500 stars, 59 of which are illuminated and crossed by two golden bands representing the Equator.
Grand Central's ceiling is, in a word, a masterpiece.
If you're ever feeling harried by your commute, worn down by the tireless hustle and bustle of the city, or stressed about your woes, all you have to do is get inside Grand Central and look up.
You'll instantly be flooded with wonder at how gorgeous that high, domed, gold-studded ceiling sparkles.
Admittedly, there is one little dirty patch of ceiling at Grand Central, because that's how the whole ceiling used to look. It used to be covered in diesel smoke, smog, tar, and nicotine.
It was renovated back to its magical state between 1996 and 1998, and the rectangle was left to illustrate how dirty the terminal's ceiling was before the renovation.
5. Miles of marble
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There really isn't anything that can make you feel like you're in a royal palace besides a marble finish, and Grand Central's got that on lock.
The idea for the terminal came to William J. Wilgus in "a flash of light," he said, decades later. "It was the most daring idea that ever occurred to me," Wilgus said.
The ground was first broken on May 1st, 1904, and was modeled on public baths built in Rome 1,700 years earlier. The station opened in 1910 and cost $114 million, or $2.7 billion in today's dollars.
Whenever we enter Grand Central, we can't help calling to mind the words of Broad City's Lincoln (played by Hannibal Burress). He says, "Wow, this place truly is majestic." Which is how we feel every time we're in Grand Central.
6. Its secret basement
grandcentralnyc It's finally feeling like spring at the Terminal! What do you like to do on warm, sunny days in #NYC ?
Did you know there's a secret basement in Grand Central?
Well, it's true. Ten stories below Grand Central's Terminal sits a giant secret basement that's housed nine rotary converters since 1913. It was built by carving down the stories of solid rock, after which engineers blasted open a chamber, almost as large as the station above.
The basement is an enormous 22,000-square-feet, and its 9 converters power the entire MetroNorth rail system, converting power to run trains over 2,000 miles.
That's not even it when it comes to secrets about the basement, though. During World War II, there was a secret German spy working in Grand Central's facility. As a result, Hitler was determined to destroy the basement.
He sent two submarines to the East Coast, who planned to just throw sand into the rotary converters, which would have ruined them. Fortunately, the Nazi agents were spotted coming ashore, and they were arrested, two were executed, and well, you know the rest.
We didn't lose World War II to Germany, basically.
Go Inside the World’s Most Top Secret Basement in Grand Central.
[Feature Image Courtesy Wide Wallpapers]